Download Vegetarian Diet info

Vegetarian Diet info
A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and
nuts. There is no single type of vegetarian diet. Instead, vegetarian eating patterns usually fall into the following groups:
The vegan diet, which excludes all meat and animal products
The lacto vegetarian diet, which includes plant foods plus dairy products
The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes both dairy products and eggs
People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide
variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Nutrients vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron,
calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.
Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition
A well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy way to meet your nutritional needs. Find out what you need to know about a
plant-based diet.
By Mayo Clinic staff
You may follow a vegetarian diet for cultural, religious or ethical reasons. Or you may eat a vegetarian diet to stay
healthy and prevent health problems, such as cardiovascular disease. Whatever your reasons for choosing a vegetarian
diet, this guide will help you make smart choices to ensure that you meet your daily nutritional needs.
Indeed, a well-planned vegetarian diet can meet the needs of people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and
pregnant or breast-feeding women. The key is to be aware of your nutritional needs so that you plan a diet that meets
them. If you aren't sure how to create a vegetarian diet that's right for you, talk with your doctor and a registered
dietitian.
Types of
vegetarian diets
When people
think about a vegetarian diet, they
typically think
about a diet that doesn't include
meat, poultry
or fish. But vegetarian diets can be
further
categorized into three types:
Vegan diets
exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs
and dairy
products — and foods that contain
these
products.Lacto-vegetarian diets
exclude meat,
fish, poultry and eggs, as well as
foods that
contain them. Dairy products, such
as milk,
cheese, yogurt and butter, are
allowed in a
lacto-vegetarian diet.Lacto-ovo
vegetarian
diets exclude meat, fish and
poultry, but
allow eggs and dairy
products.Some people follow a
semivegetarian diet — also called a
flexitarian
diet — which is primarily a plantbased diet
but includes meat, dairy, eggs,
poultry and
fish on occasion or in small
quantities.
Vegetarian
diet pyramid
A healthy diet
takes planning, and a food pyramid
can be a
helpful tool. The vegetarian
pyramid
outlines food groups and food
choices that,
if eaten in the right quantities,
form the
foundation of a healthy vegetarian
diet
How Healthy Are Vegan Diets?
Q: With so many books and experts recommending vegan diets, I have to ask: How healthy are they? — Kathy Dise,
Cleveland
A: It depends. A vegan diet includes only plant-based foods (no meat, eggs, dairy, or animal-based foods of any kind). It
does not, however, require the selection of wholesome foods. After all, doughnuts, French fries, corn chips, and lollipops
can qualify as vegan if they contain vegetable oil instead of butter or lard.
But a vegan diet can be among the most healthful ways to eat. Choose plant foods—vegetables, fruits, whole grains,
beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds—and you'll get plenty of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and healthy oils while
limiting calories, salt, sugar, and harmful fats. You can get all the protein you need from soy and grains combined with
beans, nuts, or seeds.
The benefits of a vegan diet extend beyond your own health to that of the planet. Eating plants, rather than feeding
plants to animals and then eating the animals, makes much more efficient use of land and water, and produces far less
pollution. Eating less meat means fewer industrial farms and fewer animals subjected to harsh treatment. (To learn
more about the environmental benefits of being vegan, read The Food Revolution, by John Robbins, and Six Arguments
for a Greener Diet, by Michael Jacobson and colleagues at the Center for Science in the Public Interest—download free
at cspinet.org . A good resource for doing vegan right is Becoming Vegan, by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina.) Even if
you don't want to take the plunge into veganism, it bears repeating that a diet of mostly plants is good for your health.
Or you might consider the Mediterranean diet, which includes seafood and some meat and dairy; it has been linked to a
longer life span and reduced risk of cancer and heart disease. David L. Katz, MD, is director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention
Research Center and president of the nonprofit Turn the Tide Foundation.
