How to Stay Healthy on a Vegetarian Diet

You may be thinking that a vegetarian diet andsoy, and bran in their diets, they may think they
staying healthy go hand in hand; this isn't alwaysare getting enough iron in their regimen, but with
the case. Depending on to what degree ofa high fiber diet, the iron has a difficult time being
vegetarian diet you restrict yourself to, you couldabsorbed into the blood stream.
be missing vital vitamins and minerals from yourOK, I'm not trying to paint a bleak picture of a
diet. Let's start with a look at the differentvegetarian lifestyle, just to point out the
degrees of vegetarian diets there are and thendrawbacks. There are things that all vegetarians
how to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet.of any degree can take to keep themselves
- Semi-vegetarians: These people eat dairy, eggs,healthy.
poultry and fish but no red meat.How to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet means
- Pesco-vegetarians eat dairy, eggs, and fish buttaking certain measures to ensure your good
no other meat.health. Here are a few examples of keeping a
- Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat dairy products andhealthy vegetarian lifestyle:
eggs, but no other animal products.*Take a multi-vitamin daily to ensure that the
- Lacto-vegetarians enjoy dairy foods, but novitamins and minerals that are difficult to get
other animal products.from plants sources are getting into your system
- Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no other animalin another way.
foods.*To get enough calcium in your diet, eat calcium
- Vegans are by far the most extremerich foods like nuts, seeds, broccoli, legumes, and
vegetarians. They do not eat any dairy, eggs, orbok choy.
any other animal products. Because Vegans have*To ensure you are getting enough vitamin B-12,
the most restrictive diet, they are at the greatesteat B-12 fortified soy products and cereals, along
risk for vitamin and mineral insufficiencies in theirwith B-12 supplements.
diet. The greatest risk that vegans suffer from is*To boost your Vitamin D intake, spend time in
a deficiency of vitamin B-12. This is potentially athe sun each day! The sun is the best source of
very dangerous vitamin deficiency because it cannatural vitamin D. You can also add vitamin D
cause severe mental problems and evenfortified margarine to your diet.
permanent nerve damage.*To ensure you are getting enough iron in your
Vitamin B-12 intake needs go up during pregnancydiet, eat these foods: iron fortified breads and
and during breast-feeding; therefore a vegetariancereals, legumes such as tofu, green leafy
with a vitamin B-12 deficiency before these timesvegetables, and dried fruits. If you are trying to
will suffer even more during these stressfulboost your iron intake, make sure to include
physical times in their life.vitamin C in your diet to increase the ability of
Vegetarians who consume dairy products areyour body to absorb the iron rich foods you are
mostly safe from vitamin D deficiencies, buteating.
those who do not eat any dairy products canHow to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet doesn't
suffer from conditions such as rickets in children,have to be difficult, but you have to do your
to osteoporosis in adults.homework. If you have any questions about how
Iron is another concern for vegetarians. Ato boost your health, don't be shy to consult your
deficiency in iron can result in anemia. Given thatdoctor to make sure you are eating the right
vegetarians tend to eat a high content of fiber,foods to stay healthy.