A diet that has inculcated a huge following in recent years has been the Vegetarian diet. Whether you’ve read about a celebrity raving about its weight-loss properties, or have a friend swearing about its health benefits, one does wonder what this diet is all about, its different types, and its benefits.

Definition

A vegetarian lifestyle is a choice to limit your diet to plant-based foods such as pulses, grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits etc., and refraining from animal-based foods i.e. meat, poultry, seafood etc. Fish and dairy products may or may not be part of your diet, depending on which type of diet you are following.

You can have a number of reasons for opting for a vegan diet and lifestyle. They could be religious or cultural inclinations, due to the health benefits it offers, or your concern about animal welfare. The use of harmful hormones and antibiotics in animals can also be one of the reasons for your switch.

Whatever the reason maybe, there are various types of vegetarian diets. Let’s have a look at them below.

Types of Vegetarian Diets

Vegetarian diet, in a nutshell, is refraining from eating animal flesh. But some dieters go above and beyond and refrain from eating all the animal by-products as well. Following are the different types:

Lacto-Vegetarian:

This diet will include dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter in your diet but you’ll refrain from eating meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.

Ovo-Vegetarian

If you follow this diet, it will include eggs but exclude meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian

This is the most popular vegan diet as it includes eggs and dairy products but excludes meat, poultry, and seafood.

Pescatarian

This diet will include fish but exclude meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs.

Vegan

Veganism is the strictest form of vegetarian diet. It excludes meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products – and any food that contain these products.

If you don’t want to exclude meat completely from your diet then you can adopt semi-vegetarians or flexitarians diet. They, for the majority of the time, follow a plant-based diet but can consume meat, poultry or seafood in small quantities once in a while.

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Major Nutrition Sources for Vegetarian Diet

We all know a healthy and balanced diet should contain all the macro-nutrients i.e. carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and all the essential micronutrients such as vitamins. You might think a vegetarian diet might lack these nutrients but the study shows it is quite possible to have a complete and balanced diet by consuming theright food.

Protein

It is essential that a man consumes at least 55g of protein and a woman consumes 45g of protein in a day. Some of the protein-rich options are nuts, seed, eggs, beans, and lentils etc. Making them a regular part of your diet will ensure you’re meeting your daily protein requirements.

Iron

Iron obtained from meat is readily absorbed by the body, whereas dairy at times can hinder absorption of iron. Since vitamin C rich fruits increase the iron absorption capacity of the body, you should make food such as citrus, tomatoes or broccoli etc. a regular part of your diet.

Foods rich in iron are black beans, kidney beans, broccoli, oatmeal, spinach, chickpeas etc.

Vitamin B₁₂

Although Vitamin B₁₂ is required in a very small quantity, its deficiency can lead to anemia and at times nerve damage. Vitamin B₁₂ can be obtained from eggs, dairy and in case you’re following a vegan diet, it can be obtained from fortified foods and dietary supplements.

Calcium

Lacto-Vegetarians can meet their calcium requirements from milk, yogurt, and cheese. For other types of vegetarian dieters, a few sources of calcium are soymilk, almond milk, broccoli, choy, and kale etc. Although the calcium content of these foods is lower than milk, its absorption is higher.

Fatty Acids

Vegetarian sources of fatty acids include walnuts, soy, pumpkin seeds, leafy vegetables etc. Olives are also a great source of fatty acids.

Effect of Vegetarian Diet on Health

One of the major pull towards a vegetarian diet is the health benefits it offers.

Vegetarians have a lower risk of diabetes, heart and chronic disease.

By following this diet you will generally consume more Vitamin C, E, folic acid, dietary fiber etc. and less quantity of saturated fats. This means you will have low cholesterol, lower blood pressure and lower BMI, and as a result lesser risk of diabetes, heart and other chronic diseases.

Vegans have to be extra careful about their bone health

Calcium can be a cause of concern if you are deliberating about switching to a vegetarian diet. Although lacto-vegetarians consume the same amount of dairy as non-vegetarians– Vegans often struggle with consuming the recommended amount of calcium in a day.

It is therefore advised to have as many calcium-rich foods in your diet as possible.

Summary

A few years ago following a strict vegetarian diet was hard. But now the internet/restaurants are full of menu and recipes having such diets. A vegetarian diet can help you in fighting heart diseases, diabetes, and other chronic diseases etc.

But at the same time, I suggest women at the risk of osteoporosis should ensure they meet the daily calcium requirements of the body to maintain bone health.

Hopefully, I’ll see you again for the next post!! Take care

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