Is it really dangerous to be a vegetarian? It’s a “technical job”! Do these things to stay safe →

Ever since Liu Xiaoqing mentioned that her friend died young because of being a vegan, more people have started to pay attention to vegetarianism. Recently, the news of the death of Hong Kong vegan artist Khalil Fong at the age of 41 has made the topic of vegetarianism even hotter.

Friend A said: My daughter has been a vegetarian since she came back from abroad. She seems to be in good health, but she often feels hungry and wants to eat. Her slim figure has started to become fat. Can she continue to eat like this?

Friend B said: My mother has been a vegan for many years and has poor gastrointestinal health. Seeing her face turn yellow and she is getting thinner and thinner, I am very worried. How should I let her eat so that she can be healthier?

Friend C asked: Is it dangerous to be a vegan? After my relative became a vegan, she became very sensitive to cold and prone to illness. I asked her to stop, but she said she could no longer digest meat. What should I do?

I have said many times before that being a vegetarian is a technical job. It requires higher nutritional knowledge, financial ability, and time and energy.

Here I would like to emphasize again the key points of a vegetarian lifestyle.

There are three things that vegetarians must remember:

First, vegetarians must eat enough food.

For vegans, the total amount of food and protein intake is higher than that of meat eaters and before they became vegans. This is because natural plant protein foods, such as beans, nuts, and oilseeds, contain many "anti-nutrients" and higher dietary fiber content, and the digestibility and bioavailability of food are lower than meat.

As for protein, the daily protein intake target for vegetarians is 65 grams for women and 75 grams for men (this was the standard in China 20 years ago, because many people could not eat fish, meat and eggs). For those who have fish, meat, eggs and milk, the target is 55 grams for women and 65 grams for men (this is the standard in China now, because the consumption of fish, meat and eggs has increased). As you can see, the difference between the two is 10 grams.

Once you find yourself getting thinner, losing muscle, your skin becoming loose, and your wrinkles increasing, do not ignore it but intervene in time and increase your food intake.

In comparison, ovo-lacto vegetarianism is safer because both eggs and milk can provide easily absorbed and utilized high-quality protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, and a variety of B vitamins. Even so, 1 egg and 1 cup of milk are still difficult to provide sufficient protein. Two eggs a day may be a better choice, and the amount of soy products and nuts and oil seeds should also be increased.

Second, we must pay close attention to improving digestion and absorption functions.

People who eat vegan food may have realized that their bodies are gradually becoming more sensitive to cold, and that eating certain foods feels like a burden on their digestive system.

This is because plant foods contain a variety of anti-nutritional ingredients , such as protease inhibitors, amylase inhibitors, lectins, phytic acid, oxalic acid, polyphenols (including tannins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, etc.) and various dietary fibers.

Most of these plant ingredients are called "health-care ingredients." But this evaluation is based on a premise: eating enough fish, meat, eggs, and milk, the total amount of food is sufficient or even excessive, or someone is overweight, or has high blood lipids, blood pressure, and blood sugar. At this time, they have a certain health effect.

However, if you are in a state of protein deficiency, malnutrition, or your digestion and absorption rate is relatively poor and you are thin, the situation is different. These anti-nutritional ingredients will reduce the digestion and absorption rate, hinder the absorption of trace elements such as iron and zinc, and reduce the activity of digestive enzymes such as protease, amylase, and lipase. At this time, eating more of them will not have any benefits, and the disadvantages will outweigh the advantages.

Vegetarians, if they find themselves with yellow or pale complexion, or have anemia and zinc deficiency, should consult a nutritionist and take nutritional supplements in time. At the same time, they should also see a gastroenterologist to see if their digestive and absorption functions are in a low state.

Third, additional nutritional supplements are needed.

Vitamin B12 is a must for vegetarians. If you don't pay attention to the proper food choices, you may also be at risk of insufficient intake of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B1, iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and protein . Ovo-lacto vegetarians should focus on iron , as eggs and milk are not good sources of iron.

