Shortfalls and Benefits of Vegetarian Diet - Essay Example

? Shortfalls and Benefits of Vegetarian Diet Many people are adopting a vegetarian diet today for several reasons. For some people, they adopt a complete vegan diet and their diet does not include any ingredient from animal products. Others only limit their meat intake while they still do dairy products and eggs. A healthy vegetarian diet requires sufficient considerations of all nutritional requirements and a commitment to provide the body with sufficient of what it requires. Scientists and nutritionists emphasize on the value of adopting a vegetarian diet as a preventive measure in combating diseases whose susceptibility increases on diet basis. In addition, vegetarians have an easy time maintaining a healthy body mass index. This paper will discuss how vegetarian can ensure that they get an adequate supply of all required nutrients (Joshi 140). In addition, the paper will elaborate on the benefits of vegetarian diet in combating some diseases. Classes of vegetarians There are different types of vegetarians depending on the animal products that they avoid. Vegans rely on solely plant foods for all their nutritional needs. The second group only consumes plant foods and diary products and they are lacto-vegetarians. The third group comprises of the people who eat eggs, diary products, and plant foods. These are the lacto-ovo-vegetarians. Those who eat eggs and diary products are the ovo-vegetarians. A different class consists of people who depend on plant foods, diary products, eggs and animal products with the exclusion of red meat. Nutritionists describe these people as semi-vegetarians (141). All types of vegetarians may develop a deficiency of several nutritional requirements if they are not aware of the body’s nutritional needs. Each individual requires a certain amount of protein, carbohydrate, fats, vitamins, and minerals.i6t is worth mentioning that some of the nutrients that the body requires are solely from animal products or occur in low concentrations in plant foods. Therefore, this necessitates a clear understanding of the required level of daily intake, how much is available in plant foods and potential supplements. Many vegetarians rely on whole cereals, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and other plant products. Animal products offer a high level of proteins compared to plant products (145). It is easy for a vegetarian to rely on a low supply of proteins from plants compromising with the body’s ability to rebuild tissues. Plant foods supply low levels of proteins compared to animal products. Since vegetarians only remain with legumes such as beans peas, nuts, and whole cereals as sources of proteins, it becomes important for vegetarians to ensure that their daily intake of protein is sufficient. Knowledge on the calorie levels of each type of food will help vegetarians in assessing how much protein they take each day. Vegetarians should opt for soybean extracts and nuts that are hubs of high levels of proteins (151). Alternatively, an individual should develop a plan that incorporates different plant proteins so that at the end of each day, an individual’s total protein intake is sufficient. In addition, vegetarians stand a risk of having a deficiency of iron. Iron-rich foods are mainly animal products such as liver and eggs. Plant foods do not provide the vegetarian with enough iron to bind hemoglobin in the body. According to nutritionists, the body is usually reluctant to absorb proteins from plant sources. The high fiber content in plant foods makes the iron inaccessible to the body. This is because fibers often bind the minerals from a meal. The body does not absorb fiber. Women have a greater iron need to satisfy than men do because of biological differences. Vegetarians may opt for dark green leafy vegetables and dried fruits as sources of iron. It worth noting that consumption of iron rich foods should be alongside vitamin c-rich foods. Nutritional experts advise that vitamin plays a role in increasing iron’s absorption rate. Each individual requires an intake of a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids. These are present in organ meat, eggs, fish, and DHA-enriched food products. a vegetarian should consider the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the body in improving vision and other cognitive processes, reduction of the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and other anti-inflammatory functions. Vegetarians can opt for soy products that have DHA incorporated into them. The other option involves relying on a daily capsule supplements (174). Calcium is another nutritional requirement for each individual but vegetarians have few options of foods that offer calcium. Calcium plays several fundamental functions in the body. These include ensuring that normal clotting of blood occurs and making teeth and bones stronger. In addition, calcium is crucial for normal muscle and nerve cell function (177). For vegetarians who restrict themselves from diary products, they should increase their intake of lo-oxalate vegetable greens. In addition, they may opt for tofu that has undergone fortification of fortified fresh juices. Moreover, vegetarians may suffer a deficiency of vital vitamins if they lack an integrated approach towards diet. Vitamin B-12 is one of the proteins that the body may lack. The body cannot produce red blood cells if this vitamin is lacking. In addition, normal nerve cell functioning requires vitamin B12. Vegetarians who consume milk have a good supply of the protein. Vegans are likely to suffer a deficiency of the essential vitamin unless they take fortified cereals, beverages and some types of nutritional yeast. In addition, vegan may lack a supply of vitamin D. although this protein is readily available from the sun before 11a.m, some vegan live in parts of the world where the sun does not shine well enough for one to absorb sufficient amounts of the vitamin. Therefore, vegans should opt for vitamin D supplements. Zinc and iodine are the other nutritional elements that vegans may lack (181). Just like iron, zinc that is available in plant proteins becomes inaccessible. However, zinc fortified foods can provide sufficient amount of zinc for the vegans. Some vegans who exclude a vast variety of foods from their daily diet may have limited levels of iodine. Nutritionists advise that vegans have to obtain iodine supplements from seaweeds, sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cabbage. A vegetarian diet has many health benefits as long as an individual gets a supply of all nutritional elements. Since vegetarians have a high intake of fruits and vegetables. Nutritionists describe intake of plenty of fruits and vegetables as part of healthy eating. These keep the body hydrated. In addition, vegans and majority of vegetarians take large quantities of cereal, fiber and other necessary phytochemicals that keep them healthy. These are very vital in prevention of cancer. A clear illustration of the benefits of a high intake of citrus fruits is that these ensure that abnormally viable cells do not spread from one tissue to the other. Other findings indicate that fruits and vegetables contribute greatly in reducing different types of cancers (161). Fruits and vegetables are a good source of carotenoids, and flavonoids that help prevent cancer. Lycopenes in some fruits and garlic also contribute in cancer prevention. In addition, fruits and vegetables supply the body with numerous anti-oxidants and anti-proliferative agents. These take up the responsibility of hindering cell procedures that lead to cancer development. On a different note, vegans and vegetarians avoid red meat intake. This places them at an advantage because they rely on a cholesterol-free diet. Other studies suggest that red meat protein increases the risk of developing colon cancer. The legume and soy proteins taken by non-vegetarians are safe and lack association with cancer development (98). Since vegans and vegetarians live on a cholesterol-free diet, they are not susceptible to developing cardiovascular diseases. In addition, vegans are safe from high blood pressure and diabetes. Research indicates that adoption of a vegan diet improves the condition of diabetes type 2 and patients may discontinue the use of medication. Vegans do not have health complications and are not prone to non-communicable diseases that depend on diet. Many vegans and vegetarians find it easier to reduce weight. It is evident that vegetarians enjoy multiple health benefits if they understand the daily nutritional needs of their bodies and take the right amounts of calories of each class of food. Nutrient deficiencies may result in cases where the vegan does not take supplements. However, the vegan diet keeps vegetarians safe from many diseases. Nutritionists advise people with cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases to adopt a vegan diet (184). Work Cited Joshi, Shubhangini A. Nutrition & Dietetics 3E. New York: Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2010. Print. Read More