VEGETARIAN DIET

Vegetarians adopt a plant-based diet and avoid foods from animals. A vegetarian diet is free of meat, fish, and fowl flesh.

There are different vegetarians:

1. Lacto-Ovo vegetarians avoid animal flesh but eat eggs and milk products.

2. Vegans don’t eat animal-based products including honey

3. Raw Foodists eat raw fruits, vegetables, legumes, sprouts, and nuts.

4. Pescatarians eat fish and seafood

5. Fruitarians follow a diet based on fruits, nuts, seeds, and other plant food.

6. Macrobiotic eat mostly grains and can also eat fish

7. Flexitarians are vegetarians who occasionally eat meat and fish

Vegans should focus on getting enough protein, iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B12, riboflavin, alpha-linolenic acid, and vitamin D.

1. Proteins from tofu, legumes, nuts, eggs

2. iron from eggs, soy-based foods, dried prunes, legumes

3. Calcium from cheese, tofu, soy milk, dark green leafy vegetables

4. Zinc from soybeans, soymilk, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds

5. Vitamin B12 from soy-based products

6. Riboflavin from almonds, mushrooms, soy-milk

7. Alpha-linolenic acid from flaxseed, walnuts, soybeans, and canola oil.

The vegetarian diet has been associated with:

1. A lower and healthier body weight

2. Lower incidence of cardiovascular disease

3. Lower rate of cancer

4. Prevention of diseases like Osteoporosis, diverticular diseases, gallstones, and rheumatoid arthritis.