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NUTRIENTS AT RISK IN A VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DIET & FUTURE-PROOFING YOUR BODY
I have found vegetarians come in two flavours. The ones who heed nutritional advice, read the labels on anything they buy, and live a healthy lifestyle. Then there are the others who eat nothing but junk food and the only exercise they get is to go to the kitchen for another carb fix. When asked most people reply they would like to reach old age with their body in as good a shape as possble. Hence it's makes sense to start now and future-proof your body.
Future-proofing your body is giving it the right nutrition now so that, in conjunction with regular exercise, you reach old age in the most optimum condition you can possibly be in. Forming good eating habits while you are young will set you up for life.
What follows is a distillation of publications I have read and from searches made on the internet.
IRON
Recent research suggests vegetarians and vegans need to eat twice the daily amount of iron recommended to absorb enough in the body. As the average adult requires 12 - 18mg daily this means you will need to double that amount to make sure you are getting enough. Good sources are - nuts; tofu; beans; breakfast cereals; rice; leafy greens; peas; corn; soy products; potatoes; whole grains; quinoa; dried fruits; nuts; pumpkin and sunflower seeds; molasses; bran flakes; tomato juice; whole wheat bread; quinoa; spirulina; basil; parsley; bean sprouts; fortified soy and rice milks. Example: At breakfast include an orange/ blackcurrant/ cranberry/ grapefruit juice along with you muesli or porridge. Or scatter strawberries/ guava/ sliced kiwifruit over cereal. Avoid drinking tea or coffee at the same meal or eating excessive amounts of high fibre food. TIP: To increase your iron absorption from non-heme foods include foods that contain a good source of vitamin C - Drink citrus juice; tomato juice; etc. Cooking non-heme foods along with a good source of vitamin C (tomato products; capsicums (bell peppers); asparagus; broccoli; cabbage; potatoes) in a cast iron pot or frying pan also helps the uptake of iron. ZINC The average adult requires 12 - 15 mg daily. Eat plenty of whole grain products as well as nuts, beans, legumes, seeds; dried fruit; milk and cheese daily.
Warning: One thing to watch for - the apsorption of zinc can be impeded by high intakes of iron from dietary supliments.
THE OMEGAS
3 - Fatty Acid An excellent source - flax seeds/ linseeds. Also walnuts; Canola oil; soy and walnut oils; leafy green vegetables, cauliflower, broccoli and cooked soy beans, kiwifruit, tofu, winter squash.
6 - Linoleic Acid
Best source is seed oils - evening primrose, borage and rice oils. Also pumpkin seeds, nuts, cereals.
9 - Oleic acid Best source - olive oil. Also avocados, nuts, sesame oil. TIP: I use Phoebe's Sprinkle to obtain most of my omega rations for the day (see VEGETARIAN DIET page).
VITAMIN B 12 The average adult requires 2.5 mcg or more daily. Sources of vitamin B 12 can be found in - 4g Marmite = 60% of daily requirement (it is the only yeast extract I've been able to verify containing vitamin B 12); milk and milk products (cheese, yoghurt, etc); spirulina. TIP: Vegans may need to take a sublingual form of B 12 every day.
PROTEIN The average adult requires 40 - 60g daily. Good sources are - tempeh; tofu; TVP; milk and milk products (cheeses, yoghurt, etc); legumes; beans; nuts; seeds; quinoa; wholegrain breads; rice, breakfast cereals; broccoli; spirulina
INTERESTING FACT: Baked beans on 2 pieces of wholegrain bread and a serving of yoghurt accounts for 50% of your daily protein requirement.
CALCIUM The average adult daily requirement is 1000 - 1200mg. Good sources are - tofu; milk and milk products; spinach; quinoa; beans; broccoli; TVP; dried figs; tempeh; nuts; seeds; spirulina.
INTERESTING FACT: 1 glass of milk and a serving of youghurt provides 75% of your daily requirments or 40g cheese and 2 scoops ice cream.
SAGE ADVICE - Eat a variety of food every day to ensure you cover all the food groups over the course of a week. Do this and there's no need to pop vitamin and mineral pills.
FATS Make a point of using monounsaturated fats to make up the largest portion of fat in your food régime. THE BEST OILS TO USE ARE:
TIP: Limit your intake of mayonnaise (unless they're made with salad dressing oils above); margarines; butter; vegetable shortening and coconut oil.
FLUIDS The average adult daily fluid intake should be between about 8 cups of liquid a day. This can be made up of: water, fruit juice (1 daily as you're better off eating the fruit); smoothies; soups (hot or chilled); herbal/fruit teas; tea (green or black); coffee (no more than 2 daily otherwise it becomes a drug); Milo (or similar); Horlicks; milk; vegetable juices - spirulina; tomato, vege combos.
EXERCISE - MOVE IT OR LOSE IT
Walk for at least 30 minutes a day - (also helps you get your daily dose of vitamin D).
Workout at home:
Other suggestions:
BEST ADVICE EVER - Just get active.
EAT ORGANIC WHERE POSSIBLE
REMEMBER:- Sprouting seeds (alfalfa, mung, etc) to include in salads, stir-fries, wraps, sandwiches or to use in toppings and garnishes for eye appeal is also a form of gardening.
EAT SEASONALLY
Not only is it cheaper to do so but you will progress through a variety of fruit and vegetable during the course of the year.
TIP: Go wheat free one meal a day. |
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