Want to be a vegetarian? Pay attention to extra nutrition.
Fan Zhihong introduced that vegetarians can be roughly divided into three types: one is a "vegan" who doesn't eat all animal-related foods; The second type is "egg-milk vegetarians", who eat only two (or one) animal foods: eggs and milk. Three, "fish" people, in addition to fish, aquatic products, eggs and milk, do not eat other food related to animals. "Vegetarians are more technical than omnivores in maintaining nutritional balance. They need to find some plant foods or nutritional supplements to provide rich nutrition in animal foods." Fan Zhihong said in an interview.
Chen Ran added that eggs and milk are the most basic animal foods. Egg-milk vegetarians can achieve a balanced nutrition through a reasonable diet, but vegans must add additional nutritional supplements to supplement the missing nutrition. It is difficult to meet all the nutrients needed by the human body by relying solely on vegetarian food.
As for the extra nutrients that vegetarians should supplement, both experts said that this group of people should focus on vitamin B 12, trace elements such as calcium, iron and zinc, and some fatty acids. Instead of eating fish and aquatic products, Fan Zhihong suggested eating some supplements, such as flaxseed oil and DHA extracted from seaweed.
Vegetarianism is not "eat whatever you want", and the diet is also skillful.
"In fact, vegetarians have higher requirements for the digestion and absorption function of the human body, because plant foods contain ingredients that may hinder the digestion and absorption of nutrients by the human body. Therefore, vegetarians should pay more attention to the collocation and cooking of food. " Fan Zhihong explained that among vegetarians in Europe and America, people with higher socioeconomic status account for a large proportion. They have rich nutrition knowledge, even have their own private nutritionists, and also have various nutritionally fortified foods specially developed for vegetarians, which are relatively in place in nutritional supplement; In contrast, vegetarians in China often lack the awareness and knowledge of nutritional supplements. Therefore, vegetarianism is not "eat whatever you want", but scientifically match your diet and improve your nutritional intake.
Specifically, Chen Ran introduced that some fruits, vegetables and beans contain factors that hinder mineral absorption. For example, phytic acid and oxalic acid will combine with iron, which makes it difficult for iron to be absorbed by human body. Therefore, vegetables with high oxalic acid (such as spinach and bamboo shoots) are recommended. ) Oxalic acid should be boiled and filtered out, and vitamin C should be supplemented to promote the absorption of iron.
"Cereals, such as white rice, noodles, millet, etc. There is a lack of lysine protein needed by human body, and the content of lysine protein in beans is high, so eating cereals and beans at the same time can play a complementary role in amino acids. In addition, nuts and oilseeds have high zinc content and can be eaten more. " Chen Ran added.
In addition, Fan Zhihong said that vegetarianism does not mean that it has high nutritional value. If the food contains a lot of oil and salt, or if you eat more refined white food (such as rice and noodles) and less whole grains, vegetables and nuts, even if you are a vegetarian, you are prone to high blood pressure, heart disease and other diseases.
Which people are not suitable for vegetarianism?
It is difficult for vegetarians to achieve a balanced nutrition, and not everyone is suitable for vegetarianism. Chen Ran introduced that the following three groups of people are not suitable for vegetarianism:
1, children and adolescents. For children and adolescents, Chen Ran said that they need a lot of nutrients in the process of growth and development, and their nutritional status will have an irreversible impact on their development in the next few decades. In this regard, Fan Zhihong said that the digestion and absorption ability of infants and young children is not as good as that of adults, and animal foods are rich in nutrients and easy to be used by children; At the same time, some ingredients in animal food have special benefits for infants, such as phospholipids in eggs are beneficial to the development of nervous system and memory function, and taurine and DHA in aquatic products are beneficial to the development of vision and nervous system.
2. Pregnant women. Fan Zhihong introduced that the health of pregnant women is directly related to the growth and development of the fetus. During pregnancy, the mother's demand for nutrients such as protein, vitamins, calcium and trace elements has greatly increased. If we only take these nutrients from plant foods, the total amount of food will definitely increase greatly. "People's absorption rate of mineral elements in plant foods is lower than that of animal nutrients such as fish, meat, eggs and milk. If pregnant women want to be vegetarian, they must consult doctors and nutritionists in relevant professions, reasonably match their diet and take supplements. " Chen Ran said.
3. the elderly. "The decomposition of protein in the elderly is increased, and the digestive ability is weakened, but the demand for micronutrients has not decreased. At this time, if you suddenly change from a normal diet to a vegetarian diet, it will easily lead to the lack of protein, vitamins and minerals, which will easily lead to a series of health problems such as muscle atrophy and anemia. " Chen Ran suggested that if you don't have the habit of being vegetarian since childhood, then it is not recommended to choose vegetarian food when you get old, or you should eat animal food in moderation to ensure a balanced nutrition supply.