Advice On Healthy Vegetarian Eating

By Floramae Malazarte

Millions of people are going vegetarian every year. Please consider becoming a vegetarian yourself, so that you can help create a more compassionate world.

Scientific data suggest positive relationships between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for obesity, coronary artery disease, hyper-tension, diabetes mellitus, and some types of cancer.

Advice on healthy vegetarian eating

PROTEIN is recommended including alternative plant-based proteins, such as legumes, nuts, seeds and soy. For example, use cashew nuts, canned chickpeas or tofu in your favourite stir-fry recipe, add some canned beans to soups and salads, pine nuts,pecans or lentils into a pasta dish (see our recipe idea)or have a handful of nuts and seeds as a between-meals snack.

IRON Spinach, broccoli, almonds, wholegrain cereals and lentils are all plant-based sources of iron. To enhance the absorption of iron, try having a food containing vitamin C – such as orange juice – to accompany your meal.

ZINC is especially important to boost the immune system. To include enough zinc in your diet, try snacking on some pumpkin seeds and cashews for a hit. Other nuts, beans and legumes are also good plant sources.

VITAMIN B12 Choose foods – in particular soy milks that are fortified with vitamin B12. Milk, yoghurt and eggs are also sources of this vitamin.

OMEGA-3 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS Good for heart health, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil all contain omega-3 fats. Try sprinkling some walnuts through salads, cooking with a small amount of canola oil and using soy milk on your cereal.

LESS MEAT if the thought of cutting meat out of your diet altogether seems too challenging, try cutting down on your intake as a start. Include more whole plant foods and think of meat more as a side dish than the focus of a meal.

So don’t waste your time before its too late. Make a healthy diet by eating more on vegetables.

Check out this site how the Japanese being healthy as a vegetarian. http://www.vegietokyo.com/ and more recipies on how to prepare vegetable foods. http://vegkitchen.com/