DIET VEGETARIAN

Vegetarians must take special care to ensure their diets are nutritionally complete. The exclusion of meat or dairy product may cause vegetarian diets to be low in protein,iron,calcium,vitamin B12 and zinc. To ensure adequate nutrition,vegetarians must strive to have a balanced and nutritionally adequate diet.

Protein is essential for growth,repair of cells and protection against infection. According to recent medical information,twenty percent of daily protein consumed should be complementary protein. Good sources of protein include dairy product,nuts and seeds,legumes,cereals and their product. Plant foods contain less of the essential amino acids than do equivalent quantities of animal foods. Consuming complementary proteins means consuming different types of proteins over the course of the day to complement one another to make sure you are getting all necessary amino acids required by the body.

Iron is essential for making red blood cell. This is one nutrient vegetarians needs to monitor since lack of iron will lead to deficiency anemia,common in vegetarians. Iron is found in all lentils,legumes and soybeans,in whole grains and their product, in nuts and seeds,in dark leafy vegetables and in dried fruits. Seaweed is also a rich source as are wheat germ,molasses and brewer's yeast.

Calcium is essential for the healthy formation of teeth and bones and for the normal function of the body's nerves,muscle,bones and heart. Calcium deficiency has been linked to osteoporosis. Good sources are legumes,dried fruits and dark green vegetables. Since vegans don't consume animal products,they need to include plenty of calcium-rich nondairy sources in their diet. Vitamin b12 deficiency can slowly and noticeably harm the spinal cord. Sources for b12 into the vegan diet use fortified soy milk.Eat tempe or miso every day,or take vitamin b12 suplement. zinc is essential for healthy growth and healing and for the digestion of protein and carbohydrates.Best sources of zinc are wheat germ,oatmeal,peanuts and brewer's yeast.