As the number of people losing weight grows and meat products face frequent issues, vegetarianism has become very popular. However, eating a vegetarian diet also requires careful selection of ingredients and cooking methods, as not all vegetables can be eaten raw.
The Golden Rules of a Vegetarian Diet
1. Don't assume all vegetables and fruits can be eaten raw.
They must be washed clean to prevent insects and pesticides. Starchy foods, like potatoes, are not easily digested when raw.
2. Don't discard the edible parts of fruits and vegetables.
Whenever possible, find ways to eat the entire fruit or vegetable, unless it's difficult to digest or is toxic. It is said that the leaves of radishes contain four times more calcium than the root, and other vitamins are also more abundant in the leaves. You could try stir-frying them with tofu. The minerals in potatoes are four times more concentrated in the skin than in the flesh. We often throw away the leaves of celery, but they are very nutritious if used. When eating carrots, the focus is on Vitamin A, but the skin contains twenty-five times more than the root. The leaves, when briefly fried and served with seasonings, are incredibly refreshing.
3. Don't stick to just one or two types of fruits and vegetables for long periods.
Each fruit and vegetable has its own unique flavor and different nutritional profile. By rotating your choices, you are more likely to get a balanced intake of nutrients and it also keeps your diet interesting.
4. Don't wait until fruits and vegetables have lost their original flavor to eat them.
Therefore, fruit should be kept fresh to preserve its nutritional value.
5. Vegetarians should ensure adequate protein intake.
Is vegetarian protein sufficient? What is the quality of plant-based protein? Soy products are one of the most important sources of protein for vegetarians. Soybeans can be made into tofu, dried tofu, soy skin, soy milk, fermented tofu, douchi, and soy milk. Soybeans are often deficient in methionine, but if you consume enough soy products, the total protein intake will be high, and the methionine intake will exceed the body's requirements. On the other hand, soy protein is rich in lysine, which compensates for the lack of lysine in common grains (rice, flour, corn). Grains like rice, wheat, flour, and corn are deficient in lysine (LYS), while legumes are mainly deficient in methionine (MET). When eaten together, they can complement each other's missing amino acids and increase their nutritional value. You can eat some traditional Chinese foods, such as Babao congee and mung bean rice.
In fact, vegetarians often achieve the complementary effect of various food proteins, whether they consciously plan for it or not. When we eat rice with beans, soy milk with youtiao (fried dough sticks), and many other meals, we unknowingly automatically meet the protein complementarity function to form complete proteins. Milk, cheese, and other dairy products are high-quality sources of protein.
6. Be sure to supplement with Vitamin B12.
Vitamin B12 is a vitamin that exists only in animal foods, not in plant foods. Therefore, for vegans who eat only plant-based foods, whether they are deficient in Vitamin B12 has become a topic of discussion. A deficiency in Vitamin B12 can cause changes in red blood cells, such as enlarged cells, reduced hemoglobin, and a lower count of red blood cells, leading to pernicious anemia. Therefore, scholars are concerned about whether vegans need to supplement Vitamin B12. Vegetarians are more prone to B12 deficiency, leading to low red blood cell and hemoglobin levels. Therefore, it should be considered supplementing orally (e.g., with nutritional yeast) or by injection. For a lacto-vegetarian, there is no risk of Vitamin B12 deficiency because milk contains sufficient amounts. Vitamin B12 is mainly found in seaweed foods such as nori and kelp in plant-based foods. If the diet lacks Vitamin B12, the enterohepatic circulation can maintain a deficiency-free state for about twenty years. However, if there is malabsorption, a deficiency can occur in about three years. Therefore, the longer one follows a vegan diet, the greater the concern for Vitamin B12 deficiency, and it should be supplemented.