Study after study has revealed the
importance of a balanced diet to good health.
Eating a balanced diet, one that is rich in all the various minerals and
vitamins needed for a healthy body, can present quite a challenge for
vegetarians and vegans.
That is because maintaining a goodbalanced diet in the absence of one entire food group, such as meat and
poultry, can be difficult. Meat and
other animal products contain significant amounts of important nutrients, such
as protein, calcium and B vitamins.
Vegan diets present an even larger
problem, since vegans go a step farther and eliminate dairy products and eggs
as well as meat. Vegans in particular
often have trouble getting the vitamin B12 they need and often must rely on
vitamin supplements for this important nutrient.
Of course that does not mean that
vegetarians and vegans cannot enjoy good health. Many vegetarians and vegans can and do enjoy
levels of health much better than their carnivorous peers. It simply means that
vegetarians need to pay somewhat closer attention to their dietary needs, and
to be on the lookout for signs of dietary deficiencies. The key to a healthy vegetarian or vegan
diet, as with all types of diets, is practicing moderation, eating a variety of
foods, and keeping nutritional needs in balance.
One of the most frequently cited
concerns by family members and friends of vegetarians and vegans is how they
will get the protein they need from a diet devoid of animal flesh. However, getting sufficient protein is
usually not a concern for vegetarians, since most American diets tend to
contain more protein than they need.
Vegetarians who eat dairy products can
get all the protein they need from dairy products, from soy based products and
from beans, nuts, lentils and seeds.
There are many non animal sources of protein, so most vegetarians should
not have a problem getting sufficient protein.
Even vegans, who eschew all animal
based products, even milk and dairy products, typically do not have a problem
with protein deficiency. That is because
nuts, seeds, lentils, pinto beans, split peas, soybeans, garbanzo beans, black
beans, white beans, kidney beans, navy beans and many more all have lots of protein.
Vegan meals are often rich in tofu and
other soy based products, and these products contain sufficient protein to meet
the needs of most vegans. In addition,
the many bean based vegan recipes are excellent sources of protein. For instance, a cup of cooked beans contains
the same amount of protein as a two ounce serving of meat.
As with protein, nutritionaldeficiencies are generally of no more concern to vegetarians than they are to
the general population. Vegetarians who
follow a balanced, nutritious diet should have no problem meeting their daily
nutritional needs.
Vegans on the other hand, are more
susceptible than vegetarians to nutritional deficiencies, particularly vitamin
B12, calcium and vitamin D. That is
because the most common sources of these important nutrients are all animal
based, either meat or dairy products.
Of these three nutrients, the hardest
to replace on a vegan diet is vitamin B12.
The primary sources of vitamin B12 in the diet are all animal
based. For this reason, vegans are
generally advised to take vitamin B12 supplement, or to eat foods that have
been fortified with vitamin B12. There
are a number of such foods on the market, including nutritional yeast and soy
milk.
Calcium is also a concern for vegans,
since the primary sources of dietary calcium are milk and other dairy
products. Again, calcium fortified foods
such as some soy milk and certain cereals are important to maintaining a
healthy vegan diet. The same is true of
vitamin D, another primarily animal based nutrient.
The bottom line is that it is possible
to maintain excellent health while avoiding meat and dairy products. The key is to follow a well balanced diet,
get plenty of exercise, and make smart food choices.
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