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How to Nail your Vegetarian Diet

If you are a vegetarian, you know that it can be hard to find good sources of protein and other nutrients. However, with a little bit of planning, you can make sure that your vegetarian diet is both healthy and satisfying. In this blog post, you will learn exactly how to nail your vegetarian diet so that you’re no longer missing out on some of the key markers of health. 

Table of Contents

1. What is Vegetarianism?

Vegetarianism is the practice of avoiding meat. This can include poultry, seafood, and red meat. Some vegetarians may also avoid eggs and dairy products. There are many different reasons why people choose to become vegetarian, including ethical concerns, religious beliefs, or health concerns.

2. Here are the Benefits of Vegetarianism

There are many benefits to vegetarianism, both for the individual and for the environment. 

On an individual level, vegetarianism has been linked with lower rates of heart disease, obesity, and cancer when compared to the typical western diet. Vegetarians also tend to have lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. 

As for the environment, vegetarianism can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save water and land resources with good practices.

3. How to Turn Vegetarian

If you’re interested in becoming a vegetarian, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

First, consider your reasons for wanting to make this change. Once you have a clear motivation, it will be easier to stick with your vegetarian diet. 

Second, remember that you don’t have to go vegetarian overnight. You can slowly phase out meat and animal products from your diet. Start by cutting out red meat, then poultry, and finally seafood. 

Third, make sure to eat a variety of vegetarian foods to get all the nutrients your body needs. This includes incorporating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds into your diet. 

Lastly, examine how you shop and purchase foods to make sure you are supporting vegetarian-friendly companies and doing your best to purchase local, seasonal foods.

Photo of female hand holding a bowl of green vegetables

4. Consuming enough Nutrients as a Vegetarian

Vegetarian diets are typically high in carbs, polyunsaturated fatty acids, dietary fiber, carotenoids, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E and magnesium and low in protein, saturated fat, long-chain omega 3 fatty acids, retinol Vitamin B(12), and Z.

To improve on your food choices that a vegetarian diet is low in you can eat more of these foods:

  • Vitamin B12 can be found in fortified cereals, soy milk, and vegetarian supplements.
  • Zinc is found in whole wheat bread, nuts, and legumes.
  • Protein can be found in tofu, seitan, tempeh, vegetarian burgers, and lentils.
  • Long-chain omega-three fatty acids are found in flaxseed oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and tofu.
Sliced fruits on tray

5. Diet Behaviours to watch out for

Often when people switch over to vegetarian diets they start to increase their food consumption to foods that maybe shouldn’t be consumed as often. Processed foods shouldn’t be the main constituents of a diet whether vegetarian or not. Just because Oreos are vegetarian doesn’t mean you should add more of them into your diet. 

A vegetarian diet should be based around fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans which are healthy and provide the nutrients needed for a vegetarian first, then the foods that you enjoy. Make sure you get those basics right!

Another behaviour to watch out for is skimping on meals or snacks throughout the day in order to save up for a big dinner. It’s important to have consistent meals throughout the day to get a good dose of protein across the day.

And lastly, vegetarian or not, one common mistake people make is not consuming enough water. It’s important to drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated and healthy.

Vegetarianism has many benefits – for the individual, for the environment, and even for society as a whole. With a little bit of planning, vegetarianism can be a healthy, sustainable, and delicious way of eating. 

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