Nothing Wrong With Being A Vegetarian

According to Vegetarian Society of The United Kingdom, vegetarian is defined as someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs. He or she does not eat any meat, poultry, fish, shellfish or by-products of slaughter. There are many different types of vegetarian including lacto-ovo vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, pesca/pesco vegetarian, pollo-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, vegan and fruitarian.

The reasons to be vegetarians can be due to religions, economics, animal rights and personal health. The main reason is health because many researchers do very well in convincing people that vegetarian diet has a lower risk of developing chronic diseases as well as increasing the longevity. What about protein? Do vegetarians can get enough protein? The daily recommended for protein is 0.8g/kg of body weight. The requirement can be easily be met by eating a variety of food. If I do not eat meat, does my immune system will be reduced due to lack of zinc from meat?  Absolutely not. Most of beans types including white beans, kidney beans and chickpeas contain high amount of zinc. Other than that, zinc fortified cereals can be found in many brand products.

Vitamin B12 is only in animal products. How vegetarians can meet the requirement of vitamin B12? Don’t worry. Nowadays, there are many cereal and grain products that are fortified with vitamin B12. However, there is a research states that over 60% of vegetarians suffer with stage 3 of vitamin B12 deficiency (Herrmann, W. & Geisel, J., 2002). This can be avoided by taking supplement of cobalamin. So, less or no developing of vitamin B12 among vegetarians anymore. What about calcium? How can I increase my height without taking milk? Please do not think that only milk is the source of calcium. There are many vegetables that contain calcium including leafy green vegetables, collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens, broccoli, almond and carrots. Most of the fruit juices and soy products are fortified with calcium.

Same goes to iron which can be found in spinach, kidney beans, turnip greens, molasses, lentils and some dried fruits, just to name a few. But, the absorption is lesser compared to iron in meat. Don’t worry. Just get high vitamin C food when eating with these food to increase the absorption of iron. Does the vegetarian diet is suitable for children and teenagers? According to American Dietetics Association, the diet is safe to those people but it should be in well-planned getting sufficient nutrient requirements. For pregnant women, extra 300-400 calories are needed to meet adequate energy. This can be seen when mean body mass index is highest in non-vegetarians and lowest in strict vegetarians (Rizzo, N. S., et al., 2013). However, it is better to deal with dietitians before changing your diet types.

References :

1. ChooseMyPlate.gov, United States Department of Agriculture.
2. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University.
3. Herrmann, W. & Geisel, J. (2002). Vegetarian Lifestyle And Monitoring Of Vitamin B12 Status. Elsevier Science B.V. PII: S 0009-8981(02)00307-8.
4. Rizzo, N. S., Jaceldo-Siegl, K., Sabate, J. & Fraser, G. E. (2013). Nutrient Profiles of Vegetarian and Nonvegetarian Dietary Patterns. Journal Of The Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.06.349.
5. What is a vegetarian. The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom Limited.