More and more people are becoming adherents of a raw food diet and a vegetarian diet. What is the use of these directions and is everything as smooth and positive as it seems at first glance?
Nutritionist Conclusions
Nutritionists do not advise to give up meat at all, but to do this only on fasting days. Vegetarianism consists of many branches of this trend. If you eat eggs, you are an adherent of ovo-vegetarianism, if dairy products are lacto-vegetarian, and if together, then lacto-ovo vegetarianism. There will be no harm to health if you give up meat for up to 7 days.
If these restrictions are ignored, then after a while you can feel health problems: weakness, pallor and dry skin, a sharp change in mood, brittle hair. A blood test will show a lack of hemoglobin. You can also gain a few extra pounds due to the huge craving for sweet and flour products.
Vegetarianism: features
This is not to say that all vegetarians have health problems. Many of them have a completely healthy, painless appearance. Maybe meat is not so indispensable in our menu? Nutritionist Marina Kopytko confirms that vegetarians can replace meat, because it is not the only source of protein. Protein is found in foods such as milk, eggs, cottage cheese, and cheese.
If a person completely refuses these products, then he needs to eat legumes, mushrooms, soybeans, they also contain protein, but only of plant origin. Iron, which is found in meat, can be replaced with vitamin supplements, green apples or buckwheat porridge.
Raw Food Basics
You should not be so optimistic about such a direction as a raw food diet (plant foods are not heat-treated). It is a fairly new phenomenon, it should not be practiced by pregnant women and children. Women should also think twice before becoming a raw foodist. Many studies confirm that such representatives often have problems with women’s health, there is no menstruation. Also, a raw food diet causes diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and raw food children lag behind their peers.
Raw foodists often follow the example of yogis who also try plant-based foods without cooking. Nutritionists say that yogis simply have a different enzyme system, and the stomach of a raw foodist simply cannot digest plant foods without heat treatment.
In the end, I would like to say that vegetarianism can be both a conscious way of life and a mental disorder, so it is worthwhile to figure it out before saying something to such people after. A raw food diet is also practiced by many sects, so be careful and consult a trusted doctor.