Many people nowadays believe that meat dishes can easily lead to weight gain and trigger various diseases, while a vegetarian diet can supplement the body's needed vitamins and promote better digestive health. Therefore, one should get closer to vegetarianism and further from meat. In fact, eating vegetarian is better than eating meat, but meat contains protein and fats that are lacking in a vegetarian diet. Therefore, experts recommend that a diet should be a mix of both, especially when eating vegetarian, one must avoid falling into five major misconceptions.
Misconception 1: Not supplementing with multivitamins when necessary
In some developed countries, foods are commonly fortified with nutrients, and there is a wide variety of specially formulated nutritional products for vegetarians, so vegetarians have a lower risk of micronutrient deficiency. However, in our country, the food industry gives little consideration to vegetarians, and nutrient fortification is not widespread. Therefore, vegetarians should consider supplementing with multivitamins, especially formulas containing iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, to prevent potential nutritional deficiencies.
Misconception 2: Eating too much fruit
Anything taken to an extreme can have the opposite effect. But many vegetarian enthusiasts eat a lot of fruit in addition to their three daily meals. This will not help with weight loss; on the contrary, it can cause you to gain weight. This is because fruit contains more than 8% sugar, and its energy content is not negligible. If you eat more than half a jin (250g) of fruit, you should correspondingly reduce the amount of your main meals or staple foods to maintain a daily energy balance.
Misconception 3: Excessive oil, sugar, and salt
If you are eating vegetarian but add large amounts of oil, sugar, and salt for seasoning, these are all high-calorie condiments. Moreover, salt can raise blood pressure. Regularly consuming such vegetarian food is actually less healthy than eating meat directly.
Misconception 4: Only recognizing a few "weight-loss vegetables"
Vegetables should not only provide vegetarians with vitamin C and carotene but also contribute to their intake of iron, calcium, folic acid, and vitamin B2. Therefore, you should try to choose green leafy vegetables, such as kale, broccoli, amaranth, spinach, bok choy, crown daisy, etc. To increase protein intake, mushrooms and fresh legumes are excellent choices, such as various types of mushrooms, edamame, and fresh peas. If you only favor a few so-called "weight-loss vegetables" like cucumbers, tomatoes, winter melon, or bitter melon, it will be difficult to get enough nutrients.
Misconception 5: Vegetables must be eaten raw
Some vegetarians are keen on eating vegetables raw in salads or cold dishes, believing this is the only way to fully absorb their nutritional value. In reality, many nutrients in vegetables require the presence of fats for better absorption. For example, vitamin K, carotene, and lycopene are nutrients that are more easily absorbed after cooking. At the same time, it's important to note that salad dressings contain over 60% fat. Using them in cold dishes does not result in lower calories than cooking with oil.