It is best to ask a nutritionist to give you dietary guidance. If necessary, you can use multivitamin minerals, plant protein supplements and complete nutrient products.

If you can’t do all of these, being a vegan may affect your resistance to disease. You may develop a serious illness due to a viral or bacterial infection, or even die early, and this risk must be prevented.

Here are some daily food suggestions for vegetarians:

(1) Eat more fermented foods , such as fermented bean curd, bean paste, fermented black beans, fermented glutinous rice (wine), steamed buns, bread, etc., because after microbial fermentation, the content of anti-nutritional factors will be greatly reduced and the digestion and absorption efficiency will be greatly increased.

(2) Use more spices , which can increase the secretion of digestive juices and prevent indigestion and absorption. Onions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, pepper powder, curry powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon powder, fennel, aniseed, basil, cumin, cloves, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, etc. As long as they do not interfere with your faith, you can use any spices.

(3) Vegetarians should increase the nutrient density of their food . Do not replace cereal staples with fruits or starchy snacks. Fruits have too low a protein content. Vermicelli, rice noodles, jelly, hot and sour noodles, etc. are almost pure starch and have too low a protein content. Do not drink sweet drinks. Use your limited stomach capacity to eat more natural foods with higher nutritional value.

(4) Pay attention to food diversification . Frequently change the types of oils, nuts, grains, and vegetables to obtain more comprehensive nutrition. Green leafy vegetables, nuts, and soy products must be eaten every day, and whole grains should account for one-third of the staple food.

(5) You can use more roasted and powdered grains, nuts, and oilseeds because roasting and powdering can improve digestion and absorption efficiency.

Adding various grains, nuts and oilseeds powder to meals is an effective way to supplement nutrition. Powdered grains, nuts and oilseeds can be mixed with flour and corn flour to make staple foods in order to improve the nutritional value of staple foods.

In short, being a vegan requires not only money, but also time and energy. So for working people, it is a bit of a luxury.

On the one hand, food choices are limited. It is difficult to find vegetarian restaurants when you go out, and if you insist that the food does not contain meat, eggs, or milk, you cannot eat many foods, the variety is severely limited, and you may even often not be full.

On the other hand, the intensity of work will be limited. In the case of insufficient nutrition, if the work pressure is small and the mind is relaxed, the body can still cope with it in an "energy-saving state" (such as monks). However, ordinary laymen have greater work pressure, need to work overtime, or are often in a state of anxiety. When they are undernourished, it is very easy for them to have a decline in disease resistance.

Unfortunately, if we are often exposed to large numbers of viruses, our resistance to disease will inevitably be damaged if our energy and nutrition cannot keep up. Once our body is too thin and has no nutritional reserves, our ability to recover from illness will be very poor .

A special reminder for people with chronic diseases: After eating a vegan diet and losing weight, you may see a drop in blood pressure and blood lipids for a period of time. This is certainly a good thing, but you should continue to be aware of changes in your body. Good results in the first three months may not necessarily be good results in three years . This is because the body's condition has changed, and the demand for nutritional diet has also changed.

At first, high blood pressure and high blood lipids may be the main contradictions. When these problems are solved, nutritional deficiencies may become the main contradictions. If the nutritional problems change, then the eating habits also need to change accordingly.

If a diet only leads to a decrease in certain indicators but does not increase vitality and physical fitness, or even results in anemia, zinc deficiency, muscle loss, increased wrinkles, osteoporosis, decreased cognitive ability, or even a shortened life span after years of adherence, then that is a bad thing. It will be too late to regret it then.

Therefore, do not adopt a special diet that excludes many daily foods without professional guidance. It is not recommended that others adopt a strict vegetarian diet.

In comparison, pescatarianism, which allows fish, eggs, and milk, and lacto-ovo vegetarianism are much safer and more convenient. A "flexitarian" diet, which allows eating lacto-ovo vegetarianism on some days and a small amount of fresh fish and meat on other days, is even healthier.