Vegetarian diet: How to get the best nutrition

• A well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy way to meet your nutritional needs. Find out what you need to know about a plant-based diet.

• Vegetarian diet provides lots of health benefits, reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

• However, with a little planning a vegetarian diet can meet the needs of people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and pregnant or breast-feeding women. The key is to be aware of your nutritional needs so that you plan a diet that meets them

Types of vegetarian diets • Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry

and eggs, as well as foods that contain them. Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.

• Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.

• Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.

• Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.

• Pollotarian diets exclude meat, dairy and fish, but allow poultry.

• Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products — and foods that contain these products.

• Some people follow a semivegetarian diet — also called a flexitarian diet — which is primarily a plant-based diet but includes meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and fish on occasion or in small quantities

• Keep in mind that the more restrictive your diet is, the more challenging it can be to get all the nutrients you need

• Healthy eating guide for vegetarians: https://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-A-Z/Vegetarian-Diets.aspx

A balanced diet for vegetarians

• If you’re a vegetarian, or are tempted to cut back on the meat, make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need with our Canada’s food guide for a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet...

Healthy Eating Principles for a Vegetarian Diet

Protein • A lot of plant-based foods easily

provide your daily protein needs. Fill out your meals with beans, lentils, nuts, rice, quinoa etc. and soy products like tofu and tempeh.

• Cheese for protein – in moderation due to saturated fat content

Calcium • The mineral calcium plays a vital role in overall

health, including achieving and maintaining healthy teeth and bones. Vegetarians can meet their calcium requirements by including calcium-rich dairy products (milk, cheese, and yogurt) in meals and snacks. (One 8-ounce glass of milk provides 256 milligrams of calcium, which is about one-fourth of the recommended daily intake of 1,000milligrams per day for adults age 50 and under and 1,200 milligrams for age 51 and older recommended by the Institute of Medicine.)

• If you’re lactose intolerant, a vegan, or simply want

to incorporate other nondairy sources of calcium into your diet, you have options. Some of those other sources include fortified breakfast cereals, soy products such as tofu made with calcium sulfate and soy milk, soybeans, soynuts, calcium-fortified fruit juices, and some dark-green leafy vegetables including collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choy, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, kale, and okra. When you are shopping for tofu, be sure to look carefully at the nutrition label to verify that the tofu you are buying is made with calcium sulfate; nigari (magnesium chloride) is another common coagulating agent used to make tofu, but it has a lower calcium content.

• When it comes to fruits and vegetables, more matters (and color counts) • . Include a variety of colours when it comes to fruits and Eat seasonally

– Since fruits and vegetables are an important part of a vegetarian diet, flavor and freshness are vital, and the best way to achieve both is to buy fruits and vegetables in season. This practice offers a variety of benefits.

– When you buy fresh produce in season, you don’t have to do much to them to make them taste extraordinary. From the arrival of summer’s squashes, peaches, and tomatoes to the cranberries, oranges, and Brussels sprouts you’ll find in winter, each season offers some-thing unique and delicious to keep your palate happy.

– Eating fruits and vegetables at the peak of freshness is also a boon to your health as well as your wallet. You’ll benefit from all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants these colorful plants have to offer, and since there’s often an abundance of fruits and vegetables during the harvest season, you’re more apt to find bargains at the grocery store.

– planting your vegies in the back yard / containers/community garden during summer is an awesome way of growing your own vegetables

• Go for whole grains – All grains start out as whole grains, which means that they still contain the germ, endosperm, and bran. The bran is full

of filling fiber, which keeps you full, while the germ and endosperm contain beneficial antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and other healthful compounds. Processing, however, can remove one or more of these components, making refined grains less healthful. Research has shown that eating whole grains helps lower your risk for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. It is even better if you use sprouted grains and lentils/beans

• Also remember iron, zinc, and B12 • In addition to protein and calcium, vegetarians need to get adequate amounts of iron, zinc, and vitamin

B12.

• Iron carries oxygen in the blood, and iron deficiency can leave you feeling tired. Vegetarian sources of iron include iron-fortified cereals as well as spinach, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, turnip greens, whole-wheat breads, peas, dried apricots, prunes, and raisins.

• Zinc is necessary for a variety of functions including helping maintain the immune system and keeping it functioning properly. Zinc sources include a variety of beans (white beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas), cereals fortified with zinc, wheat germ, milk and milk products, and pumpkinseeds.

- LENTILS/BEANS

- TOFU

- NUTS

- WHOLE GRAINS/SPROUTED GRAINS

- SUPERGRANS (ex: Quinoa, Amaranth, Millet )

- GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES

- VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

- SEAWEEDS

HEALTHY OPTIONS FOR VEGTARIANS:

• Planning meals using Eating well with Canada’s Food Guide:

• Canada’s Food Guide:

• Guide to cooking beans and lentils

Pulse Canada

• 21 High Protein Vegetarian Meals Recipe:

CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE: MEAT ALTERNATIVES

TIPS • Tips • Keep in mind that the basis of a vegetarian diet should be vegetables. Not all vegetarian

foods are healthy, so make sure that you include plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

• When buying fresh vegetables, be mindful of how much you can eat and/or prepare for storage to minimize food waste.

• Shop at your farmers' market and buy produce that is in season. Vegetables that come from local sources are more likely to retain their nutritional sources than produce transported over long distances.

• Gelatin is made from animal bones. Read product labels carefully if you are avoiding gelatin. • Check the ingredients in food. • Check soup labels and ingredients if you are avoiding meat/bone broth as well. • Watch cooking videos on YouTube, go on Pinterest, search online sources, or buy

vegan/vegetarian cookbooks so your diet isn't boring! Get creative with your vegetables to whip up a satisfying meal!

• Don't presume that a vegetarian diet makes you immune to food-borne illness. A 2013 CDC report notes plants are almost as likely to be the source of food-borne illness as meat. Practice food safety guidelines.

• Toronto Vegetarian association: http://veg.ca/2005/02/21/vegetarian-food-guides/

• Canada food guide:

• http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/food-guide-aliment/view_eatwell_vue_bienmang-eng.pdf

• http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/vegetarian-diet/art-20046446

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