Are you planning to lose weight and would like to try going vegetarian? Statistics show that vegetarians are less at risk from coronary heart disease and some cancers than are meat-eaters. They are also less prone to high blood pressure and strokes.
Here are some tips to help prevent your digestive system from complaining when switching to a vegetarian diet: Here is a plan to help you avoid this: Week 1. Cut out red meat from your diet, replacing it with fish. Eat one extra portion of vegetables and one portion of whole grains (e.g. cereals, wholemeal bread, rather than just using refined cereals and white bread) a day. Week 2. Cut out poultry, too, this week and cut down on full-fat dairy produce, replacing them with dishes based on pulses. Increase the amount of fruit that you eat to two portions a day, and eat more of your vegetables raw- in salad form. Increase whole grains again and add some nuts and seeds to your diet. Week 3. Cut out, or right down on, full-fat dairy produce, replacing it with low-fat dairy produce and more pulses, nuts and seeds. More tips: -Chew all food thoroughly -Eat slowly -Make sure pulses are thoroughly cooked before eating. Some pulses particularly red kidney beans, are toxic if not boiled for at least 10 minutes before using in your recipe. Canned beans are fine. -Vegetables, fruits and pulses can be pureed to make them more easily digestible. -Don’t peel vegetables and fruit unless absolutely necessary. Buy organic, wash well and scrub if necessary. Adding variety and taste Plant foods are delicious, especially if you buy good quality, fresh food, preferably organic, and if you cook them with a bit of imagination. Fresh or dried herbs and spices, tomato sauces and so on all add flavour and versatility to your meals. It is worth considering buying organic fruits and vegetables. They are guaranteed free from additives, hormones, pesticides, etc. and will help your overall health, long term. Coping with a Lone ‘veggie’ in the family. Whether that ‘veggie’ is you, or another family member, at first it seems like a lot of bother to cook two sets of meals. In fact it needn’t present much extra work at all. For a healthy family you would be well advised to encourage meat-eaters to eat more vegetables and pulses, in any event. Most meat-eaters will welcome one or two vegetarian meals a week- things like pizzas, pasta dishes, curries and so on are ideal as the missing meat is hardly noticed. If you’re eating fish, that’s another two or three meals a week catered for. On the remaining three or so nights you can cook a basic vegetarian meal (a casserole or pie, for instance) and add chicken, lamb fillet, pork tenderloin or so on, to the meat-eater’s portion. Another tip for lone vegetarians is to cook a two-serving portion then freeze the remaining portion for another night. This saves you time, too. A few nutrition notes. Meat replacers. When you give up meat you need to replace the nutrients it provided in your diet. The main ones of importance are protein, iron and B vitamins. Protein is present in a wide variety of vegetarian and demi-vegetarian foods including low-fat dairy, pulses, fish, eggs, protein replacers such as Quorn (made from a mushroom-like substance) and tofu (made from soya beancurd). Many other foods also contain reasonable amounts of protein, such as potatoes and other vegetables, grains, bread, nuts and seeds. A varied diet will ensure adequate protein. In fact, many meat-eaters get far more protein than they need and this can actually have drawbacks. Iron if found in the vegetarian diet in dark leafy greens, some dried fruits, whole grains, pulses, spices, egg yolk and many other foods. Again, a varied diet including plenty of natural wholefoods will ensure a plentiful supply of iron. Another good idea is to eat a vitamin C-rich food (or drink) with each meal to help iron absorption -say, an orange juice with a boiled egg. Some iron-rich foods handily come ready with their own vitamin C- such as dark leafy greens. Also avoid tea and coffee with a meal asy they can hinder absorption. B Vitamins are a group of six vitamins that work together in the body. They are found in varying quantities in a wide variety of foods including whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, Marmite and dairy produce. Again, variety and regular meals are the key to adequate B intake. Dairy Replacers. A good vegetarian diet, is one that doesn’t rely too heavily on dairy