Thinking Of Switching To A Vegetarian Diet

A question on many people’s minds is “what makes a good vegetarian diet.” There are a lot of reasons one might choose to be vegetarian, some very different from others. Regardless of what your reasons are, there are a lot of great and healthy foods available.

A lot of vegetarians find it difficult to find good food in an American culture because there is such an abundance of meat. Some meat eaters feel that this is no problem because the meat products can easily be “picked” out of foods. However, it is very often the case that meat products will be unthinkingly added to foods for flavor. It is not easy to “pick” these meats out. In fact, it is rarely the case that the meat in foods are easily removed, and doing so can often leave the food bland and unappetizing if the meat was a major ingredient.

Contrary to popular belief, a vegetarian is not limited to salads. There are many different types of vegetarians as well. Semi-vegetarians avoid only red meats, but will eat fish and poultry. Lacto-vegetarians will eat no meat, but will eat eggs. And vegans (or “total-vegetarians”) will eat only plant-based foods. In each case, a regular diet will be different, but even vegans are able to enjoy a variety of foods.

Vegetarian diets tend to be healthy since they are devoid of many high-cholesterol and high-fat meat products. Vegetarians tend to have lower risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity; although, this does not mean that every vegetarian diet is automatically healthy. There are plenty of foods that are vegetarian which can also contain high levels of fats and cholesterol.

Vegetarians must also be cautious about getting all of the nutrients they need. Since many do not eat any meat or dairy products, it can be difficult to achieve proper amounts of protein. Plant proteins can be substituted for meats and dairy based proteins as long as the sources are varied and enough calories are being consumed to meet daily energy needs. The same holds true for iron, which is abundant in red meat, eggs, and liver. Dried fruits, spinach, and dried beans are examples of good, plant based sources of iron.

Though vegetarians who do not consume dairy products may find it more difficult to obtain proper amounts of calcium, studies have shown that vegetarians are better able to absorb the nutrient than nonvegetarians. Though the reason for this is still unsure, it is something that vegetarians should take advantage of. Some good sources of calcium for vegetarians are spinach, broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products.

Becoming vegetarian is not always an easy choice at first; however, it does not have to be a limiting choice. With such a wide array of healthy, nutritious, and delicious foods available, there is no reason to rely on the same foods in your diet. Like with any nutritional diet, be sure to vary your meals so that you receive the nutrients you need from a variety of sources.

Top 5 health tips

• Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.

• Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.

• Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.

• Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.

• Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.

The History of Bottled Water

This video was brought to mind this morning as I filled several liters of reusable water bottles with tap water in preparation for heading out into the field. It was also brought to mind by the newest Scienceblogs advertorial blog, Pepsico. In addition to being a major manufacturer of those sugary drinks the CDC is warning you not to drink on hot days, Pepsi is also a major producer of bottled water. Their Aquafina brand of bottled water is filtered, municipal tap water. But while muncipal water supplies are required to report their water quality and comply with federal drinking water standards, much fewer regulations exist around the quality of bottled water. So while there are some places where there are legitimate reasons for people to drink bottled water (e.g., lead pipes, pollution from coal mining or natural gas extraction), for the vast majority of Americans, there is no health benefit to drinking bottled water over municipal tap water.
Honestly, though, bottled municipal tap water doesn't bother me as much as bottled spring water, where the springs and the aquatic ecosystems that depend on them can be destroyed in pursuit of the mythical pureness (and retail power) of spring water. While the bottled water industry will assure you that their groundwater consumption is much less than 1% of the national total groundwater withdrawals, the effects of those withdrawals are localized and not distributed around the country evenly. Finally, it doesn't take much analysis to understand why buying bottled water from Fiji, an island in the tropical Pacific where a shallow freshwater lens will be irrevocably contaminated by salt water intrusion by overpumping of the aquifer, is a ridiculously bad idea.
Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him how much you should drink while the weather is hot. Don't drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar-these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
But, maybe, before you pass by the sink on your way to the fridge to get that nice bottle of water, you should watch this video...

So, today, drink plenty of tap water and stay cool!