Airys Mind Fitness Blog

Hello everyone!!

Today’s topic was very carefully chosen. It’s about being a vegetarian. I have never considered becoming one, but many people around me are, and is very interesting what they do.
In this first entry I will talk about some general information about this alternative life style.

Vegetarianism

It’s important to note first that being a vegetarian is way of living. Most vegetarians didn’t decide: “today I will become a vegetarian”, they started a long time ago. Some of them didn’t really like meat, or consider that meat was not the best for them. Some other have other reasons like religion or political views. Anyway, some other started as part of a nutrition regime to lose weight or to treat certain health condition. Vegetarianism is the practice of following a plant-based diet (as Wikipedia says), but within the term there are different types of vegetarians.

Semi or Partial vegetarian:

Their diet is based on plant foods, but occasionally includes fish and chicken, and animal related products such as eggs and diary. Red meat is completely off dialy intake.

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian:

They mostly eat plant foods but also include diary and eggs in their regular intake. Meat, all kind of it (chicken, fish and other) is avoided.

Lacto- vegetarian:

They may consume some or all diary products. Their diet is based on plant foods.

According to some vegetarian organizations, people holding this diet plans are not vegetarian, and the only kind of vegetarian that they consider is:

Vegan:

Their diet is strictly and exclusively based on plant foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other non animal products.

Diet

A vegetarian diet can provide good nutrition if it is properly planned. Children and adolescents can have a vegetarian diet, but foods have to be carefully chosen in order to obtain all nutrients required by their growing bodies.

It is very important to supply all nutrients delivered by animal produce. Vitamin B, for example, is mostly found in animal products like meat, poultry, eggs and diary. This nutrient is very important for our nervous system as well as our body’s metabolism. Vegetarians must include this nutrient through vitamin supplements.

Another nutrient that has to be ingested through vitamin supplements is vitamin D. Our body “makes” this nutrient from sunlight but it is mostly found in fish and diary.

Zinc and iron are also fundamental to our bodies. This nutrients are found in high protein foods like meat, eggs, fish, poultry and diary, they are also found in vegetables and fruits bout they are not the same. Zinc coming from vegetables and fruits it’s not as available for our body to use, so it’s very important include nuts and legumes the diet, daily. Iron coming from vegetables, fruits, seeds legumes and grains are harder for the body to absorb, than iron coming from animal produce. Vegans should increase ingestion of dark leafy greens and vitamin c to increase iron absorption.

Magic soy!!

Finally, ingest of protein, a basic nutrient to our body -the one that gives us a shape and a structure-, might be compromised by diet without animal products.  Animal protein is considered a complete protein, and only soybean protein is consider as complete from non-animal foods. This foods contain incomplete proteins and must be combined to get complete proteins. Beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and grains are a very important source of non-animal protein for vegetarians.

On my next topic I will talk about being a vegetarian. Their stories; what does it mean to be a vegetarian and how hard (or easy) it is to be a vegetarian in a cultural and a family context.

If you are a vegetarian, you are so welcome to share your own experience!!!

Until next time!!!