When you follow a vegetarian diet properly, your body will increase the amount of plant-based foods and reduce the amount of animal-based foods. A healthy vegetarian diet typically includes a variety of legumes, nuts, and whole grains. However, if you do not follow a vegetarian diet properly, you can be deficient in nutrients such as iron, calcium, protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and zinc. You can also get a calorie surplus from consuming a lot of fast food, refined carbohydrates or dairy products. Please refer to some of the correct vegetarian menus in the article below to protect your health.
3 common vegetarian diets
• Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet: no meat, seafood and fish but eggs, dairy products and plant-based foods.
• Lacto-vegetarian diet: no meat, fish, seafood, including eggs, but only dairy and plant-based products.
• Ovo vegetarian diet: no meat, fish, seafood, dairy products but eggs.
The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet is often popular because it is chosen by many people. This is also the vegetarian diet that provides your body with the most nutrients. When following this diet, stick to foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains, vegetable oils, eggs and milk.
Some properly vegetarian menus
How to make a vegetarian menu will greatly determine the nutritional needs that you provide your body every day. Here are some properly vegetarian menus that you can refer to.
1. Vegetarian menu with vegetables
To maintain nutrition on a vegetarian diet, you should build meals around a variety of vegetables. Vegetable dishes that help you increase your protein intake are spinach, peas, cabbage and kale. If you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t consume dairy, add green vegetables like cabbage and okra to your diet for calcium.
In addition, your body also needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Some fungi that grow well in the sun are also capable of producing vitamin D.
For example, the Portobello (table mushroom), commonly available in stores, is ideal for vegetarians who want a plant-based vitamin D supplement. This mushroom will give you 0.01mg of vitamin D per 93g serving (about 1 cup diced mushrooms).
With the exception of mushrooms, yeasts and seaweeds, the vast majority of plant groups do not contain vitamin D. If you are deficient in this vitamin while fasting, experts recommend that you use additional functional products. so that the body is not deprived of nutrients.
Vegetable dishes are often very diverse. You can cook dishes such as soup, stir-fried noodles with carrots and vegetables, sautéed bok choy with mushrooms, mixed vegetable salad, stir-fried vegetables, sautéed corn with butter, bitter melon stuffed with tofu, carrots, black fungus, and vermicelli. ship…
2. Proper vegetarian menu with fruit
Fruit provides healthy fiber and important nutrients for you. Here are suggestions for fruits that provide essential nutrients for the body.
• Calcium: You can provide calcium for the body from strawberries, oranges, figs.
• Iron: Foods rich in iron you should give your body daily are prune juice or dried fruits like apricots, raisins and prunes.
• Protein: Combine dried fruit with nuts for a protein-rich snack.
Fruit can also be used to replace ingredients in pastries. For example, bananas can be used in place of eggs to make pancakes if you follow a lacto-vegetarian diet. Fruit can be mashed, whipped, and frozen as an ice cream substitute if you’re an ovo vegetarian.
3. Healthy vegetarian menu with grains
Whole grains play an important role in a healthy vegetarian diet. Choose whole grains instead of refined ones to get the recommended amount of protein and other nutrients like B vitamins, iron, magnesium and selenium.
Quinoa is considered a complete protein because it contains nine essential amino acids. These are amino acids that must be consumed in the diet because your body does not make them on its own. Other nutritious protein-rich grains are oats, brown rice, barley, chestnuts, and buckwheat.
Meals with whole grains help you feel full for longer because they are rich in soluble and insoluble fiber. These substances take longer for your body to digest.
A diet rich in fiber also helps you reduce your risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and other health conditions.
4. Proper vegetarian diet with beans
Important ingredients in a vegetarian diet that you shouldn’t miss are legumes such as peas, lentils, red beans, black beans, chickpeas… These beans are often nutritious and don’t cost much. and easy to maintain.
Legumes that are naturally low in fat can provide your body with fiber, protein, and other nutrients like folate, magnesium, potassium, and iron. Legumes also contain resistant starch that is normally delivered directly to the large intestine to feed the beneficial bacteria.
Add cooked beans to soups, salads or other dishes to create a meat substitute. When choosing beans, consider buying dried beans (in bags or bulk) or sodium-free canned beans.
See more: 9 benefits of being a vegetarian that you should know
5. Use vegetable oil instead of animal oil
You can use vegetable oils to replace animal oils in your vegetarian diet such as olive oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil. These oils provide healthy fats that help you lower your triglyceride levels, reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Vegetable oils contain 9 calories per gram, so you need to consume them in moderation.
6. Proper vegetarian diet from eggs and milk
If you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you can consume eggs and dairy products to meet your protein needs more easily.
One large egg provides 6g of protein, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin D (helps the body absorb calcium). One cup of skim milk provides about 9g of protein and about 35% of the recommended daily calcium intake.
If you don’t consume eggs or dairy, read labels to make sure the products you buy don’t contain these ingredients. Eggs and milk are commonly found in baked goods, pastas, soups, and other common foods.
Above are some vegetarian menus properly. Save now to have vegetarian meals but still ensure full nutrition for you!
