– by Harsha
A vegetarian diet is a meal plan made up of foods that come mostly from plants. These
include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds and nuts. A vegetarian diet has
little or no animal products.
Types of vegetarian diets include:
Vegan:
Lacto-vegetarian:
Lacto-ovovegetarian:
Semi or partial vegetarian:
Diet consists of only plant-based
foods.
Diet consists of plant foods
plus some or all dairy products.
Diet consists of plant
foods, dairy products, and eggs.
Diet consists of
plant foods and may include chicken or fish,
dairy products and eggs. It does not include red
meat.
Vegetarian diets tend to have fewer calories, lower
levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and more
fiber, potassium and vitamin C than other eating
patterns. Vegetarians tend to weigh less than
meat-eaters, and to have lower cancer rates.
“Evidence also suggest that a vegetarian diet is
associated with a lower risk of death from certain
heart diseases, and that those who follow a
vegetarian diet tend to have lower LDL ”bad”
cholesterol levels,” says Jody Engel, a nutritionist
and registered dietician at NIH.
A well-planned vegetarian diet can give you good
nutrition. A vegetarian diet often helps you have
better health. Eating a vegetarian diet can help
you:
Reduce your chance of obesity
Reduce your risk of heart disease
Lower your blood pressure
Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
Compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarians usually
eat:
Fewer calories from fat (especially saturated fat)
Fewer overall calories
More fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C
Not necessarily. A vegetarian diet is not inherently
a weight loss diet but rather a lifestyle choice.
It is true, however, that adults and children who
follow a vegetarian diet are generally leaner than
non-vegetarians. This may be because a vegetarian
diet typically includes less saturated fat and
emphasizes more fruits, vegetables, whole grains
and plant-based proteins – foods that are more
filling and less calorie dense.
But a vegetarian diet isn’t automatically low calorie.
You can gain weight on a vegetarian diet if your
portion sizes are too big or if you eat too many
Healthy facts about vegetarian diets
If I switch to a vegetarian diet,
will I lose weight?
Answers from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
high-calorie foods, such as sweetened
beverages, fried items, snack foods
and desserts. Even some foods
marketed as vegetarian can be
high in calories and fat, such as
soy hot dogs, soy cheese,
refried beans and snack bars.
The basics of achieving and
maintaining a healthy weight
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