Vegetarian Diet - What It Really Is and What You Can Expect From It
Committing to a vegetarian diet is not for everyone. It entails a lot discipline in not eating meat and meat products (apart from eggs and dairy for lacto-ovo vegetarians) and consuming mainly fruits and vegetables. However, it has many great benefits, such as a lower risk for heart disease and cancer, and easier weight management.
It is important to note the difference between vegetarian and vegan diets. Vegetarians may be lacto-vegetarians, who consume milk, or ovo-vegetarians, who eat eggs, or lacto-ovo-vegetarians, who consume both milk and eggs. Vegans on the other hand remove all animal products from their diet, and need to take vitamin B12 and amino acid supplements since they eat nothing that can provide these nutrients. Macrobiotics are another type of vegetarian who do not eat any animal products, even substitutes, at all.
There are other types of vegetarians as well. A pescetarian eats fish in addition to fruits and vegetables; a fruitarian eats only food that doesn't kill its source when harvested; and a semi-vegetarian does not eat meat, but eats poultry and fish.
A vegetarian diet makes weight management easier because of all the dietary fiber that comes from plant foods. Almost all plant-based protein sources contain sufficient amounts of dietary fiber to cover the recommended daily intake. Fiber keeps you full longer, so you feel hungry less often, and eat less often as a result. The carbohydrates found in plant foods are also complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly and thus give a more balanced, sustained supply of energy to the body.
One concern people wanting to become vegetarians have is that they might not be able to get enough protein from plant sources. This is only a problem for vegans and other stricter types - vegetarians still eat dairy products, or limited amounts of fish or chicken, to meet their protein needs. They can get all the other nutrients they need from plant sources, and even protein - they can eat more legumes and nuts, which are good sources of protein. To help address the protein issue better, some companies make protein powders based on soy and rice protein.
LOSE WEIGHT BY CHANGING HOW YOU COOK
Heart disease and cancer are also less of a problem for vegetarians, as they are not exposed to the same levels of fat and synthetic hormones that meat eaters are exposed to. There is also an internal commitment from vegetarians to live a healthier lifestyle, which shows itself in their dietary habits. They tend to overeat less, and are not as vulnerable to the temptations of chemically enhanced fast food convenience. This means they consume less sodium and less artificial flavor enhancers.
Vegetarians also get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals from their food, and so do not need to consume additional dietary supplements. They get higher quality nutrients that are easier to absorb, as those found in supplements may be synthetic or derived from chemicals.
People choose to become vegetarians for many reasons. Many do for health or religious reasons, and others do for philosophical reasons. No matter what your fitness goals are, you will benefit a lot from adopting one form of the vegetarian diet.
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