Because vegetarian diets are often light, some people add large amounts of oil, sugar, salt, and other seasonings when cooking. Unknowingly, these practices can lead to excessive energy intake. Refined sugar, just like animal fat, can easily increase blood lipids and trigger fatty liver, while sodium can raise blood pressure. Many people also overlook an important fact: vegetable oil and animal oil contain the same amount of energy, and excessive consumption of either can lead to obesity.
Many vegetarian enthusiasts eat a lot of fruit in addition to their three daily meals, but it doesn't make them slimmer. This is because fruit contains more than 8% sugar, making its energy intake significant. 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 achieve a daily energy balance. In addition to fruit, the same principle applies when drinking milk or yogurt daily.
Some vegetarians are keen on eating vegetables raw in salads or cold dishes, believing this is the only way to fully utilize their nutritional value. In reality, many nutrients in vegetables require the addition of oil for better absorption. For example, Vitamin K, carotene, and lycopene are nutrients that are more easily absorbed after cooking. It's also important to note that salad dressings contain over 60% fat, so using them for cold dishes does not result in lower calories than cooking with oil.
Vegetables should not only provide vegetarians with Vitamin C and carotene but should also contribute to iron, calcium, folic acid, and Vitamin B2 intake. Therefore, it's best to choose a variety of green leafy vegetables such as kale, broccoli, amaranth, spinach, bok choy, and crown daisy. To increase protein intake, mushrooms and fresh beans are excellent choices, such as various types of mushrooms, edamame, and fresh peas. If you only prefer a few so-called "weight-loss vegetables" like cucumbers, tomatoes, winter melon, or bitter gourd, it will be difficult to obtain sufficient nutrients.
In some developed countries, foods are commonly fortified with nutrients, and there is a wide variety of specially formulated nutritional products for vegetarians, reducing their risk of micronutrient deficiency. However, in China, 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.