VEGETARIANS

Some things to know about vegetarian diets

A vegetarian diet that is high in carbohydrate and low in fat is great for active people, giving extra energy stores to push performance to the limit!

A vegetarian style diet is high in plant foods like fruits and vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, breads and cereals. If you are thinking of starting to follow a vegetarian style of eating there are a few things to be aware of to make sure that your diet provides all the nutrients you need to stay healthy and fit. If you are going to eat some fish or poultry there is little to be concerned about, however if you are going to be eliminating all "flesh" foods from your diet, some additional planning is necessary.

Some nutritional concerns for vegetarians are:

1. Protein complementation
2. Adequate Calcium Intake
3. Adequate Iron Intake
4. Sufficient Vitamin B-12

1. Protein complementation

Plant protein sources do not contain the complete array of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. To ensure a full complement of protein each day, combine different types of plant foods. Combine legumes such as kidney beans, lentils, chick peas with grains or seeds. This way the variety of amino acids in the foods complement one another and create complete proteins. Any plant food combined with eggs or dairy products will also give you complete protein. This combining of foods does not have to be done at the same meal. Just ensure that by the end of the day you have combined different types of plant foods into your diet.

Complementary Plant Protein
Grains + Legumes	Whole grain bread + baked beans Whole grain crackers + Lentil or Split pea soup Brown rice + Tofu stir fryChapatis + Dahl Felafel (pita bread + garbanzo beans) Peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread Cereal with enriched soy milk
Grains + Nuts or Seeds	Whole grain breads + Nut butters Granola + Nuts/seeds Noodles + Sesame seeds Rice + Sunflower seeds Pasta + Pine nut pesto

2. Adequate Calcium Intake

Dairy products are our primary source of calcium, important for strong bones and teeth, prevention of osteoporosis and general health. If you eliminate dairy products from your diet, include alternative sources of calcium such as dark leafy green vegies, broccoli, dates, fortified soy milk, legumes, blackstrap molasses, peanuts, almonds and seeds. And remember that citrus foods are rich in Vitamin C – this helps your body to absorb even more calcium. So combine vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, cantaloupe, with your sources of calcium and maximize the absorption.

3. Adequate Iron Intake

Plant sources of iron are not absorbed as well as animal sources so non-meat eaters, especially active, menstruating women need to pay attention to their dietary iron needs: consuming foods rich in vitamin C with any iron rich food will improve absorption. Try legumes, dark leafy green vegies, dried fruits, whole grains, iron enriched breads and cereals.

Non heme sources of iron for vegeterians among us!
Source	Iron content (mg)	Iron absorbed (mg)	Maximize absorption by consuming with/in:
Bran flakes cereal, 30 gm	4.7	0.23	Strawberries
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice	0.8	0.04	Orange juice
Enriched pasta, ½ cup	1.1	0.06	Tomato sauce
Raw spinach, ½ cup	0.8	0.04	Lemon slices
Raisins, 2 tbsp	0.4	0.02	Fruit salad with cantaloupe & strawberries
Tofu, 3 ounces (90 gms)	1.7	0.09	Tomato and red pepper stir fry
Kidney beans, (canned) 1/2 cup	2.3	0.12	Tomato based chili

Chart adapted from Iron, Essential for Your Health, Beef Information Centre

4. Sufficient Vitamin B-12

This vitamin available in animal products. Fermented foods such as miso and tempeh gives us some but generally not enough. The amount of B12 in these foods tends to be variable. The most reliable source of vitamin B-12 for the vegan diet is nutritional yeast that is grown on a vitamin B-12 enriched medium (e.g. Red Star brand). Vegans need to make sure to use vitamin B-12 fortified foods or supplements to ensure adequate intake! For those individuals who may be selectively choosing some animal products to include in their diet, milk and milk products, eggs and fish are all excellent sources of vitamin B-12.