Our
body generates fuel and perform its own amazing body maintenance
from the food that we eat. We all already know that our
body is an amazing machine. We have been recommended to
eat lots of fruits and vegetables as far as we can remember.
The reasons are that fruits that contain vitamin C like
pineapple and grapeful, play an important role in the
reduction of heart disease and also in the prevention
of cancer. The best mix would be to choose a variety of
colours of the fruits and vegetables to get all the nutrients
required. Cooked tomatoes contain easily absorbed lycopene
which is also an important substance in helping to protect
against prostate cancer and heart disease.

Being vegetarian is the best way of life despite its seemingly difficult path

There
are so many reasons why vegetarian diets are the best
for human being’s consumption as well as for the environment.
Research has shown that our intestines are not designed
for meat diet due to its long and processes that take
place in the area. From the environment point of view,
too much land clearing, energy and efforts have been utilised
for the production of meat for the sole purpose of consumption.
The same resources used would have helped the world to
completely eliminate world hunger.

Additionally, from the personal stand point, I do not
like the idea of animal sacrifices for our well beings,
even though they may be bred there just for the purpose.
However, everybody is welcome to their personal choice,
and I have made my own conviction and am very happy with
it.

So,
what do we need to consume for our health if we choose
the vegetarian roots as a way of life ?

Protein

Protein
is essential for many bodily processes, including tissue
building and repair. Protein is made up of smaller components
called amino acids. A complete protein has all the amino
acids necessary to make up protein. Most individual plant
foods are not complete proteins; they only have some of
the amino acids. Soy is the only complete vegetable protein.

It was once thought that vegetarians needed to combine
plant foods at each meal to ensure they consumed complete
proteins. Recent research has found that this is not the
case. Consuming various sources of amino acids throughout
the day should provide the complete complement of protein.

Some
good plant sources of protein include:

- Legumes, such as beans, peas and lentils
Nuts

-
Seeds

-
Soy products, including tempeh and tofu
- Whole (cereal) grains.

It is recommended that vegetarians eat legumes and nuts
daily, along with wholegrain cereals, to ensure adequate
nutrient intakes.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates
provides energy to run our amazing body. We need to consume
the largest proportion of carbohydrates in our meals because
they are the primary fuel for the body.
Athletes are recommend that 60% to 66% of the day’s total
energy requirements come from carbohydrates, compared
to 55% for the general population. For athletes engaged
in prolonged aerobic activities, a threshold of 500 to
800g of carbohydrate (2000 to 3200 kcal) may be needed
to maintain muscle glycogen stores, regardless of total
daily caloric intake. Glycogen is the “energy store” in
muscles used for aerobic and anaerobic endurance activities.
Maximizing these stores results in better endurance, delayed
fatigue and hence improved performance.

There are three main types, they are simple sugars, complex
carbohydrates or starches and dietary fibre. The sugars
or simple carbohydrates can be found in fruit, milk and
ordinary table sugar. Refined sources of sugar are best
avoided as they provide energy without any associated
fibre, vitamins or minerals and they are the main cause
of dental decay.

Complex carbohydrates are found in cereals/grains (bread,
rice, pasta, barley, millet, buckwheat, rye) and some
root vegetables, such as potatoes and parsnips. A healthy
diet should contain plenty of these starchy foods as a
high intake of complex carbohydrate is now known to benefit
health. The unrefined carbohydrates, like wholemeal bread
and brown rice are best of all because they contain essential
dietary fibre and B vitamins.

The World Health Organisation recommends that 50-70 per
cent of energy should come from complex carbohydrates.
The exact amount that you need depends upon your appetite
and also your level of activity. Contrary to popular belief,
a slimming diet should not be low in carbohydrates. In
fact, starchy foods are very filling in relation to the
number of calories that they contain.

Minerals

The right amount of essential dietary minerals are essential
for general well being. It is wise to take a regular vitamins
to maintain our requirements. However, it does not give
us an excuse to be lacking in our daily diet.

The
most benefits surely gained from the food we eat and the
minerals could be found in the following:

Iron - a dificiency in iron
intake in vegetarians is a real concern to most people
who want to consider the lifestyle. Vegetarian diets
generally contain a high level of iron from plant foods,
however this iron is not absorbed as well as the iron
in meat. However, combining foods of high iron and vitamin
C would assist in the absorption. Conversely, vegetarians
need to avoid eating iron-rich foods along with substances
that inhibit iron absorption, such as phyates (found
in high-bran and unmilled cereals), polyphenols (such
as tannins in tea) and calcium. A nutrition expert from
Oxford Brookes University has recommended to avoid consuming
tea from iron riched food within one hour either
side of a meal. Good food sources of iron would include
green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, peas and wholegrains,
enriched cereals and legumes.

Zinc
- its role is to perform essential functions in the
body, including the development of immune system cells.
Good food sources of zinc include nuts, tofu, miso,
legumes, wheat germ and wholegrain foods.

Calcium - we need calcium
for strong bones and teeth. Good food sources of calcium
include dairy products, fortified cereals and fruits
juices, fortified soymilk, tahini and some brands of
tofu. Leafy dark green vegetables (especially Asian
greens) are as good or even better than its dairy sources.
Nuts and seeds variety such as brazil nut, almonds are
also great source of calcium for those more into the
vegan lifestyle.

Iodine - iodine is required
for the thyroid gland and other associated hormones
to function normally. Iodised salt is the popular source
of iodine in the Western diet. Seaweed also contains
iodine, but is also high in salt.

 

Vitamins

Vitamins
that vegetarians should be particularly concerned about
are:

Vitamin B12 - Vitamin B12
assists the production of red blood cells; to maintain
healthy nerves and mental abilities especially the development
and growth of children. Animals ingest microorganisms
that manufacture vitamin B12.
Strict vegans are at risk of developing vitamin B12
deficiency because it comes naturally from the animal
sources only. Fermented soya products, seaweeds, and
algae such as spirulina have all been suggested as containing
“insignificant amount” of B12. Vitamin B12 are additionally
found in dairy products and eggs. Vegans are advised
to take B12 supplements. In addition, vegans are also
recommended to ensure their diet includes foods fortified
with vitamin B12. A range of B12 fortified foods are
available. These include yeast extracts, veggieburger
mixes, textured vegetable protein, soya milks, vegetable
and sunflower margarines, and breakfast cereals. Vitamin
B12 absorption becomes less efficient as we age, so
supplements are also needed by older vegetarians.
Anaemia is a common result of B12 deficiency. Anaemic
symptoms may include excessive tiredness, breathlessness,
listlessness, pallor, and poor resistance to infection.Breastfeeding
mother with vitamin B12 deficiency in her milk can interfere
with her baby’s brain functioning.
For more information, please check: http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html

Vitamin
D - The main source of vitamin D is sunlight.
There are only few foods that contain significant amounts
of vitamin D. There is very little vitamin D in most
people’s diets as they are only found in vitamin D fortified
foods (such as margarine). Fortified low fat and skim
milk is another source of vitamin D, but the levels
are low. Vitamin D deficiency in vegans could be avoided
by consuming fortified soymilk and cereals, for those
people who have little sun exposure.

I
hope that the facts I have presented here would encourage
you to try the vegetarian diet to see if it could change
your life for the better and making this planet a better
place to live for all of us.

Enjoy your new lifestyle, a better life for the animals, Earth and in particular yourself.