To eat meat, or not to eat meat……Should i leave my meat? Can i live with vegetables and fruits forever? This is the question on many people’s mind.
A range of dietary practices observed by vegetarians have been identified, from the strict guidelines of the most restrictive macrobiotic diets, vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, to those that occasionally include fish or chicken.
The type of vegetarian diet followed by an individual may reflect the motive to be vegetarian; health concerns, ethical and ecological issues, religious beliefs, and the desire to protect and respect to animals are some of the reasons for the increase in the number of people consuming vegetarian diet.
When people think about a vegetarian diet, they typically think about a diet that doesn’t include meat, poultry or fish. But vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:
- Demi –vegetarian(semi vegetarian)occasionally eats meat/poultry and fish
- Pesco-vegetarian dietexcludes meat and poultry, but includes fish (and some other seafood). May include dairy products and eggs.
- Lacto-vegetarian diet exclude all flesh blood (meat, fish), poultry and eggs, as well as food that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet exclude all flesh blood (meat, fish), but allow dairy products and eggs.
- Ovo-vegetarian diet exclude all flesh blood (meat, fish), poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.
- Vegan dietavoid all food of animal origin.
- Fruitarian diet is usually based on fresh and dried fruits, nuts, seeds and a few vegetables. The diet generally consists only of food that do not kill the plant of origin.
- Macrobiotic 10 dietary regimens of increasing restrictions. Usually vegetarian but may eat meat or fish if wild/hunted. Diet is usually based on brown rice with some fruits, vegetables and pulses. The final stage consists wholegrains and limited liquid.
The term “vegetarian” encompassed a spectrum of dietary patterns. Its depends on how restrictive the individual intake than others. Nutritional status is at risk when any group of food is often omitted from the daily diet, for whatever reason. Its can be attributed to an allergy to a particular food, or, religious beliefs etc.
Care must be taken to ensure that the diet remains balanced and nutritionally complete to avoid any deficiencies especially among pregnant mothers, elderly and to ensure optimal nutritional status among children and adolescents.
The following are the most common nutrients that may be lacking in a vegetarian diet.
Iron
In a vegetarian diet, meat is completely excluded, the iron present is only in the non-heme. Absorption may be impaired because vegetarian diets commonly contain dietary inhibitors of iron absorption such as phytates which comes from the greater consumption of legumes and wholegrains. Female vegetarians are prone to iron deficiency anaemia particularly if menstrual losses are high.
There are two forms of dietary iron: heme and non-heme. Heme iron is found in animal food, while non-heme iron is in plant foods.Chickpeas, lentils, beans, fortified cereal, fortified oatmeal, tofucan be use as a source of non-heme iron.
For vegans and vegetarians ,there are ways to increase the absorption of non-heme iron and meet the recommendations:
- Consuming vitamin C (citrus fruits, juice, red peppers) at the same time together with consume foods with non-heme iron.
- Calcium, tannins, and phytates interfere with the absorption of iron. Tannins are found in tea and coffee. Phytates are found in whole grains and legumes. Take any foods containing calcium, tannins, or phytates separately while consume iron-rich foods or an iron supplement.
Calcium
The most well-known source of calcium is dairy foods, which are often omitted or greatly limited in vegetarian diet and are completely omitted in vegan diets. The calcium intakes of vegan, who exclude dairy products, are considerably lower than in general population. Vegans, especially, should ensure an adequate calcium intake by consuming high calcium plant-derived food such as beans and pulses, green leafy vegetables and fortified foods.
The following are recommendations for consuming an adequate amount of calcium:
- Consume two servings of dairy products per day.
- Vegans should consume calcium-fortified juices or soy milk on a daily basis, calcium-rich foods such as tofu, throughout the day.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption and bone health. People who exclude fish and dairy from their diet can be even more susceptible to a vitamin D deficiency. In order to optimize vitamin D status, vegan diet can be planned to provide adequate amounts of vitamin D through use of fortified foods like fortified soymilk,exposure to sunlight, and the use of vitamin D supplements
Omega-3 fatty acids
The fat in fish provides the essential omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).. Omega-3 fatty acids help to slow the progression of atherosclerosis, reduce triglyceride levels also act as an anti-inflammatory agent.
In order to maximize production of DHA and EPA (omega-3 fatty acids), vegans should include good sources of alpha-linolenic acid in their diets such as flaxseed, flaxseed oil, canola oil, tofu, soybeans, and walnuts.
Vegan diet are usually higher in dietary fiber,folic acid, vitamins C and phytochemicals, and tend to be lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B-12.
In general, vegetarians typically enjoy a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. A vegan diet appears to be useful for increasing the intake of protective nutrients and phytochemicals and for minimizing the intake of dietary factors implicated in several chronic diseases.
- To avoid B-12 deficiency, vegans should regularly consume vitamin B-12–fortified foods, such as fortified soy and rice beverages, certain breakfast cereals.
- To ensure adequate calcium in the diet, calcium-fortified plant foods should be regularly consumed in addition to consuming the traditional calcium sources for a vegan (green leafy vegetables, tofu). The calcium-fortified foods include ready-to-eat cereals, calcium-fortified soy, calcium-fortified orange and apple juices, and other beverages.
- To ensure an adequate vitamin D status, vegans must regularly consume vitamin D–fortified foods such as soy milk, rice milk, orange juice, breakfast cereals, and margarines that are fortified with vitamin D.
A well balance vegetarian diet can provide adequate amount of all of the nutrients required by the body given throughout the lifecycle. Diets can be nutritionally adequate, provided they are more attention, with careful dietary planning, supported with supplements or fortified foods especially among specific vulnerable subgroups