Have we ever heard of it, reader?
How about we talk a little about it? What is this vegetarian diet, vegan diet? Does it have positive and negative effects on health? If so, what are they? Let's take a look together. Is it Healthy to Have a Vegetarian & Vegan Diet?
What is a Vegetarian Diet?
Vegetarian Nutrition is a diet in which all types of red meat, poultry, fish and seafood are generally excluded from the diet. It is defined as a way of nutrition and there are also derivatives of vegetarianism. Among these types, Ethical Vegetarian Nutrition is the only one that has nothing to do with health and is preferred only because of the most humanistic feelings. I will list the others shortly. However, I would like to tell you about one reality: Ethical vegetarians are less prone to cheating than those who prefer vegetarianism for health reasons.
Vegan nutrition is a type of vegetarian nutrition in which all animal foods are removed from the diet.
Individuals with a vegetarian diet are compared to non-vegetarians. When compared, they generally consume high amounts of grains, oilseeds, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, vegetarians generally consume more nutrients such as carbohydrates, omega-6 fatty acids, fiber, carotenoids, folate, Vitamins E, C and magnesium compared to non-vegetarians; They have low intakes of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, zinc and calcium.
So what does this mean?
Proteins of animal origin are of plant origin. It has higher bioavailability than proteins, however, it is necessary to increase the consumption of legumes or soy protein in order to consume sufficient amounts of lysine, one of the essential amino acids.
So, our first note to those who prefer a vegetarian diet; Let them increase their consumption of legumes and soy protein.
Which Foods Should They Consume?
According to the results of the European Prospective Cancer and Nutrition Research (EPIC); reported that the risk of bone fractures in vegans is 30% higher than in non-vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians due to low calcium intake.
Consuming some green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and chard, contains oxalates. Calcium-enriched products should be included in the diet, as they will cause calcium absorption to decrease. However, it should be added that the variety of calcium-enriched products in our country is quite low, except for some grain products.
Going home 2. Note: consumption of calcium-enriched grain products should be increased and bone fractures should be prevented.
According to the research, no significant difference has been observed between iron deficiency anemia in vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I would like to point out that there are not only meat and meat products as iron sources, but also some herbal sources containing high amounts of iron. These; Sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, peas, beet greens, beans, kale, dandelion, chard and kale, Watermelon, strawberries, figs, raisins, dried apricots, prunes and dried peaches, Whole wheat bread, wheat products, enriched pasta , corn, whole grains, rye bread, oats and enriched rice, tomatoes, beans, tofu, lentils, dried peas, maple and corn syrup.
Studies show that vitamin B12 levels are low, especially in vegan diets. By monitoring vitamin levels, megaloblastic anemia, which may occur in deficiency, and thus central nervous system demyelination, can be prevented.
Take-home note 3: Vitamin B12 levels should be monitored in vegan nutrition.
Now let's find out what kind of vegetarian diets they have.
-Lacto vegetarian diet: They consume only milk and dairy products along with plant foods.
-Plain vegetarian diet: Along with plant foods in the diet. Also includes eggs. In addition, they do not consume meat and milk.
– Lacto-ova vegetarian diet: This type of nutrition can be included in the Ethical vegetarianism class. Because, based on the belief that life is sacred and killing animals is against moral values, only what the animal produces while it is alive is consumed.
– Polo vegetarian diet: They consume only poultry.
-Pesko vegetarian diet: Only They consume aquatic products.
- Semi-vegetarian diet: No red meat, limited amounts of chicken and fish. Eggs, milk and dairy products can be consumed as much as desired.
Due to the high intake of vitamins, minerals and fiber in the vegetarian diet and the low intake of saturated fat, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis ( The risk of developing osteoporosis), diabetes and kidney function diseases is very low. However, it is necessary to ensure good nutritional diversity, adequate and balanced nutrition, and to eliminate macro and micro nutrient deficiencies along with optimal nutrition.
Take-home note 4: Deficiency of macro and micro nutrients should be prevented by ensuring optimal nutrition.
After giving you four home notes about vegetarian nutrition, we see that those who follow a vegetarian diet do not only make food choices, but also make a moral evaluation.
Now, maybe those who read this article and of course, someone who wrote this article As I, we will think that we should attach both value and meaning to the foods we consume, and that we should not consume foods just to suppress our hunger or fill our stomachs.
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