a Vegetarian Diet Best?
Learn how to create a well-balanced diet without meat.
Research shows that people who follow a vegetarian eating plan, on average, eat fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians. They also tend to have lower body weights relative to their heights than non-vegetarians. Choosing a vegetarian eating plan with a low fat content may be helpful for weight loss. But vegetarians—like non-vegetarians—can make food choices that contribute to weight gain, like eating large amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.
Vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as non-vegetarian diets to make sure they are balanced. In our diets, animal products provide good sources of iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein. Be sure to include the following vegetarian foods to get all the nutrients you need:
Iron: cashews, spinach, lentils, garbanzo beans, fortified bread or cereal
Calcium: dairy products, fortified soy-based beverages, tofu made with calcium sulfate, collard greens, kale, broccoli
Vitamin D: fortified foods and beverages including milk, soy-based beverages, or cereal
Vitamin B12: eggs, dairy products, fortified cereal or soy-based beverages, tempeh, miso (tempeh and miso are foods made from soybeans)
Zinc: whole grains (especially the germ and bran of the grain), nuts, tofu, leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce)
Protein: eggs, dairy products, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, soy-based burgers
Learn how to create a well-balanced diet without meat.
Research shows that people who follow a vegetarian eating plan, on average, eat fewer calories and less fat than non-vegetarians. They also tend to have lower body weights relative to their heights than non-vegetarians. Choosing a vegetarian eating plan with a low fat content may be helpful for weight loss. But vegetarians—like non-vegetarians—can make food choices that contribute to weight gain, like eating large amounts of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.
Vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as non-vegetarian diets to make sure they are balanced. In our diets, animal products provide good sources of iron, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and protein. Be sure to include the following vegetarian foods to get all the nutrients you need:
Iron: cashews, spinach, lentils, garbanzo beans, fortified bread or cereal
Calcium: dairy products, fortified soy-based beverages, tofu made with calcium sulfate, collard greens, kale, broccoli
Vitamin D: fortified foods and beverages including milk, soy-based beverages, or cereal
Vitamin B12: eggs, dairy products, fortified cereal or soy-based beverages, tempeh, miso (tempeh and miso are foods made from soybeans)
Zinc: whole grains (especially the germ and bran of the grain), nuts, tofu, leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, lettuce)
Protein: eggs, dairy products, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, soy-based burgers
5 Simple Changes for a Healthier Diet
Improving your eating habits is a great way to keep your heart healthier.
Choosing a healthy eating plan is a great way to lose weight, feel more energetic, and reduce your risk of disease. But it can sometimes be difficult to quit bad eating habits cold turkey, or to know where to start changing your diet. Consider some of the following tips for adapting to your new way of life — trying one or two a week until you've completed your diet overhaul.
Choosing a healthy eating plan is a great way to lose weight, feel more energetic, and reduce your risk of disease. But it can sometimes be difficult to quit bad eating habits cold turkey, or to know where to start changing your diet. Consider some of the following tips for adapting to your new way of life — trying one or two a week until you've completed your diet overhaul.
If you now eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
Gradually increase your use of fat-free and low-fat dairy products to three servings a day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce your intake of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories.
Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose those lowest in saturated fat and trans fat. Some margarines are now trans-fat-free.
Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus:
Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings) — that's all you need. (A single 3-ounce serving is the size of a deck of cards.)
If you now eat large portions of meat, cut them back gradually — by a half or a third at each meal.
Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans in meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans.
If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
Gradually increase your use of fat-free and low-fat dairy products to three servings a day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1 percent) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce your intake of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories.
Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose those lowest in saturated fat and trans fat. Some margarines are now trans-fat-free.
Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus:
Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings) — that's all you need. (A single 3-ounce serving is the size of a deck of cards.)
If you now eat large portions of meat, cut them back gradually — by a half or a third at each meal.
Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans in meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans.
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