Vegetarian & Vegan Eating

Vegetarian diets have been shown to be beneficial to one’s health in lowering the risk of heart disease, cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity. To achieve these benefits the diet needs to be carefully planned as there is a risk of developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies if the diet is not well balanced. Other health benefits of the vegetarian diet include;

• Low in fat, in particular saturated fat
• High in fibre
• High in antioxidants and photochemicals

Types of Vegetarians

Planning Your Diet

When planning the diet there are several nutrients which need to be carefully planned to avoid a deficiency occurring which can potentially lead to adverse health outcomes. Such nutrients include;

Protein

Protein is important for repair, building tissues and is essential in many body processes. Proteins are made up of small units called amino acids. A complete protein contains all the amino acids to make up a protein. Incomplete proteins only contain some of the amino acids. There are many sources of protein in the diet both from animal and plant sources. Animal sources such as dairy, meat and eggs are complete proteins. On the other hand plant sourced protein is incomplete and must be eaten from a variety of sources throughout the day to provide complete proteins.

For adequate protein intake try to include dairy and dairy products, eggs, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), soy products and tofu.

Iron

Iron plays an important role in many key body functions. Low levels can result in anemia developing which causes lower energy levels, fatigue and an increased risk of infection.

The best source of iron is from red meat. There also is iron available in plant based foods but is in a form that is not as readily absorbed. For vegetarians to obtain enough iron in the diet they need to eat lots of beans, lentils, dried peas, tahini, nuts, peanut butter, green leafy vegetables, and cereals fortified with iron. To increase the amount of iron your body absorbs from these foods have a vitamin C rich food with the meal. For example orange, orange juice, capsicum, or tomatoes.

Other tips to assist with your iron levels

• Avoid tea, coffee, and cola drinks with your meals as it will decrease your iron absorption.
• Include vitamin A foods in the diet as this will help to release stored iron i.e. oils and small amounts of full cream dairy products
• Phytates in wholegrains, legumes and bran can decrease your iron absorption.

Vitamin B12

This vitamin is produced by microorganisms which are ingested by animals and therefore is only found in animal products (i.e. dairy, eggs, meat). Vegans are at risk of B12 deficiency and are advised to take nutritional supplements to meet their needs. For the elderly who are vegetarians it is especially important as B12 absorption becomes less efficient as we age. There are also some plant based foods now available on the market which are fortified with B12 such as soy milk.

Calcium

Calcium is important for developing strong bones and teeth and deficiency can result in diseases such as rickets in children, poor blood clotting in menopausal women and osteoporosis in the elderly. The group most at risk of insufficient calcium intake is vegans as the main source of calcium comes from dairy foods. Fortunately there are other sources of calcium which can be incorporated into the diet to meet nutritional needs. These include;

• Nuts like almonds
• Some breakfast cereals are now fortified with calcium (check food labels)
• Leafy green vegetables i.e. broccoli, spinach and bok choy.
• Some soy foods and drinks are fortified with calcium (check food labels)

Summary

Vegetarian and vegan diets provide many health benefits but it is important that animal foods taken from the diet are replaced with other foods that provide similar nutrients. A good way to achieve this is to include the following foods each day in your Thermomix recipes. Always think of how you can make your meal more nutritious and meet your nutritironal needs.

• eggs, dried beans, lentils, nuts or seeds
• make your own high fibre breads
• dairy foods or calcium enriched soy foods
• a variety of fruits and vegetables

Websites

Internet guide for vegetarians and vegans: www.veg.org
Dietitians Association of Australia: www.daa.asn.au
www.veg-soc.org