The "fighter" among vegetarians! How to eat a flexible vegetarian diet?

Vegetarianism is a diet pursued by many people, and November 25 is also International Vegetarian Day. Vegetarianism can reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high blood lipids, but long-term vegetarianism can also have adverse effects on the body. Long-term non-eating of meat can cause anemia, protein deficiency, zinc deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency and other problems. At this time, many people are also wondering, how can vegetarians be healthy?

Blindly choosing a vegetarian diet is more risky. To obtain more nutrients, the human body needs to have a reasonable combination of foods. Can vegetarianism be healthy? The answer is yes. The flexible vegetarian diet that has emerged in recent years is the leader among vegetarian diets. This diet has not only won the "Best Weight Loss Diet" championship in the 20121 diet rankings released by "U.S. News and World Report", but also won the "Best Anti-diabetic Diet" championship. These two titles show the status of flexible vegetarian diets in the diet rankings.

Characteristics of a flexitarian diet

What kind of diet is flexitarian? In fact, from the name of flexitarian, we can see that this diet is a more flexible vegetarian mode. There is no special restriction on meat food. You can eat meat when you want to, but most of the time the diet is mainly vegetarian.

Vegetarianism is divided into veganism and semi-vegetarianism. Vegans do not eat any animal food, nor do they eat processed products made from animal food, such as food made from lard, butter, and egg white. Semi-vegetarians do not reject dairy products and eggs, which are two types of animal food. There are more vegetarians in this category. Although flexitarians are also mainly plant-based, they also eat animal food such as meat, eggs, and milk.

Advantages of a Flexitarian Diet

Vegans only choose plant-based foods and abandon animal-based foods. An unreasonable diet pattern can lead to malnutrition. Mikkonen, a popular blogger who once promoted vegetarianism on the Internet, also suffered from amenorrhea due to long-term vegetarianism. Finally, he started to eat meat under the guidance of doctors and nutritionists. Semi-vegetarians also eat some animal-based foods, but there are too few types of animal foods, and women are at a higher risk of anemia.

Flexible vegetarian diets have fewer restrictions and can provide a wider variety of foods, which means that the nutritional combination can be more balanced. Red meat can be eaten, and the risk of anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency becomes relatively low. In addition, there are no restrictions on seafood, so there is no need to worry about zinc and vitamin D deficiency. As for the calcium deficiency that often occurs in vegans, flexible vegetarian diets can fill this gap because they can consume dairy products.

Seeing these benefits of eating a flexible vegetarian diet, many people are already excited and want to immediately change their diet to a flexible vegetarian diet. However, flexible vegetarian diets are also dietary principles, and meat cannot be eaten every day. Remember these dietary principles of flexible vegetarian diets, and you can eat healthily through flexible vegetarian diets.

1. Eat meat occasionally

Flexible vegetarians can eat meat, but the diet is still mainly vegetarian, and meat is eaten in small amounts and as a supplement. At the beginning, you can choose not to eat meat one day a week, and after gradually adapting, you can try a diet of eating vegetarian one day and eating meat the next day.

The first choice of animal food is fish. The unsaturated fatty acids contained in fish have a positive effect on preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When eating meat, you should also pay attention to the fat content in meat. The fat content of poultry is lower than that of livestock. Among these two types of food, chicken breast and beef are representatives of low-fat and high-protein foods. When choosing meat, you can tend to these two foods.

2. Increase the intake of soy products

Most plant foods have a relatively low protein content, and the protein they contain is mainly semi-complete protein. Vegetarians are generally protein deficient. Protein deficiency will not only cause malnutrition, but also reduce human immunity and is not conducive to human health.

Flexible vegetarianism solves this problem. Flexible vegetarianism has no restrictions on soy products and uses some soy products to replace meat. The raw materials of soy products come from soybeans. The protein contained in soybeans is high-quality protein, and the protein content in soybeans is relatively high, far exceeding that of some meat foods. Flexible vegetarians can add soy milk, tofu, dried tofu or other soy products to their diet to increase the body's intake of high-quality protein.

3. Increase the variety of vegetables

Vegetables are a type of food that we eat every day. Whether you are a flexitarian or a vegan, vegetables are one of the sources of plant-based food. Vegetables are the main food source of vitamin C, and are also the main food source of phytochemicals and dietary fiber. Eating vegetables regularly has a positive effect on preventing chronic diseases and losing weight. For example, the dietary fiber contained in vegetables can increase satiety and slow down the digestion and absorption of food, thereby reducing food intake and playing a role in controlling weight and losing weight.

When eating vegetables, you should pay attention not only to the amount but also the type. The daily intake of vegetables is about 500 grams. As for the types of vegetables, the more the better. After all, no food in the world contains all the nutrients needed by the human body, and the same is true for vegetables. The more types of vegetables you eat, the more nutrients you will take in.

4. Less oil and less salt

Vegetarians use vegetable oil when cooking, and the dishes they cook don't taste very good. At this time, many people will add more cooking oil to improve the taste of the dishes. This practice inadvertently increases the intake of fat. The intake of fat should be controlled between 25 grams and 30 grams per day. Excessive intake of fat will also increase the risk of chronic diseases. Vegetarians should pay attention to the intake of fat, and flexible vegetarians should also control the intake of fat.

Salt is known as the "king of flavors" and is a condiment used every day. Sometimes, in order to increase appetite, many people choose strong-tasting foods. Strong-tasting foods are often made with salt and sugar. The intake of salt should be controlled. The daily salt intake of adults should not exceed 6 grams. Excessive salt intake will also increase the risk of high blood pressure and osteoporosis. Less oil and less salt is also one of the dietary principles of flexible vegetarianism.

5. Limit your fruit intake

Many people choose to eat more fruits when eating them. However, eating more fruits can also have adverse effects on health. Fruits contain sugar, and some fruits have a relatively high sugar content. Sugar can also provide calories in the human body, and too much calories can also be converted into fat in the human body, causing obesity. At the same time, eating too much fruit can also increase the risk of diabetes.

It is not recommended to eat too much fruit. When eating fruit, pay attention to the amount. How much fruit can you eat every day? The "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2016" states that the daily fruit consumption for adults is 200-350 grams. However, most people may accidentally exceed this amount when eating fruit. When eating fruit, avoid eating fruit juice. After the fruit is made into juice, the content of vitamin C and dietary fiber decreases, while the sugar content increases. Long-term consumption of fruit juice will also increase the risk of chronic diseases.

Flexible vegetarianism advocates a healthy and positive lifestyle, which includes not only dietary guidance but also exercise guidance. Friends who choose flexible vegetarianism should not only practice the dietary pattern, but also insist on exercise. Try to have 30 minutes of time to exercise every day. The combination of exercise and diet also lays a solid foundation for physical health, and life will be better!

Produced by: Nutritionist Wang Guizhen

First published: Science Popularization China Platform Science Popularization Account "Nutritionist Wang Guizhen"