The Vegetarian Diet

Look and Feel Healthier, Vegetarian Style
You want to eat healthier to keep your cholesterol down and maintain your weight. But how? One option is to reduce your meat intake and substitute vegetarian alternatives. A vegetarian diet usually contains less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol and includes more dietary fiber than a meat-based diet. For these reasons, vegetarians typically have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as lower blood pressure.

"Research has firmly established the many health benefits that can be derived from following a vegetarian eating pattern," says nutrition expert, Anastasia Snelling, Ph.D., R.D. "Many doctors suggest that patients adopt vegetarian eating habits to lower their risk of cardiovascular disease."

But merely dumping the meat off your plate is not the healthy way to go vegetarian. Find out what you need to know about a plant-based diet so that you meet your daily nutritional needs, and enjoy what you're eating.

What is a Vegetarian Diet?
A vegetarian diet is one that excludes all or most animal products. There are three main types of plant-based, vegetarian diets:

Lacto-ovovegetarian: Consists of plant foods, dairy products and eggs.
Lacto-vegetarian: Consists of plant foods, plus some or all dairy products.
Vegan: Consists of only foods of plant origin (no dairy or eggs).
For those of us who can't dream of giving up hamburgers, steak, chicken and fish, a more realistic option may be "semi" or "partial" vegetarian. The semi-vegetarian diet excludes red meat, but may include chicken or fish, dairy products, and eggs.

Get Proper Nutrition, Vegetarian Style
You could eat salad and bread all week, but that's not a healthy vegetarian diet. When eating vegetarian, it's important to make sure you get enough protein, calcium, iron and other important nutrients.

"Selecting foods carefully is very important. It can be done with the help of reliable information and a good vegetarian cookbook," says Snelling. "It can be fun too! When you reduce or eliminate the meat in your diet, you're bound to discover many new foods to enjoy."

With careful choices and meat substitutions, you can ensure proper nutrition and make some tasty meals. Incorporate key nutrients into your vegetarian-style eating:

Protein: Try soy products like tofu, nuts, and seeds; legumes such as lentils, dried beans or peas; or meat substitutions.

Calcium: Eat more dark vegetables like broccoli and spinach, or select calcium- enriched soymilk, tofu, or juices.

Vitamin B-12: Lacto-ovovegetarian and lacto-vegetarians can get B-12 from milk, eggs, or cheese. For vegans, try fortified soy supplements, enriched cereals, or supplements.

Iron: Find iron in enriched cereals and whole-grain products, spinach, and prunes. Your body will absorb even more iron if you eat it with foods high in vitamin C, like oranges and strawberries.

Zinc: Choose whole grains, wheat germ soy products, nuts.

Ready to Eat Like a Vegetarian?
Becoming a vegetarian can be simple with small changes to your current eating habits. Think about what you eat in a day and what you can use in place of meat. For example, toss chickpeas on a salad in place of chicken. Try a veggie burger instead of a burger at the grill. Make a tofu and vegetable stir-fry.

You'd be surprised at the large selection of vegetarian options at most grocery stores today. Craving chicken nuggets? Try soy nuggets! You may not even be able to tell the difference.

There are also many vegetarian cookbooks and recipes on the Internet full of tasty vegetarian meals and snacks. Have fun, try some new foods, and keep eating healthy.