It makes sense to eat naturally to achieve natural weight loss, and a vegetarian diet can help you do this. Eating vegetarian is becoming ever more popular as more concerns are raised regarding the production and slaughter of animals for our consumption, as well as issues regarding the links between saturated fat in our diet and increasing rates of heart disease among the Western population.
A vegetarian diet can be extremely beneficial as long as care is taken to eat the right balance of nutrients to keep your body healthy. There are several categories of vegetarian:-
Semi-vegetarian
Semi-vegetarians exclude red meat from their diets for a variety of reasons (ethical, religious or simple dislikes), but eat poultry and fish. There is rarely any problem with achieving the correct level of nutrition when you eat semi-vegetarian, and skinless poultry is a dieter’s best friend as it is low in fat but still provides all the amino acids and vitamins needed for health. The only watchpoint is the intake of iron, the best of which is found in red meat, so care must be taken to include plenty of pulses, nuts and dark green vegetables such as broccoli in a semi-vegetarian diet.
Fish is a wonderful food, with oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna providing essential unsaturated oils as well as protein.
Ovo-lacto vegetarians
This group excludes all meat and fish, but eat eggs and dairy produce such as cheese and yoghurt. As above, ovo-lacto vegetarians must be aware of the need to eat enough protein without resorting to cheese (high in calories and saturated fat) for every meal. Vegetarian sources of protein are referred to as “incomplete” as they do not contain the full amounts of amino acids found in meat, so some thought must be given to combining them with other foodstuffs. Examples include beans on toast and peanut butter on wholegrain bread.
Best sources of vegetarian protein are soya beans, pulses, nuts, seeds such as sesame, and green vegetables.
Vegans
This is the most extreme form of vegetarian diet, with no animal products of any kind – nothing derived from an animal is included, which cuts out useful sources of protein such as dairy and eggs. Maintaining a true vegan diet takes research and planning, so that the body gets all the nutrition it needs.
Vegans must be aware of vitamin deficiencies that may occur without animal products in the diet, and plan meals carefully to take account of this. It is perfectly possible to live a healthy life as a vegan, and I have yet to meet one who suffers from obesity – it is very difficult to eat a junk-food vegan diet!
Iron is often lacking in a vegan diet, which can lead to anaemia and nerve problems. Wholegrains, nuts, tofu, seeds, green veg and pulses such as chickpeas should form the basis of meals, along with brown rice and plenty of fruit. It should be noted that vegans rarely lack dietary fibre, which is essential for good bowel health and often lacking in meat eaters.
The other main lack for vegans is Vitamin B12, which is absolutely essential for nerve function and must be present for dietary iron to be absorbed. B12 is found in meat and dairy, alternatives being yeast extract and seaweed.
On the whole, a vegetarian diet is healthy and wholesome, and it would be a good idea for many of us to take some of these principles on board. If you are a committed carnivore, cut down on the frequency and portion size of your meat meals, and buy free-range or organic – more expensive but much better for you and means that the animal you are eating has had at least some quality of life before slaughter. Meat should be respected, not taken for granted.
If you make small changes to your diet by introducing some vegetarian elements, you will find that your weight will probably reduce without any other effort (apart from some exercise).
Naturally.
All the best,
Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor)
Vegetarian Diet
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