A vegetarian’s pyramid

While vegetarians are often healthier than meat-eaters, veggie lovers can be missing a few healthy body ingredients that they would easily get from meat. Iron, protein and vitamin B12 are usually the main ones. So, vegetarians must ensure they are getting those nutrients in their diets. Obviously taking supplements is one way to simply get them in your body, but having a healthier, more well-planned diet is much better.

As I write this I realize that I have not followed my own advice. I am probably one of the least healthy vegetarians out there. I do not watch what I eat, get enough protein/iron or take supplements. Bad vegetarian!

On the food and nutrition page on the Mayo Clinic’s Web site, it introduces the vegetarian diet: “Adopting a healthy vegetarian diet isn’t as simple as scraping meat off your plate and eating what’s left.” This is certainly something to consider when planning vegetarian meals or choosing to become a vegetarian.

In the last post, I mentioned the Soul Food Pyramid. The Mayo Clinic has a Vegetarian Diet Pyramid:

It’s a pretty broad food pyramid, but it should be helpful to vegetarians trying to eat better (like myself) or meat-eaters easing into a vegetarian diet.