Vegetarian Diet Plan

When someone is in a vegetarian diet plan how can they stay healthy when they don’t eat meat?  Aren’t they missing out on proteins whenever they avoid it?

The truth is, there are a lot of ways a vegetarian can prevent deficiencies, and being in a no-meat diet can be one of the best ways to stay healthy. However, contrary to what most people know, when someone is a vegetarian it doesn’t mean they repel meat altogether.  One can still eat meat and still can be called a vegetarian.

 

A vegetarian diet plan has several categories.  A “far” vegetarian is someone who eats meat except red ones.  A quasi vegetarian avoids both poultry and red meat.  Lacto-vegetarians exclude food that contains meat, poultry, eggs, and fishes; they eat dairy products though, like cheese, milk, butter and yogurt.  Those who are in a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet allow dairy products in their meals too, as well as eggs; they exclude meat, poultry and fish.  A vegan, for me, is the most extreme amongst all types of a vegetarian diet plan – they exclude all animal produce or products from their diet and that include eggs and dairies.   

If you are highly considering a vegetarian diet because of its health benefits but is apprehensive at the same time because you might think it extremely limits your food options, it doesn’t.  A vegetarian’s recommended diet in one day includes at least  six servings of grains, four servings of veggies, five servings of nuts and legumes, two servings of fruits, four servings of veggies, one to two servings of sweets and even two servings of oils and fats.  This totals to six groups of foods and eating from this variety every day won’t make you feel you’re really missing a lot, will it?

A vegetarian diet plan is recommended to people of all ages, even for breast-feeding moms or pregnant women.  But like all kinds of diet plans out there, it’s always best to consult your physician first before going through one especially if you are clueless on what type of a vegetarian diet is good for you.  A registered dietitian can also help if you don’t know how to create a well-planned vegetarian diet.

If you are not ready to give up meat right away, which I also understand, don’t force yourself into becoming a full vegan yet.  Start with a flexitarian or semi-vegetarian diet first.  It’s foremost a plant-based diet that includes meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairies but in small quantities only.  So start from there then work your way up to becoming a full-pledge vegan.