Is A Vegetarian Diet The Way To Go?

Dr. Swati Dave

Updated on:

vegetarian diet

Vegetarian diets exclude meat, seafood, and products containing these foods. Did you know that lacto-ovo-vegetarians consume dairy products and eggs, whereas vegans do not eat any kinds of foods that are derived from animals.

The vegetarian lifestyle could lead to better health in adults, but it may also have lots of risks of certain nutritional deficiencies. Balanced diets that limit or exclude meat are lower in calories than omnivorous diets. It has been observed that vegetarian eating patterns are usually motivated by weight control. Flexitarian Dieting (FD) is increasingly associated with health benefits.

Flexitarian Diet

Source: bestremedies

A flexitarian diet is mainly a vegetarian diet with the occasional consumption of meat or fish. Plant protein has created an innovation in meat alternatives – wide nutrient ranges and higher levels of sodium illustrate the importance of nutrition guidelines in their development for ensuring similarity with animal-based protein.

Lots of people agree that reducing the consumption of meat has positive benefits for the environment and human health. Meat consumption is mainly driven by a need to go to social gatherings and due to positive linkage with variety, nutrients, and taste due to cravings. Meat reduction has favorable consequences on public health.

vegetarian diet
Source: ingredientsnetwork

It is more likely that people will reduce their meat consumption rather than eliminating it entirely. There is an increased interest in reduced meat. In general, vegetarian diets are presumed to be quite healthy; there are concerns as to whether the dietary recommendations required during infancy, childhood, and adolescence can be met.

There are concerns over the health, environmental, and economic consequences of a diet rich in meat and animal products. This has encouraged people to exclude some or all of these foods from their diet.

Vegetarian Diet

Source: abchealth

Data suggests that vegetarian diets show a lower prevalence of obesity, diabetes, diverticular disease, eye cataract, and a lower risk of heart disease compared to non-vegetarians from a similar background, whereas the data is equivocal for strokes.

In the case of cancer, there is some evidence that the risk is slightly lower in vegetarians than non-vegetarians. The long-term effect on health of vegetarians is generally good. For some diseases and medical conditions, it may work better than that of omnivores. 

A carefully planned vegetarian diet is the one that adheres to the essential nutrition recommendations and lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol. Many cross-sectional studies and reviews have shown that the iron status of vegetarians is sacrificed due to the absence of bioavailable heme iron in vegetarian diets.

Many researchers suggest that a well-planned, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, or vegan diet that includes supplements can meet up the requirements of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and iron.

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