produce, especially full-fat dairy produce. However, in cutting back on dairy items, you need to be sure to find other good sources of calcium in the diet. Low-fat dairy produce contains as much calcium as high-fat dairy produce, so unless going vegan, don’t give up on low-fat dairy altogether- regular daily skimmed milk and low-fat yogurt is a very good idea, and almost vital for all women and teenagers to help build and keep bone mass and help to prevent osteoporosis. If you don’t eat dairy produce, choose calcium-fortified soya milk and yogurt (some brands aren’t fortified with calcium). Other good sources of calcium are seaweed, tofu, pulses, nuts, leafy greens, dried figs, apricots, muesli and broad beans. White bread is fortified with calcium and so contains more than wholemeal bread- but white bread misses out on the high fibre and vitamin content of wholemeal bread so perhaps a compromise- some white, some wholemeal. Lesser amounts of calcium are found in a variety of other plant foods, so again, it is important to have a varied diet with plentiful supplies of fresh vegetables. If you eat fish, sardines and whitebait are a good source of calcium in the bones. If you are a vegetarian, or going vegetarian, for your health, it may not worry you to eat some items containing animal by-products, e.g. some low-fat yogurts contain gelatine (a by-product of cattle) and many cheeses contain rennet (ditto). All kinds of foods may contain small amounts of non-vegetarian additives, from stock cubes to margarines. But if it does worry you, you need to read labels avidly and ask your supermarket for a list of their products which are vegetarian. Why is a vegetarian diet so healthy? A balanced vegetarian diet relying heavily on plant foods is: High in anti-oxidant vitamins, minerals and other plant chemicals that help protect against disease; these are found in fruits, vegetables, pulses and whole grains High in fibre from fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains Low in the saturated fats found in greatest quantities in meat and animal produce Whereas a carnivore diet is often high in saturates and low in fibre, fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains. In other words, a vegetarian diet fits in well with international guidelines on healthy eating and disease prevention. Read more from Quick Weight Loss Acclimatise gradually. If your diet has up until now been high in meat and low in plant foods, it is wisest to let your digestive system adapt over a period of 2-3 weeks to a different way of eating. Going from a low-fibre diet to a high one overnight can result in heartburn, wind, stomach cramps and even diarrhoea.
Here is a plan to help you avoid this:
Week 1. Cut out red meat from your diet, replacing it with fish. Eat one extra portion of vegetables and one portion of whole grains (e.g. cereals, wholemeal bread, rather than just using refined cereals and white bread) a day.
Week 2. Cut out poultry, too, this week and cut down on full-fat dairy produce, replacing them with dishes based on pulses. Increase the amount of fruit that you eat to two portions a day, and eat more of your vegetables raw- in salad form. Increase whole grains again and add some nuts and seeds to your diet.
Week 3. Cut out, or right down on, full-fat dairy produce, replacing it with low-fat dairy produce and more pulses, nuts and seeds.
More tips:
-Chew all food thoroughly
-Eat slowly
-Make sure pulses are thoroughly cooked before eating. Some pulses particularly red kidney beans, are toxic if not boiled for at least 10 minutes before using in your recipe. Canned beans are fine.
-Vegetables, fruits and pulses can be pureed to make them more easily digestible.
-Don’t peel vegetables and fruit unless absolutely necessary. Buy organic, wash well and scrub if necessary.
Adding variety and taste
Plant foods are delicious, especially if you buy good quality, fresh food, preferably organic, and if you cook them with a bit of imagination. Fresh or dried herbs and spices, tomato sauces and so on all add flavour and versatility to your meals.
It is worth considering buying organic fruits and vegetables. They are guaranteed free from additives, hormones, pesticides, etc. and will help your overall health, long term.
Coping with a Lone ‘veggie’ in the family.
Whether that ‘veggie’ is you, or another family member, at first it seems like a lot of bother to cook two sets of meals. In fact it needn’t present much extra work at all.
