Contents
In this article you will learn, among others:
- How to eat veg?
- How to supplement deficiencies on a vegetarian diet?
- What is a sample menu for a vegetarian diet?
How to eat veg?
The most important rule of healthy eating is the use of varied food, because only the participation of all groups of food products guarantees the proper balance of the diet and will protect against dangerous deficiencies.
- Should be eaten whole grain cereal productsmainly as a basis for a wholesome breakfast and a filling dinner. In a diet providing 2200 kcal, you should include 3 slices of bread or ¾ cup of dry cereals, groats, rice at least 1 and ½ cups. Vegetables should be the basis (not an addition) of every meal.
- Both should be included vegetables from the red, orange and yellow group and from the green group, as they differ in the proportion of individual vitamins and minerals. When cooking vegetables, it is very important to use the water in which they were prepared, because this is where all the valuable ingredients from vegetables go, and the best method of thermal treatment of these products is steaming. In a 2200 kcal diet, you should include a minimum of 1 plate of vegetable soup, 3 cups of cooked vegetables (half of which are cruciferous vegetables), and 3 cups of raw vegetables (half of which are green leafy vegetables).
- Fruit you shouldn’t eat in unlimited amounts, as is the case with vegetables. In addition to valuable vitamins, they contain large amounts of sugar: fructose, which when consumed in excess and usually transforms into adipose tissue in the evening hours. It is very important to eat the fruit together with the peel, because it is there that the vitamins and fiber that inhibit the absorption of sugar are hidden. The menu should also include dried fruits such as figs rich in calcium or apricots providing beta carotene. Up to 2200 g of fresh fruit should be included in a 700 kcal diet.
- It’s worth choosing milk and yogurt below 2 percent. fat or lean curd. Processed, yellow and blue cheeses should be limited. Dairy should be consumed with bread, vegetables or fruit, because without these additives it contributes to dehydration of the body (the kidneys need to quickly remove ammonia and urea, which are formed in the process of protein metabolism). The 2200 kcal diet should include a maximum of 1 and XNUMX/XNUMX cups of dairy products.
- Dry legume seeds (peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, soybeans, broad beans) are a source of wholesome protein. They are also considered to be the main iron in a vegetarian diet. In a 2200kcal diet, you should consume a minimum of 1 and ½ cups of cooked legumes. It is worth preparing milk, pates, pastes, chops or soups yourself, but you can also use the range of ready-made products available on the market.
- Nuts, almonds and seeds providing healthy vegetable fats should be added to salads, soups, yoghurt, smoothies or eaten as a snack. Their addition supports the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) contained in vegetables, fruits and dairy products.
- In order to reduce fat in the diet, which is an ingredient of almost all products, natural sources should be chosen more often: nuts, seeds, olives, and avocado instead of oil, olive oil, margarine (the so-called visible fats). In a 2200 kcal diet, you should include 3 and ½ tablespoons of nuts and seeds and 1 tablespoon of freshly ground linseed providing omega 3 in a vegetarian diet.
- Use about ½ teaspoon of iodized salt or 1-3 g of sea algae every day to prepare food.
- Products that should be avoided or eaten very rarely include: oils, salty snacks, drinks and juices, sweets, highly processed products, sugar, honey, full-fat dairy products, butter, cream and in the case of lacto-ovo-vegetarians, eggs no more than 2-3 plays per week.
- In summer, regular sun exposure is important (minimum 15 minutes shoulders and face) and supplementation from October to the end of March vitamin D..
How to supplement deficiencies on a vegetarian diet?
In adults on a vegan diet and children on a vegetarian diet, supplementation with vitamin B12, found only in animal products, is necessary. In order to balance properly, attention should be paid to the correct supply of calcium in the diet, which is deficient in the nutrition of both vegetarian and traditional diets.
A good source of calcium, apart from milk and its products, are also green vegetables, poppy seeds, almonds, legumes, soybeans and its products, amaranth, sesame, dried apricots, figs, peanuts and fortified products.
