The easiest and the best way to become healthier is to become a vegetarian. The decision to become a vegetarian is difficult, especially if you have been eating meat since a long time. Most people begin eating meat right from their childhood. But the recent studies suggest that a vegetarian diet is healthier than the typical animal based diet.
What is a Vegetarian Diet?
Vegetarianism is a diet in which no meat is consumed. The diet consists of vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and legumes. Vegetarians who do not eat anything containing dairy products or eggs are called vegans.
What are the Different Types of Vegetarians?
The different types vegetarians are:
- Total Vegetarians: They eat only plant food. They do not eat any animal foods, including fish, eggs, dairy products, and honey.
- Vegans: They not only omit all animal products from their diets, but they also eliminate them from the rest of their life. Vegans use nothing from animals, such as leather, wool, and silk.
- Lacto-Vegetarians: They include dairy products into their diet of plant food.
- Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarians: They eat both eggs and dairy products.
- Fruitarians: They, as the name itself suggests, consume mainly fruits or plants.
Why Become a Vegetarian?
There are many motivations to becoming a vegetarian like:
- To reduce Cholesterol and fat from your diet thus helping weight loss.
- To protect the animals.
- To reduce the chances of Food Poisoning.
- To save money since meat is more expensive etc.
How Should I Start?
If you'd like to become a vegetarian for life here are a few suggestions:
- Plan Out: You need to first think about why you want to become a vegetarian, and really believe in it. Find out where your motivation lies. Incase you need some help, check out a couple of good books from the library or browse through the internet.
- Gradually Reduce Meat: The biggest blunder most people make in their pathway towards becoming a vegetarian is going too fast. When making the change from a meat-based diet to a vegetarian diet, it's best to start slowly to allow your body, brain, and taste buds to slowly adjust to your new diet. Try your regular recipes that you love, but instead of using meat, use a meatless substitute like tofu or mushrooms.
- Increase Your Vegetable Consumption: The body needs an adequate amount of vegetables so that it receives enough nutrition in the diet. Within a couple of weeks, you should be consuming at least six servings of vegetables per day.
- Try Variety: You must eat variety of fruits and vegetables. If you don't offer your body a variety of foods, you will quickly get bored. A vegetarian diet has the potential to be incredibly varied and satisfying. Arming yourself with new recipes and cookbooks will go a long way.
- Quit Meat One at a Time: Start with red meat, as it is typically the least healthy. Once you are successful at that then try cutting out white meat and then cut the seafood.
- Eat Meat Less Often: Cut down on your regularity of meat consumption. If you generally eat it every day, cut down to five times a week, then three, then one to see how it goes.
- Maintain Adequate Protein Intake: Although a diet without meat can drop your protein intake, it can be derived from a variety of other vegetarian sources like soy. It is important to track and monitor your servings of protein in the beginning of a vegetarian diet.
- Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 deficiency is also common in vegetarians as there are very less plant sources for it. The common sources are low-fat milks and yogurts and/or B12 fortified foods such as commercial cereals, meat analogs, and soymilks. You can also use a B12 supplement to maintain adequate levels.
- Iron: The vegan diet contains a form of iron that is not that well absorbed, thus vegans might be prone to developing iron deficiency anemia. Fortunately, many vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach, which are high in iron and are also high in vitamin C so that the iron in these foods is very well absorbed.
- Omega 3: Vegetarians and vegans, like everyone else, need a source of omega-3 fatty acids in their diets. Your daily intake can come from olive oil, leafy green vegetables (like spinach), pumpkin seeds, soybeans and flax seeds.
- Inform Others: If you are committed to making a change, the people who are around you should be aware of it. Tell your most loved ones why you became a vegetarian. Keep a positive outlook and they will eventually understand.
- Read Food labels: You'll be surprised how many non-meat foods contain meat-derivatives, like animal fats or gelatin. There are also plenty of other foods you'd be surprised and pleased to find out are suitable for you.
As a new vegetarian it is ok for you to go through challenges, but you can conquer them with willpower, strength of mind and knowledge because at the end of the day your health is worth it.
