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Vegetarian eating
Vegetarians are people who don't eat meat - for health, environmental, ethical, religious or economic reasons. Whether a vegetarian lifestyle is healthy or not depends on the individual. A vegetarian diet can provide many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including:
Obesity
Coronary artery disease
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Some types of cancer
Osteoporosis.
Vegetarians also have lower rates of illness and death from a number of degenerative diseases. The wider the variety of foods eaten, the easier it is for vegetarians to meet nutritional requirements. However, they do risk developing dietary deficiencies if they don't plan their meals carefully. Generally, the stricter the diet, the greater the risk of nutritional deficiency.
There are three degrees of vegetarianism. These are:
Lacto-ovo vegetarians - those who avoid meat, but include dairy foods (such as milk and eggs) and plant foods.
Lacto-vegetarians - those who avoid meat and eggs, but include dairy foods and plant foods.
Vegans - the strictest degree of vegetarianism, where only plant foods are eaten.
Protein
Protein is essential to many bodily processes, including tissue building and repair. Protein is made up of smaller components called amino acids. Meat offers what is known as 'complete protein' because it contains all the amino acids necessary to make up protein. Individual plant foods only have some of the amino acids. The one exception is soy, which contains all the amino acids.
Recent research suggests that vegetarians do not need to combine different plant proteins at each meal and that consuming various sources of amino acids throughout the day should provide the complete complement of protein.
Some good plant sources of protein include:
Legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils
Nuts
Seeds
Soy products, including tempeh and tofu
Whole (cereal) grains.
It is recommended that vegetarians eat legumes and/or nuts daily, along with wholegrain cereals, to ensure adequate nutrient intakes.
Minerals
Meat is packed with essential minerals that a vegetarian may lack if not careful. Some of these minerals, and suggested alternative sources, include:
Iron - women need high quantities of iron in their daily diet to prevent anaemia. Vegetarian diets are generally high in iron from plant foods, however, this iron is not absorbed as well as the iron in meat. Good food sources of iron include green leafy vegetables, peas and wholegrains, enriched cereals, legumes and prune juice. Combining these foods with foods high in vitamin C will increase the body's level of iron absorption.
Zinc - performs essential functions in the body, including the development of immune system cells. Zinc levels in vegetarians are comparable with non-vegetarians because the body may compensate and adapt to a low zinc diet. Good food sources of zinc include nuts, tofu, miso, legumes, wheat germ and wholegrain foods.
Calcium - is needed for strong bones and teeth. Lacto-ovo vegetarians tend to have calcium levels comparable to, or higher than, non-vegetarians, but the calcium intakes of vegans tend to be lower. However, vegans may have lower calcium needs because diets low in total protein are more alkaline and require less calcium. Good food sources of calcium include dairy products, leafy dark green vegetables, especially Asian greens, legumes, almonds, brazil nuts, dried figs and apricots, fortified soymilk, tahini and tofu.
Iodine - our bodies need iodine for normal functioning of the thyroid gland and associated hormones. These hormones regulate metabolic rate and promote growth and development throughout the body including the brain. If there is a deficiency of thyroid hormones in the blood, the thyroid gland enlarges and becomes what is known as goitre. Iodine deficiency can also lead to dry skin, hair loss, fatigue and slowed reflexes. Iodine deficiency is especially serious in the developing fetus and young child. In the early years of life iodine deficiency can result in stunted growth, diminished intelligence, and retardation. Iodised salt is the most common source of iodine in the Western diet. Iodine is found in seawater, so any type of seafood is a rich source of this element, particularly seaweed. Since an adult only requires around one teaspoonful of iodine over a lifetime, eating fish once a week is enough to fulfil the average iodine requirement. Vegetarians or people who do not eat seafood can get iodine from seaweed or iodised salt.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is manufactured by microorganisms that are ingested by animals. Strict vegans are at risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency because it is not found in plant products at all. Vitamin B12 is important for the production of red blood cells, and maintains healthy nerves and mental abilities. Anaemia is a common result of B12 deficiency. If a breastfeeding mother is following a vegan diet, the lack of vitamin B12 in her milk can interfere with her baby's brain functioning.
Vitamin B12 can be found in dairy products and eggs; however, lacto-ovo vegetarians still have low B12 blood levels. Traces of vitamin B12 can be found in fortified soymilk and enriched soy products, but vegans are advised to take B12 supplements. Vitamin B12 absorption becomes less efficient as the body ages, so supplements may be even more beneficial to older vegetarians.
The best sources of B12 are meat, liver, dairy products, fish and eggs.
Mushrooms are often promoted as 'meat' for vegetarians and are claimed to be a source of B12. However, they contain a compound with a similar structure to B12 that does not function like B12. They may contain some B12 on their surface, from soil (bacteria) or fertiliser contamination. Some soy products contain B12 if they have been fortified with the vitamin and vegemite contains this vitamin from the yeast that's used; spirulina and seaweed do not contain a biologically active form of B12.
Alcohol can interfere with B12 absorption as well.
Vitamin D
There is very little vitamin D in most people's diets, unless fatty fish, eggs, liver or vitamin D fortified foods (such as margarine) are eaten. Fortified cow's milk is the most common source of vitamin D in some countries. Vitamin D deficiency in vegans can be avoided by consuming fortified soymilk and cereals. The sun is also a major source of vitamin D, so dietary intake is only important when exposure to UV light from the sun is inadequate - for example, in the house-bound elderly.
Vegetarian diets and children
Well-planned vegan and vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of a person's life. However, special care needs to be taken with children on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Strict vegetarian diets are generally not recommended for young children. The bodies of growing infants and toddlers have enormous demands for protein, vitamins and minerals. Small deficiencies can have dramatic effects on development. One way to ensure that vegetarian children meet their energy needs is to give them frequent meals and snacks, and include some refined foods and foods higher in fat, such as dairy foods.
A global view
Forty per cent of today's world grain production is used to feed meat-producing livestock. The conversion of cereal grains and other foods to animal products involves significant loss of energy. Five kilograms of grain is required to produce 1 kg of beef. If meat consumption were lowered, then more cereal grains and other food components might be used to improve the world's nutrition.
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