Vegetarian Diet

Pradeep Chauhan
Vegetarian diet could enable arthritis patients to protect themselves against heart attacks and strokes, a research has suggested. Rheumatoid arthritis can afflict people of any age, being more common in women than men. The condition, which is distinct from the more common osteoarthritis, is caused by the immune system attacking the lining of the patient's joints, causing them to become inflamed and painful.

To keep your vegetarian diet on track, you may find using a vegetarian food pyramid helpful. This pyramid outlines various food groups and food choices that, if eaten in the right quantities, form the foundation of a healthy vegetarian diet.

A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Nutrients vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.

Diet Characteristics

Dietary data from vegetarians across the world that enjoyed the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy show a pattern similar to the one illustrated in the list below. The healthfulness of this pattern is corroborated by epidemiological and experimental nutrition.

The people who gave up eating meat lose tone or become weaker? My answer would be that in the majority of cases they confidently stated that they found themselves stronger and more powerful in body.

Ensuring adequate nutrition

Protein: You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs.


Iron: Vegetarians may have a greater risk of iron deficiency than nonvegetarians. The richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk -- all high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.

Calcium: This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli, are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium and fortified soy milk and fruit juices are other options.

Sodium: The recognition that modifying renal excretory capacity for sodium and thus changing sodium balance can induce high B.P. in experimental animals focussed attention on sodium as the principle nutritional factor in the development of high B.P. Epidemiological surveys are often cited as proof that excessive sodium intake increases the prevalence of high B.P.

Vitamin D: Apart from sunlight (ultraviolet rays trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin), the only other sources are foods like eggs, milk and fish. Vitamin D deficiency is common even in sunny India, and if prolonged, it can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Take vitamin D supplements if you don´t get enough sun.

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Pradeep Chauhan

Peter Sams is a health and beauty expert. He writes on alternative health and skin care and have contributed lot of articles on ayurveda. His articles have been published in many publications.

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