Calcium from plant sources shows better absorption (20% from legumes, 50% from vegetables, 30% from soy milk), while reducing consumption of cholesterol, sodium and saturated fatty acids, as in the case of excessive dairy intake. Calcium from fortified apple and orange juice is very well absorbed, but due to the high sugar content, it should not be found frequently in the diet. To more efficient absorption of iron products rich in this ingredient (egg yolk, cereals, legumes, nuts, vegetables) should be combined in one meal with a source of vitamin C. An example of such a meal may be tomato soup with whole grain noodles, fresh and dried fruit salad, strawberry cocktail and soy milk, salad with beans, sandwich with chickpea paste and vegetables, or porridge with fruit. It is also recommended to germinate grains and legumes, eat fermented soy products (tempeh, miso), avoid black tea as a source of phytates, and eat fortified foods.
A source of zinc in a vegetarian diet are cereal products, cheese, nuts and legumes, including soy and its products. The bioavailability of zinc in vegetarian diets is lower, mainly due to the higher content of phytic acid. For this purpose, you should limit the consumption of tea, cocoa, use of spicy spices, use soaking and sprouting beans, cereals and seeds, and eat fermented miso and tempeh soy products.
Vegetarians do lower concentrations of EPA and DHA in the body than people on a traditional diet. The bioconversion of α-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 acid of plant origin, in EPA occurs on average at a level of less than 10%; the conversion of ALA to DHA is much lower. To this end, in vegetarian diets, attention should be paid to increasing the consumption of foods such as linseed, linseed oil, walnuts, green leafy vegetables, soybeans and its products, soybean oil and rapeseed oil.
In addition to a proper diet, you should remember about regular hydration of the body (mineral water, herbal and fruit teas) and physical activity, which is part of a healthy lifestyle.
day 1 Breakfast – Millet with apple, raisins and linseed XNUMXnd breakfast – sandwiches with oat-vegetable paste and vegetables Dinner- Mexican pancakes with red beans Afternoon tea – Lean white cottage cheese with radish and chives, bread Dinner – Greek style green beans (stewed in tomatoes) with porridge or rice day 2 Breakfast- Fig and almond muesli with orange II breakfast – Sandwiches with celery paste and vegetables Lunch- Red lentil soup with croutons Afternoon tea – grated carrot with orange and almonds Dinner – Cauliflower in egg and sesame
day 3 Breakfast – Millet 30g with avocado, tomato and dill II breakfast – Orange cocktail Lunch – Rice noodles with zucchini, peas, onion, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and feta Afternoon tea – cottage cheese with grated cucumber and sprouts. bread Dinner – pumpkin cream soup with millet
day 4 Breakfast – Cottage cheese pancakes with fruit sauce XNUMXnd breakfast – Kanaki with sunflower paste and vegetables Lunch – Tofu with vegetables, noodles or rice Afternoon tea – Vegetable strips with eggplant dip Dinner – Greek salad
day 5 Breakfast – Cheese fritters with apple: II breakfast – Sandwiches with paste. Chickpeas and celery paste Lunch – Pasta with eggplant, tomatoes and parsley Afternoon tea – Natural yoghurt 150g with walnuts, spoon Dinner – Tomato soup with avocado on coconut milk
day 6 Breakfast – Avocado and cottage cheese dip, bread, and vegetables XNUMXnd breakfast – Fruit mousse Lunch – Potato and lentil cutlets, beetroot Afternoon snack – Vegetable juice, hazelnuts, dried figs Dinner – Baked vegetables with tofu
day 7 Breakfast – Yogurt with cereals and fruit XNUMXnd breakfast – Sandwiches with cashew and cucumber paste Lunch – Cabbage soup with tomatoes and brown rice Afternoon tea – Mushrooms stuffed with feta cheese, baked Dinner – Iceberg lettuce salad with peas
The author of the article is Hanna Stolińska IŻŻ
Write in the comments what your favorite vegetarian recipes are!
If you are interested in this diet, you may also be interested in the Tasty Match Vege diet. We also remind you of the recipes of our community, among which you will also find vegetarian recipes.
Photo from: SweetOnVeg / iW / CC BY