Read more: http://www.oprah.com/health/The-Benefits-and-Dangers-of-a-Vegan-Diet-Advice-from-DrKatz#ixzz1xVau6gmM
Protein in the Vegan Diet
How much protein do we need? The RDA recommends that we take in 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram that we
weigh (or about 0.36 grams of protein per pound that we weigh) 1. This recommendation includes a generous safety
factor for most people. When we make a few adjustments to account for some plant proteins being digested somewhat
differently from animal proteins and for the amino acid mix in some plant proteins, we arrive at a level of 1 gram of
protein per kilogram body weight (0.45 grams of protein per pound that we weigh). Since vegans eat a variety of plant
protein sources, somewhere between 0.8 and 1 gram of protein per kilogram would be a protein recommendation for
vegans. If we do a few calculations we see that the protein recommendation for vegans amounts to close to 10% of
calories coming from protein. [For example, a 79 kg vegan male aged 25 to 50 years could have an estimated calorie
requirement of 2900 calories per day. His protein needs might be as high as 79 kg x 1 gram/kg = 79 grams of protein. 79
grams of protein x 4 calories/gram of protein = 316 calories from protein per day. 316 calories from protein divided by
2900 calories = 10.1% of calories from protein.] If we look at what vegans are eating, we find that between 10-12% of
calories come from protein 3. This contrasts with the protein intake of non-vegetarians, which is close to 14-18% of
calories.
So, in the United States it appears that vegan diets are commonly lower in protein than standard American diets.
Remember, though, with protein, more (than the RDA) is not necessarily better. There do not appear to be health
advantages to consuming a high protein diet. Diets that are high in protein may even increase the risk of osteoporosis 4
and kidney disease
Eggplant
If you're looking for a meat substitute for some of your favorite Italian dishes, then look no further than eggplants. This
meaty, purple vegetable is commonly used for meatless lasagnas and pastas. Want a substitute for chicken parmesan?
How about an eggplant parmesan instead? Another great thing about eggplant is its nutrition value. Eggplants are
loaded with fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins and potassium.
Learn to Love Eggplant
Updated 09/05/08 2:36 AM · Posted 09/04/08 3:00 AM by FitSugar · 19 Comments Food · eggplant · Learn to Love Even
as a child I appreciated the beauty of eggplant; it was the taste I didn't care for. Things have changed though, and I have
learned to love this veggie. Considered unglamorous by many, eggplant is making a comeback. It is part of the
increasingly popular Mediterranean diet in the pureed form of baba ghanoush or simply grilled with other veggies.
Because of its rare deep purple coloring, eggplant is high in some hard to find antioxidants. One of those being the
phytonutrient nasunin, which protects brain cells and the other being chlorogenic acid, a powerful scavenger of disease
causing free radical. But don't skip the skin when eating this nightshade because the skin is where these valuable
micronutrients are found. Eggplant is also high in B vitamins as well as potassium. This veggie is also a good source of
fiber, and a low calorie food as well. I would avoid frying eggplant however, because it will soak up copious amount of
oil, transforming quickly into a high calorie food. Eggplant is in season now through October. Not only is it good grilled
or roasted, it is great in curries too. I like to use it grilled in eggplant stacks with basil and fresh mozzarella, and
YumSugar has many recipes for you to experiment with eggplant. Do you love eggplant, or do you hate it? Tell me in the
comments section below
Nutritional info for: baked fried eggplant
Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe 4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 441.2
Total Fat 30.4 g
Saturated Fat 4.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 17.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.0 g
Cholesterol 0.3 mg
Sodium 1,345.0 mg
Potassium 260.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 39.5 g
Dietary Fiber 5.2 g
Sugars 6.5 g
Protein 5.9 g
Vitamin A 3.2 %
Vitamin B-12 1.8 %
Vitamin B-6 9.3 %
Vitamin C 4.6 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 30.3 %
Calcium 6.9 %
Copper 8.3 %
Folate 14.9 %
Iron 10.9 %
Magnesium 7.7 %
Manganese 23.2 %
Niacin 13.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.1 %
Phosphorus 7.8 %
Riboflavin 9.7 %
Selenium 12.1 %
Thiamin 27.1 %
Zinc 4.5 %
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your
calorie needs.