So is vegetarianism really healthy? Well there are health benefits of vegetarianism by consuming less meat to add more fruits and vegetables to one's diet; thereby resulting in lower cholesterol and chances of getting cardiovascular diseases. But not so fast, vegetarianism can possibly be unhealthy too. It's where good intentions are gone bad sometimes.
The diet concerns of vegetarians are the key ingredients that vegetarians may have trouble receiving from their diets. Some people are vegetarians for ethical reasons while others are for health reasons or even both. The problem occurs when there are mineral deficiencies in vegetarians that later cause health problems to occur. Taking supplements may not be the simplest solution.
So here are the essential nutrients that vegetarianism have to pay attention to in their diets:
1) Iron: The body needs iron to help form hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen to the blood cells. There are two types of iron: 1) hemes (found in animal foods) and 2) non-hemes (found in plant foods). Non-heme is harder for the body to absorb than hemes. So one way to aid hon-hemes iron absorption is eat foods rich with Vitamin C for every meal.
2) Protein: Your body needs protein for growth, repair body tissues, build red blood cells, and create hormones.Animal products are the most common source to obtain complete proteins for the body. Vegetarians, depending on their diets, can also obtain complete proteins from soy, milk, and eggs. If vegetarians cannot obtain complete proteins, then they must eat a combination of foods that are complementary proteins (where incomplete proteins complement to become complete proteins).
3) Calcium: Your body needs calcium to help blood clotting, muscle and nerve functioning, and hormone and enzyme secretion. Obviously, you can get calcium from consuming dairy. Lactovegetarians won't have a problem getting calcium, but other vegetarians may need to look into plant sources and calcium fortified foods to the recommended daily amount of calcium at 1300 mg per day.
4) Vitamin B-12: The body needs Vitamin B-12 for normal red blood cell formation, making DNA, and nerve functioning. It is difficult for most vegetarians to obtain this nutrient since it is only found in animal foods. Lacto vegetarians who consume dairy shouldn't worry about getting enough Vitamin B-12. Other vegetarians need to consume food that are fortified with Vitamin B-12 in their diet daily.
5) Zinc: Your body needs zinc for growth, tissue repair, and energy production. Zinc can mostly be found in dairy and eggs. Other sources of zinc include: bran, legumes,tofu, seeds, nuts, wheat germ, zinc-fortified cereals, lentils, and green vegetables. You can take supplements containing zinc, but you need to be careful because if there is risk of toxicity if supplements contain more than 100% of the RDA zinc recommendations.
6) Vitamin D: We need vitamin D to help with absorbing calcium from the digestive tract as well as transferring calcium into our bones and teeth. You can get this nutrient from fortified milk, egg yolks, and liver. For vegetarians, you can get vitamin D from fortified soy milk products and sun exposure. Too much sun exposure may lead to skin cancer and other risks.
So if you decide to take on a vegetarian lifestyle, be sure to check with your doctor. He or she may recommend blood test(s) to make sure your essential nutrients and minerals are in good shape.
References:
http://www.eiu.edu/dining/files/VegetarianismII.pdf
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2011/08/25/top-10-blood-tests-for-vegetarians-and-vegans
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Features/2012/06/19/1280-Vitamins.jpg
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