Sources of Nutrition for Vegetarians

1. Sources of Nutrition for Vegetarians

2. Healthy food Increasing awareness and availability of vegetarian nutrition has led to an increase in the number of people opting vegetarianism or veganism. As we talked about nutrition in the first blog, we will now cover the sources of nutrition for vegetarians. But let’s recap what we know about nutrition quickly. Nutrition is the process of taking in healthy food and using it for growth, metabolism, and repair. In the form of food, we take nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients.

3. Vegetarian foods The reason for this discussion is that vegetarian foods are not whole in themselves. Some foods are protein rich, while some are rich in specific micronutrients and some in carbs and fats. The solution to this is plate mixing i.e. including a variety of foods in your plate. Like fruits and legumes, various types of grains like millet, oats, brown rice and barley collectively known as whole grains. This plate mixing and rotation of foods throughout seasons complete the nutritional requirement for our body as well as maintains the variety of taste so one doesn’t get bored.

4. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the primary sources of our energy. Vegetarians’ food is generally carbohydrate rich but choosing a good type of carbohydrate is necessary. Carbohydrates are of two types. Simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are easy to digest by our body whereas complex carbs take time but they provide long lasting energy and increase metabolism. The best veg healthy foods that are good sources of carbohydrate are: Unprocessed starchy sources Sweet potato Corn Lentils Peas

5. Proteins Proteins are made of amino acids, essential and non- essential. They are formed inside plants as well as animals. Those produced in the human body are non-essential as their requirement can be fulfilled by our body if we provide enough calories and other nutrients to it. However, our body requires essential proteins and a plant-based diet are enough for healthy living as well as body-building. Hence, vegetarian sources of protein include: Legumes and pulses (rich in lysine) Beans Peas Lentils Soy products Nuts and nut butter

6. Fats As like carbs, fats are energy sources but they also help the body in inner lubrication and many other things. And there are three types of fats: unsaturated, saturated and trans-saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are the healthy fats out of the three. In the terms of fats, we get enough from our normal diet. Just use vegetable oils and reduce butter and fast foods. Visit gethealthybits.com for more health-related articles

7. Calcium Needed for: Bones and teeth Found in : Dairy products Green and leafy vegetables Soy and tofu Almonds Needs his friend vitamin D for working Visit gethealthybits.com for more health-related articles .

8. Iron Needed for : Transportation of oxygen Found in : Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, Soybeans, Pulses, Dried fruits, Fortified cereals

9. Vitamin A Needed for: Eyecare Found in: Carrots, Pumpkin, Milk, Green leafy Vegetables, Tomato Vitamin B12 Needed for: Nerve cells and body cells Found in : Dairy products

10. Vitamin C Needed for : Promote tissue growth and absorption of iron Found in : Orange, Plum, Amla, Papaya, Mustard Spinach,

11. Vitamin D Needed for:Absorption of calcium Found in : Dairy Products There are many other nutrients whose requirements are generally fulfilled by the diet made considering these major nutrients. For eg., sodium and iodine are provided enough by daily salt consumption. Visit gethealthybits.com for more health-related articles

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