Eat vegetarian food for your health! Keep in mind these 6 key points, nutritionists say…

There are more and more people suffering from diabetes in Taiwan. In the hospital, we often hear patients worrying about how to control their diet. In order to avoid high blood sugar, many people want to eat vegetarian food. But how can we eat vegetarian food in a healthy way?

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In principle, vegetarianism can be divided into three types: vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian and healthy vegetarian. Studies have shown that a vegetarian diet is rich in phytochemicals, fiber and vitamins, which can help reduce the incidence of many chronic diseases. However, a vegetarian diet has its limitations and can easily lead to nutritional imbalances, especially obesity, poor resistance, and vitamin D, B12, calcium and iron deficiencies. For patients who want to be a vegetarian, the following suggestions are provided for reference.

First: Balance your nutrition. Diabetics can refer to the vegetarian diet guidelines produced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and consume a balanced intake of six major food groups (dairy products, staple foods, vegetables, fruits, beans, eggs, and oils). Do not limit yourself to a few ingredients to avoid nutritional imbalance.

Second: avoid consuming too many calories. Being a vegetarian can cause obesity because it consumes too many calories. Traditional vegetarian dishes are often deep-fried or pan-fried to increase flavor, and root vegetables are high in sugar. Over time, this can cause vegetarians to easily consume too many calories. We recommend cooking with blanching, steaming, and braising, and avoiding deep-fried or high-fat foods.

Third: Make good use of protein complementation. Among plants, beans and white rice lack methionine and lysine respectively, and are incomplete protein foods. However, the quality and absorption rate of protein can be improved after being combined, such as whole grains + white rice, soybeans + white rice.

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Fourth: Remember to supplement minerals and vitamins. Here are some sources of vitamins:

(1) Vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal foods. Long-term vegetarians are advised to consult professionals and take appropriate supplements of vitamin B12 pills, B complex or yeast products.

(2) Vitamin D is commonly found in milk and dairy products. It is recommended that you get out in the sun more often to enhance its synthesis in the body, help absorb calcium and phosphorus, and prevent osteoporosis, especially for vegans.

(3) Iron. Although vegetables (amaranth, spinach, bok choy) are rich in iron, the body’s absorption rate of plant iron is low. It is recommended to consume fruits containing vitamin C (citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, lemon) after meals to help absorb the iron in plants.

Fifth: Use less artificial seasoning. Generally, vegetarian ingredients are quite light. In order to cater to consumers' tastes, vegetarian restaurants usually add a lot of seasonings (sugar, salt, MSG). It is recommended to choose astragalus, red dates, licorice, poria cocos, and longan meat which contain natural sweetness as substitutes.

Sixth: Eat less pickled and overly salty foods. Vegetarians often eat pickled foods (pickles, sauerkraut, and fermented tofu), but these foods are high in sodium and nitrite, which are high-risk factors for stomach cancer and intestinal cancer, so it is better to eat less of them.

Although being a vegetarian is a trend, it is not suitable for everyone. Patients with diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, gout, etc. are advised to be evaluated by a professional first and then decide on a vegetarian diet that suits their physical condition.