9 Common Mistakes Vegetarians Make
Vegetarianism does not necessarily equate to a healthy diet. A vegetarian diet also has nutritional balance issues. If not properly planned, it may not provide adequate nutrition, nor will it necessarily reduce the risk of diseases or lead to a slim figure.
Excluding meat and fish from food does not automatically make it healthy. Only a vegetarian diet that consists mostly of natural, unprocessed foods has true health benefits. On the other hand, vegetarians must carefully combine various plant-based foods to ensure a complete and balanced intake of all nutrients. Do you know how to eat vegetarian? If not done correctly, a vegetarian diet may not be beneficial—
Mistake 1: Not Limiting the Amount of Processed Foods
Many vegetarians believe that as long as a food doesn't contain animal products, it is highly nutritious. In reality, many processed foods are made from plant-based ingredients, but they are often made with refined white rice and white flour, which strips away dietary fiber, and are loaded with large amounts of oil, sugar, or salt. They cannot replace the health benefits of fresh, natural foods.
In response to the popularity of vegetarianism and plant-based foods, some products even use "vegetable cream" or "vegetable shortening" as selling points. However, when it comes to blood lipids, these "vegetable oils" are even worse than animal fats. Numerous studies have confirmed that the "hydrogenated vegetable oil" in these products introduces "trans fatty acids," which significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and may also harm brain health.
Mistake 2: Not Controlling the Amount of Oil, Sugar, and Salt in Cooking
Both oil and refined sugar are plant-based, so they are also prominently featured in vegetarian recipes. Because the natural flavor of vegetarian dishes is often light, some people add large amounts of oil, sugar, salt, and other seasonings for cooking. For example, frequently eating pastries and biscuits made with oil, often eating fried rice and fried noodles, using large amounts of oil to stir-fry vegetables, adding a lot of sugar to drinks, and using excessive salt and MSG for seasoning. These practices add excessive energy to the vegetarian diet and increase simple carbohydrates and sodium.
Many people have a serious misconception that animal fat makes you fat, but you can eat as much vegetable oil as you want. They don't realize that vegetable oils, white sugar, and animal fat all raise blood lipids, promote obesity, and can induce fatty liver. When it comes to weight gain, there is little difference between animal fat and vegetable oil.
Mistake 3: Eating Too Much Fruit Without Reducing Staple Foods
Many vegetarian enthusiasts love fruits and eat a lot of them in addition to three meals a day. However, they often find that despite fruits' reputation for being healthy, they don't lead to a slimmer figure. This is because fruits contain more than 8% sugar, making their energy intake not negligible. If you eat more than half a jin (250g) of fruit, you should reduce the amount of your main meals or staple foods accordingly to maintain energy balance for the day. Otherwise, adding an extra 100-200 kilocalories a day will inevitably lead to weight gain over time.
In addition to fruit, the same principle applies when drinking milk or yogurt daily. Many lacto-ovo vegetarians like to eat cheese and add large amounts of cheese powder for seasoning, which also increases the calories in their diet.
Mistake 4: Believing a Vegetarian Diet Must Be Based on Raw and Cold Foods
Some vegetarians believe that vegetables only have health value when eaten raw, so they rarely eat cooked dishes and prefer salads. In fact, many nutrients in vegetables require the addition of oil for better absorption. Heating the vegetables breaks down the cell walls, significantly increasing the absorption rate. For example, vitamin K, carotene, and lycopene are nutrients that are more easily absorbed after cooking. Vitamin K is essential for bone health, carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, and lycopene is an important antioxidant and anti-cancer component. It's also important to note that salad dressings contain over 60% fat, so using them for a salad is not lower in calories than cooking with oil.
Also, raw and cold foods can weaken the digestive function of the gastrointestinal tract and are not suitable for people who already have poor digestion. For example, people who are prone to bloating or get diarrhea from cold foods should not eat too many raw and cold foods. They can consider eating cooked vegetables instead.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians need to get calcium from dairy products, as well as protein, B vitamins, and vitamins A and D. Strict vegetarians need to get calcium from tofu and protein and B vitamins from grain-based foods that contain legumes. Many women, when starting a vegetarian diet, are enthusiastic about fruits and vegetables but often overlook protein sources and forget that a vegetarian diet also requires ensuring adequate nutrition.
Mistake 5: Thinking All Vegetables Are Equally Good
For strict vegetarians, vegetables are nutritionally more important. They not only have to supply vitamin C and carotene but also contribute iron, calcium, folic acid, and vitamin B2. Therefore, it's best to choose vegetable varieties rich in these nutrients. Leafy green vegetables are the best choices, such as kale, broccoli, amaranth, spinach, bok choy, and crown daisy. To increase protein intake, mushroom and fresh legume vegetables are excellent choices, such as various mushrooms, edamame, and fresh peas. If you only favor a few so-called "weight-loss vegetables" like cucumber, tomato, winter melon, or bitter melon, it will be difficult to get enough nutrients.
Mistake 6: Not Consuming Fermented Foods
For strict vegetarians, the nutrient most likely to be deficient is vitamin B12, which is not found in pure plant foods and can only be obtained from fermented foods and fungi. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to pernicious anemia. In addition, strict vegetarians may also lack zinc and iron. The absorption of minerals in fermented soy products is improved, which is helpful in preventing micronutrient deficiencies.
Mistake 7: Not Increasing Outdoor Activities
Strict vegetarians' diet does not contain vitamin D, which is found in liver, fish, egg yolks, and dairy fat. Strict vegetarians must be regularly exposed to sunlight. The body synthesizes its own vitamin D when ultraviolet rays act on 7-dehydrocholesterol in subcutaneous tissue. Some strict vegetarians stay in office buildings all day, never seeing the sun, leading to a severe deficiency of vitamin D, which is detrimental to their bone health. At the same time, exercise itself strengthens bones.
Mistake 8: Not Supplementing with Multivitamins When Needed
In some developed countries, foods are commonly fortified, and there is a wide variety of specially formulated vegetarian foods, so the risk of micronutrient deficiency for vegetarians is relatively low. However, in our country, the food industry gives little consideration to vegetarians, and nutritional fortification is not widespread. Therefore, vegetarians should consider supplementing with a moderate amount of multivitamins, especially formulas containing iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, to prevent potential nutritional deficiencies and make their vegetarian diet more nutritious and healthy.
So, how can you eat vegetarian food healthily?
Fresh vegetables, if bought and stored at home without being eaten, will gradually lose some vitamins. For example, when stored at 20°C, spinach loses 84% of its vitamin C after 24 hours. Therefore, you should try to eat fresh vegetables as soon as possible. Some people only eat the sprouts of beans and throw the beans away. In fact, the beans contain 2-3 times more vitamin C than the sprouts. Also, when making dumplings, squeezing out the vegetable juice causes a loss of over 70% of the vitamins. According to measurements, vegetables stir-fried over high heat lose only 17% of their vitamin C, but if they are then simmered, the loss increases to 59%. Therefore, you should use high heat for stir-frying. Sometimes, health is hidden in the details of your diet. As long as you pay attention to your life and diet, and cultivate good eating habits, good health and a long life are not a problem.