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Putting the Voom in Vegetarian
By Kylie Andrew (Dietitian)
Vegetarians are people who don't eat meat. With careful planning, a vegetarian diet can provide all the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for a long and healthy life. A vegetarian diet has many health benefits, but can result in some vitamin and mineral deficiencies if it is not carefully planned.
There are three main types of vegetarianism. These are:
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians - people who avoid meat, but include dairy foods (such as milk and eggs) and plant foods.
- Lacto-vegetarians - people who avoid meat and eggs, but include dairy foods and plant foods.
- Vegans - people who consume only plant foods.
A well-balanced vegetarian diet can provide many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including:
- Obesity
- Coronary artery disease
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Diabetes
- Some types of cancer.
- Vegetarians also have lower rates of illness and death from a number of degenerative diseases.
Vegetarian eating can be very healthy. New research comparing the health of vegetarians and non-vegetarians, for instance, says that vegetarians have 30 per cent less heart disease and 40 per cent less cancer than non-vegetarians. Vegetarians are also less likely to have high blood pressure and tend to have lower levels of cholesterol too.
The reason many vegetarians benefit from better health outcomes than non vegetarians is due to;
- No cholesterol and less saturated fat -- the main fat found in vegetables is unsaturated and the vast majority of vegetable foods contain virtually no fat. It's possible, however, to end up with a high-fat vegetarian diet.
- Lots of fibre -- both insoluble fibre, thought to help prevent some cancers, and soluble fibre, which can help to lower blood cholesterol as well as help prevent some cancers.
- Antioxidants -- vitamins A, C, E and folic acid are among the thousands of antioxidants (most of which are not vitamins) found in fruit and vegetables. Carotenes, including beta-carotene, also fall into this group as they can be made into vitamin A in the body. Antioxidants are found in many other plant foods too -- legumes, nuts, olive oil, red wine and tea. It's believed they help protect against cholesterol harming your arteries by stopping it 'oxidising' -- oxidised cholesterol is what's thought to do the damage.
- Other protective phytochemicals -- 'phyto' means plant, and these chemicals are thought to protect against some diseases: examples include indoles, isocyanates, flavonoids, phenols, limonene, coumarins, isothiocyanates, monoterpenes, phytosterols, phyto-oestrogens and thousands of others.
Some people choose to become vegetarian as a healthy lifestyle choice or for ethical reasons. There are also sound social reasons to be a vegetarian. Vegetables are a more efficient source of protein - 40 per cent of today's world grain production is used to feed meat-producing livestock. Converting these cereals and grains to animal products involves significant loss of energy. It takes 5kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef. If meat consumption were lowered, more cereal grains and other food components might be used to improve the world's nutrition.
If you choose to be vegetarian you need to plan your diet to make sure it includes all the essential nutrients. The wider the variety of foods you eat, the easier it will be to meet your nutritional requirements.
Some essential dietary requirements, which could be missing from a vegetarian diet if it isn't carefully planned, include:
- Protein
- Minerals (including iron, calcium and zinc)
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D.
Protein is essential for many bodily processes, including tissue building and repair. Protein is made up of smaller components called amino acids. A complete protein has all the amino acids necessary to make up protein. Most individual plant foods are not complete proteins; they only have some of the amino acids. Soy is the only complete vegetable protein.
It was once thought that vegetarians needed to combine plant foods at each meal to ensure they consumed complete proteins. Recent research has found that this is not the case. Consuming various sources of amino acids throughout the day should provide the complete complement of protein. It is recommended that vegetarians eat legumes and nuts daily, along with wholegrain cereals, to ensure adequate nutrient intakes.
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.
If you're vegetarian you need to make sure you get the right amount of essential dietary minerals. Some of these minerals, and suggested food sources, include:
- Iron - 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 and legumes. Combining these foods with foods high in vitamin C will help your body absorb the iron.
- Zinc - performs essential functions in the body, including the development of immune system cells. Food sources of zinc include nuts, tofu, miso, legumes, wheat germ, wholegrain foods.
- Calcium - is needed for strong bones and teeth. Good food sources of calcium include dairy products, fortified cereals and fruits juices, fortified soymilk, tahini and some brands of tofu. Leafy dark green vegetables (especially Asian greens), legumes, almonds and brazil nuts also contain calcium.
- Iodine - our bodies need iodine for the thyroid gland and other associated hormones to function normally. Iodised salt is the most common source of iodine in the Western diet. Iodine is found in seafood, which is a rich source of this element. Seaweed also contains iodine, but is also high in salt.
- Vitamin B12 is vital for the production of red blood cells; helping maintain nerve and mental abilities. Microorganisms that are ingested by animals manufacture vitamin B12. Strict vegans are at risk of developing vitamin B12 deficiency because it is not found in plant products.
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. Vegans are advised to take B12 supplements. Vitamin B12 absorption becomes less efficient as we age, so supplements may be also be needed by older vegetarians. Mushrooms are often claimed to be a source of B12. However, this is not accurate. They contain a compound with a similar structure to B12 but it doesn't work like B12 in the body. They may contain some B12 on their surface, from soil (bacteria) or fertiliser contamination.