If you have gone over to the side of vegetarians or you already were but you are not sure what products to eat, you need a good vegetarian diet. Not eating anything meat can be difficult to incorporate all the necessary nutrients for your body to function properly. Therefore, it is important that you learn what foods you should eat and in what proportion. This way you can stay healthy and meet your vegetarian goals.
Do you want to know everything that is necessary for a balanced vegetarian diet?
Vegetarian diets
A well-planned vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option. It is equivalent to a diet that includes meat or fish. However, for this to be the case, you have to know well the nutrients necessary for our body. The proportion is also necessary, since each person will need different nutritional requirements.
The vegetarian diet can be of different types:
- Ovolactovegetarian. It is a type of diet that eliminates all meat and fish. To balance the nutrients, add plant-based foods, eggs, and dairy. You do not eat anything animal but it does come from it.
- Ovovegetarian. This type of diet eliminates meat, fish, and dairy products. The only food that can come from an animal is the egg.
- Vegan Only plant-based foods are eaten here. No derivative or anything like that.
These diets, if planned correctly, can be perfect for a person's cycles, including pregnancy. For athletes it can also be balanced and provide you with enough needs to continue improving.
Therefore, it is important to understand that being a vegetarian involves knowing very well what you eat. Many people become vegetarians with little knowledge about it and end up failing. This is because feel weaker since it does not have the necessary food to be healthy. Particular attention should be paid to planning your diet and establishing the necessary dietary modifications to meet your needs.
Nutrients and food groups
The vegetarian diet must correctly evaluate the contribution of specific nutrients necessary such as They are calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and omega 3 fatty acids. If these nutrients are not present in the diet, there will be a deficit and we will feel weaker. A quantity and variety of food must be guaranteed so that these needs are covered. It is also advisable to have good sun exposure to add vitamin D to the body.
If your diet is exclusively vegan, it is interesting to contribute a multivitamin that adds vitamin B12 to your body.
There are different food groups that make up a vegetarian diet.
Cereal grains
They are practically the most important. They are the base of the food and energy pyramid. They provide complex carbohydrates, fiber, iron and other B vitamins. These cereals can give us the energy we need to start the day right. In addition, if we eat them whole, they will provide us with zinc and other minerals.
Fruits and vegetables
Since a vegetarian diet consists of mostly plant-based foods, can not miss fruits and vegetables. These foods must remain in the diet in a balanced proportion. It is best to add more vegetables than fruit. This is because vegetables have a higher caloric intake and phytonutrients of great importance for health.
To complement our contribution of vitamin C, you can include some fruits such as strawberries, kiwis and citrus.
Nuts and legumes
Since we are eliminating meat and fish, we need to look for foods that are high in protein, B vitamins, and minerals. This is where nuts and legumes come into the picture. Soy and its derivatives also provide protein, as do seeds and eggs. Each egg white has about 7 grams of protein.
You can also get protein from dairy foods like milk and cheese. To keep our muscles strong and not lose them, it is necessary to consume a daily amount of protein. This amount becomes between a gram and a gram and a half of protein for each kilogram of weight. In this way, if we weigh 70 kilograms, we should consume about 70 grams of protein a day. If we are trying to gain muscle volume, that amount increases to 2-2,5 grams of protein / kilo of weight.
Fatty and fatty foods
Although fats are thought to be bad, they are needed. Omega 3 fatty acids present in oily fish cannot be consumed by vegetarians. Therefore, you should look for another option such as nuts, seeds and avocado. These products are high in omega 3.
Here you have a video with the importance of omega 3 fatty acid:
If we must cook vegetables or sauté them, the most advisable thing is to use olive oil. It is very rich in healthy monounsaturated fat and omega 3.
Foods with calcium
Let's not forget that there are foods rich in calcium and that are not dairy. Many fruits and vegetables have some calcium content. If the diet is quite varied, it can be ensured that the calcium levels can be correctly.
Example of a healthy vegetarian diet
So that everything mentioned above has consistency, we are going to see an example of a healthy diet.
Breakfast
Milk with malt and honey. Whole wheat bread with fresh cheese and jam. Fruit juice.
As you can see, dairy has been added to obtain protein and calcium. In addition, wholemeal bread has the carbohydrates necessary to start the day right. Honey and jam help with calorie intake and blood glucose levels. The fruit will provide us with the necessary vitamins.
Lunch.
Mixed salad with egg and / or tofu. Rice with peas. Fresh fruit salad.
Vegetables have a contribution of minerals and fruit. Rice increases our energy to regain strength and continue the day.
Snack
Whole wheat toast with fig cream. Yogurt with honey.
Again we turn to cereals for a caloric intake and yogurt to obtain protein.
Price
Pasta soup. Vegetable with potato and grated cheese. Yogurt mousse. Nuts.
Nuts help us with a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids and cheese with a protein content.
With this information you will be able to better understand the vegetarian diet and the importance of knowing well what we eat.