Nutrition You Need, Even if a Vegetarian
If you're a vegetarian, or just don't
like the taste of meat, it's important to know to add certain
nutritional values to your diet, or you may end up being malnurished in
some way. So, to keep your body and mind healthy, check that your daily
intake covers them all!
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Calcium
Calcium, as you probably know, helps
build bones and teeth (which are also bones) as well as helping the
neurons in your body to transfer messages to the muscles. Fish are an
excellent source of calcium, but if you're vegetarians, you can get this
essential mineral from dairy products, enriched soy products, nuts,
legumes and green vegetables, broccoli, okra and cabbage.
Iodine
Iodine is essential for your
metabolism, as in converting material into energy, as well as the normal
functioning of the thyroid gland. It is usually found in sea fruit and
so many vegetarians suffer a lack. Vegetarian sources include cooking
salt, table salt and enriched dairy products.
Iron
The body requires iron to make
hemoglobin which carries the oxygen in the blood stream. Red meat and
poultry are a great source of iron, but if you are looking for
vegetarian alternatives, you can get your iron from dried fruit,
legumes, seeds, vegetables and whole wheat grains and flax seeds. Take
into account that when you take these with coffee, tea or cacao, their
absorption rate goes down because these products contains mixtures that
block the absorption of iron. This is the reason why vegetarians are
advised to consume iron with sources rich in vitamin C, such as oranges,
peppers, strawberries and guavas, which markedly improve its absorption.
Omega 3
DHA and EPA are two type of the omega
3 fatty acid, and they are important to the development of both the
eyes and the brain, as well as keeping your heart healthy and ticking.
Omega 3 is mainly found in fatty fish, like salmon and tuna, but can
also be consumed from vegetarian sources such as flax seeds, walnuts,
canola oil, flax oil, soy oil and soy products. Some types of energy
bars also have omega 3 in them.
Protein
Every cell in our body contains
protein, and we need it in order to fix cell damage, build tissues, grow
hair, fingernails and bones. Protein is in almost every food we eat,
and so there's a large variety of vegetarian sources: Soy, beans, bran,
lentils, chickpeas, seeds, almonds and eggs to name a few.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 helps produce red blood
cells and DNA, and is required for the neurological functioning of the
body. It is found naturally in meat, but is also added to foods like soy
milk and energy bars, and can also be found in eggs and various cheeses
like yellow cheese, mozzarella cheese, pate cheese, cottage and eggs.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps the body absorb
calcium and is important to bone health, as well as serving an important
function in the nervous system, the muscle system and the immune
system. The body makes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun,
but modern living as well as cloudy environments, don't always allow
enough exposure. Vegetarian sources for vitamin D include: Milk and
enriched soy milk, certain mushrooms, banana and avocado.
Zinc
Zinc is extremely important if you
want a functioning immune system and body cells. Although it can be
found a-plenty in beef, you can also consume it from soy products,
peanuts, hummus, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, wheat germ, oatmeal and a
variety of legumes, if in smaller concentrations
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