For a healthy family you would be well advised to encourage meat-eaters to eat more vegetables and pulses, in any event. Most meat-eaters will welcome one or two vegetarian meals a week- things like pizzas, pasta dishes, curries and so on are ideal as the missing meat is hardly noticed.
If you’re eating fish, that’s another two or three meals a week catered for. On the remaining three or so nights you can cook a basic vegetarian meal (a casserole or pie, for instance) and add chicken, lamb fillet, pork tenderloin or so on, to the meat-eater’s portion.
Another tip for lone vegetarians is to cook a two-serving portion then freeze the remaining portion for another night. This saves you time, too.
A few nutrition notes.
Meat replacers. When you give up meat you need to replace the nutrients it provided in your diet. The main ones of importance are protein, iron and B vitamins.
Protein is present in a wide variety of vegetarian and demi-vegetarian foods including low-fat dairy, pulses, fish, eggs, protein replacers such as Quorn (made from a mushroom-like substance) and tofu (made from soya beancurd). Many other foods also contain reasonable amounts of protein, such as potatoes and other vegetables, grains, bread, nuts and seeds. A varied diet will ensure adequate protein.
In fact, many meat-eaters get far more protein than they need and this can actually have drawbacks.
Iron if found in the vegetarian diet in dark leafy greens, some dried fruits, whole grains, pulses, spices, egg yolk and many other foods. Again, a varied diet including plenty of natural wholefoods will ensure a plentiful supply of iron. Another good idea is to eat a vitamin C-rich food (or drink) with each meal to help iron absorption -say, an orange juice with a boiled egg. Some iron-rich foods handily come ready with their own vitamin C- such as dark leafy greens. Also avoid tea and coffee with a meal asy they can hinder absorption.
B Vitamins are a group of six vitamins that work together in the body. They are found in varying quantities in a wide variety of foods including whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, eggs, vegetables, mushrooms, Marmite and dairy produce. Again, variety and regular meals are the key to adequate B intake.
Dairy Replacers. A good vegetarian diet, is one that doesn’t rely too heavily on dairy produce, especially full-fat dairy produce. However, in cutting back on dairy items, you need to be sure to find other good sources of calcium in the diet. Low-fat dairy produce contains as much calcium as high-fat dairy produce, so unless going vegan, don’t give up on low-fat dairy altogether- regular daily skimmed milk and low-fat yogurt is a very good idea, and almost vital for all women and teenagers to help build and keep bone mass and help to prevent osteoporosis. If you don’t eat dairy produce, choose calcium-fortified soya milk and yogurt (some brands aren’t fortified with calcium).
Other good sources of calcium are seaweed, tofu, pulses, nuts, leafy greens, dried figs, apricots, muesli and broad beans. White bread is fortified with calcium and so contains more than wholemeal bread- but white bread misses out on the high fibre and vitamin content of wholemeal bread so perhaps a compromise- some white, some wholemeal.
Lesser amounts of calcium are found in a variety of other plant foods, so again, it is important to have a varied diet with plentiful supplies of fresh vegetables. If you eat fish, sardines and whitebait are a good source of calcium in the bones.
If you are a vegetarian, or going vegetarian, for your health, it may not worry you to eat some items containing animal by-products, e.g. some low-fat yogurts contain gelatine (a by-product of cattle) and many cheeses contain rennet (ditto). All kinds of foods may contain small amounts of non-vegetarian additives, from stock cubes to margarines.
But if it does worry you, you need to read labels avidly and ask your supermarket for a list of their products which are vegetarian.
Why is a vegetarian diet so healthy? A balanced vegetarian diet relying heavily on plant foods is:
High in anti-oxidant vitamins, minerals and other plant chemicals that help protect against disease; these are found in fruits, vegetables, pulses and whole grains
High in fibre from fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains
Low in the saturated fats found in greatest quantities in meat and animal produce
Whereas a carnivore diet is often high in saturates and low in fibre, fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains. In other words, a vegetarian diet fits in well with international guidelines on healthy eating and disease prevention.
Read more from Quick Weight Loss
