Myths about Vegetarian Diets!

Are you Vegetarian or not? Change the way you think about food, experiment and try new “meat-free” dishes in your diet. Studies have shown that vegetarians often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity and some forms of cancer. A vegetarian diet tends to be lower in total fat, and vegetarians tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat compared with non-vegetarians.

Here are some Myths about vegetarian Diet due to which people show some fear and discomfort towards vegetarian diet.

Can’t Get Enough Protein from Plants:

Meat doesn’t have a monopoly on protein. In fact, almost all foods (except alcohol and sugar) contain some. A half-cup of beans even has about the same amount of protein as one ounce of meat. To get all of your essential amino acids, focus on eating a variety of protein-packed plants, including lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, and milk (almond works if you’re cutting out dairy), recommends Eric C. Sharer, MPH, RD, from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. Bonus: Vegetarian diets tend to have higher levels of fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamins C and E than omnivorous ones.

Your Workouts will suffer:

A vegetarian diet fuels performance just as well as a meat-based diet as long as you’re careful to seek out other sources of certain nutrients that are more commonly found in animal products (like protein and vitamin B12).

Meatless Diets aren’t Safe for Pregnant Women:

Though pregnancy isn’t the right time to experiment with your eating plan, a woman who is already following a healthy plant-based diet is less likely to gain excessive pregnancy pounds, reducing her risk for gestational diabetes and high blood pressure, says Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, nutrition advisor for The Vegetarian Resource Group. However, pregnant women do need to gain some weight. Mangels suggests eating more nuts, nut butters, dried fruits, soy beans, and bean dips.

Whatever you choose, learn as much as you can on the subject and be comfortable with your choice. Ultimately no one can tell you what is right or wrong for you, but we cannot hide our heads in the sand and stay ignorant to the facts out there today either. With an educated mind and heart, you have to decide for yourself and live with your own decision.