Even if you are on a vegetarian diet, you can still meet all the recommendations for nutrients. All you need to do is to consume a variety of foods with the right amount of food to meet your calorie requirement. To get the right amount of food and the variety of foods needed for adequate nutrient, follow the food group recommendations for your age, sex and activity level. Vegetarian may need to focus on nutrients like protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.
Here’s a list of nutrients to focus on with description and examples:

Proteins
Protein has different important functions in the body and is essential for growth and maintenance. To meet your protein needs easily, eat a variety of plant based foods. It’s not necessary that you combine different protien sources in the same meal. Vegetarian sources of protein includes beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, and soy products (tofu, tempeh, veggie burgers). Milk products and eggs are also good protein sources for lacto-ovo vegetarians.

Iron
Iron’s primary function is to carry oxygen in the blood. Iron sources for vegetarians include iron-fortified breakfast cereals, spinach, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, turnip greens, molasses, whole wheat breads, peas, and some dried fruits (dried apricots, prunes, raisins).

Calcium
Calcium is primarily for building teeth and bones plus to maintain our bone strength. Good sources of calcium for vegetarians include fortified breakfast cereals, soy products (tofu, soy-based beverages), calcium-fortified orange juice, and some dark green leafy vegetables (collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens). Milk products are excellent calcium sources for lacto vegetarians.

Zinc
Zinc is required for many biochemical reactions. It also helps the immune system to function properly. Sources of zinc for vegetarians include many types of beans (white beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas), zinc-fortified breakfast cereals, wheat germ, and pumpkin seeds. Milk products are a zinc source for lacto vegetarians.

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is found in animal products and some fortified foods. Sources of vitamin B12 for vegetarians include milk products, eggs, and foods that have been fortified with vitamin B12. These include breakfast cereals, soy-based beverages, veggie burgers, and nutritional yeast.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 1:43 pm and is filed under becoming vegetarian. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.