Be it a part of their weight loss campaign or for health benefits, an increasing number of people are adopting a vegetarian lifestyle into their mainstream of living. Statistically, as many as 12 million people in the US and 4 million in the UK are consuming vegetarian diets and working hard to follow their vegan diet foods list.

Does foregoing meat and poultry really benefit health and help in losing weight? this is a question many people ask themselves before they finally take the decision to convert to vegetarianism. It surely has a lot of health benefits but it is not without its disadvantages too. Let’s see what are the benefits and understand the disadvantages of being a vegetarian…

Vegetarian or Vegan?

Yes. they are not the same but are generally used interchangeably. Basically, there are three different kinds of vegetarians- an ovolactovegetarian who consumes eggs and dairy foods but shuns meat, fish and poultry, a lactovegetarian who consumes dairy products but not eggs other than meat, fish and poultry and finally a vegan who eats foods strictly from plant sources and excludes even dairy products.

Benefits of a vegan diet-

A basic vegan diet would consist of plenty of natural fruits, organic fruits and veggies, soy products, beans, nuts and a whole lot of high fiber foods like whole-grain cereals and bread, whole-wheat pasta, vegetable pastas, barley, brown rice and quinoa.

A vegan consuming the above food products or a vegetarian consuming all the above with the addition of eggs and or milk tend to have reduced risk for heart diseases, blood pressure and also some types of cancer. They also do not tend to gain weight compared to their meat loving peers.

Complex carbohydrates (dietary fiber) in whole grains regulate the digestive system and prevent constipation and protect from colon cancers. They also reduce the risk of diabetes as the slow digestion of these grains do not cause the blood sugars to elevate. The plant proteins like soy beans is a complete protein-free from steroids and antibiotics which animal protein contains.

If such diets are practiced along with regular exercise or yoga, the benefits are paramount and reflect in the form of weight loss and lead to a healthy life.

Disadvantages of being a vegetarian-

Of all the three types of vegetarians, a vegan would pose an increased risk of malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia and vitamin 12 deficiency- more so if the person is not too careful about the type of diet he or she consumes.

Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms generally appear slow since it can take years before there is enough depletion of vitaminB12 levels in the body. Especially breast fed infants of a strict vegan mom tends to have limited reserves of vitamin B12 and the baby can develop symptoms of deficiency within months. This can be potentially dangerous in causing permanent brain damage, if undetected and untreated.

Therefore it is very important for vegan moms to notify their doctor about their diet so that they can be started on a vitamin B12 supplements and also for their new born infants and children. For all others, a fortified cereal which contains vitamin B12 can be a good source for the vitamin and also a supplement that contains vitamin B12 can be a good choice.

Another problem of a pure vegan diet would be the consumption of proteins. plant proteins are incomplete proteins unlike animal proteins which means that the body does not get all the required amino acids through a plant diet. This can be easily overcome by mixing different plant proteins like beans and legumes or by consuming soy protein which is a complete protein.

Other than that, surely, adopting a vegetarian (vegan) diet seriously lacks its benefits in the department of variety – especially when eating out with your family. My wife, a born vegetarian, always has this problem when we decide to eat out at my favorite meat restaurant. she never tried crossing her religious borders to consume animal originated foods and so, she is left with no choice other than order a salad or if she is lucky- the only vegetarian entree shoved into an obscure corner in the menu.

But if consuming a vegetarian diet is solely a dietary choice for you it is absolutely beneficial to have an occasional slice of meat but do make sure you take lean cuts of meat and avoid the skin in case of poultry.
In summary, embracing a strict vegetarian diet surely has its pros and cons and like any other health choices- it comes with practice and positive motivation. surely, the long term benefits are worth trying. Here are some tips on how you can adopt a vegetarian diet into your lifestyle and still have fun…

Steps to being a vegetarian-

1. Educate yourself about how to eat a healthy vegetarian diet and strike the right balance between its health benefits and cover for its deficiencies.
2. Make realistic goals for yourself before jumping with both feet into the world of a vegan. Start of by consuming vegetarian diet once or twice a week and experiment with various vegetables and grains. Another way which could benefit you and your family is to try to eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch and eat meat, poultry or fish for dinner.
3. Go Mexican. Serve bean burritos, enchiladas, guacamole tacos or black beans chili for dinner or lunch. Make an Asian Stir fry with lots of veggies and serve them over brown rice or soba noodles.
4. Search for raw vegan recipes and warm up with vegetable soup or bean soups while experimenting with different vegetables.
5. Try to have eggs for dinner- either scrambled, fried or hardboiled if you are decided to cut down only the meat, poultry and fish.
6. Use pesto sauce or marinara for your pasta. or dish it up with olive oil or vegetable broth.
7. Experiment and come up with a vegan desserts recipe like brown rice pudding or barley scones. Take advantage of various fruits like carrots, apple and pineapple while making desserts.
8. If strictly following a vegan diet, do not forget to take your vitamin supplements and visit your doctor if you notice any kind of symptoms like tiredness, fatigue or lack of energy.
9. Focus your goals for the coming “hug a vegetarian day” which is generally in September of every calendar year. ask your friends and family to show you some love for converting into a vegetarian or a vegan.

For more free vegan recipes, raw vegan recipes and kid friendly vegetarian recipes check these out- raw vegan recipes , good raw breakfast recipes and vegan desserts recipe site. They have plenty of tasty recipes which will make your journey towards converting into a vegetarian more enjoyable and fun.

Good luck to all your health goals…do leave me comments…

Tagged as: Vegan diet, Vegetarian