The Diaries Of A Vegetarian: Vegetarian Nutrition

Chances are, if you’ve decided to become a vegetarian, I’m sure there’s a reason. What that reason is doesn’t matter. Whether you’ve been a vegetarian for ten days, or ten years, the fact is too many of us aren’t aware of a crucial part of our decision that can affect our lives drastically. I know I’ve been guilty of it, most of us have. Part of the reason for creating this blog is to become more aware of what’s going on in our bodies as related to what we’re putting in them. For me, and you J

So now that we’ve covered basic substitutions, I’d like to address one of the most important aspects of vegetarianism: nutrition. Most people don’t realize just how much nutrition meat provides us with. It’s true that when you take it out of the equation you’re left lacking—but that doesn’t have to be the case. As long as you understand what nutrients we get from meat, replacing it is easy.

First lets start off with the very basics of what we, as vegetarians, consume.

I’d like to introduce you to my friend, the Vegetarian Food Pyramid. If your mother cooked for you a lot growing up, I’m sure you’re familiar with the idea of the food pyramid. The difference is of course this one does not have a section for meat. This basically shows us all of our options, and what we should be including in our meals as much as possible. Unfortunately we tend to leave several categories out each day.

What we’re missing:

Every single one of these is extremely important for our bodies. When we deprive ourselves of them, we’re doing pretty significant damage. And the scary thing is we aren’t even aware of it.

Take Omega-3, for example. I bet you’ve heard of this, but haven’t really given it much thought. Most people, if they’ve even heard of it, assume Omega-3 is just meant to help with memory. But the reality is “A lack of Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet has been associated with mood swings, depression, memory loss and other neurological problems.” (http://ezinearticles.com/?Lack-of-Omega-3-Fatty-Acids---Warning-Signs-on-Omega-3-Deficiency-That-You-Should-Know!&id=2663789)

Scary, right? This is just one example of what can happen if we don’t pay attention to our bodies needs. So how to we avoid this?

Omega-3:

Protien:

Another important nutrient is protein.

Protein is necessary for the building and repair of different body tissues. It produces enzymes, hormones, and other substances the body uses. It regulates body processes, such as water balancing, transporting nutrients, and making muscles contract. Protein keeps the body healthy by resisting some diseases common in people who are malnourished. So basically, protein is very necessary.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_protein_do#ixzz1U04oxHCR

Iron and Vitamin C:

Iron is a mineral needed by our bodies. Iron is a part of all cells and does many things in our bodies. For example, iron (as part of the protein hemoglobin) carries oxygen from our lungs throughout our bodies. Having too little hemoglobin is called anemia. Iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen.

http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/vitamins/iron.html