World Vegetarian Day 2020: World Vegetarian Day is celebrated every year on October 1. This day is celebrated to create awareness about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle and encourage others to become vegetarian. A vegetarian is one who does not eat meat and whose diet is filled with fruits and vegetables, mostly the food items that come from plants.
Different people have different reasons to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. Some people firmly believe in not killing animals for their appetites. People also switch to vegetarian diets for health reasons as this diet is rich in fruits and vegetables and tends to be low in fat and cholesterol, which is good for the heart. A major chunk of people cites culture and religious issues for sticking to a vegetarian diet.
Benefits of being a vegetarian:
• It lowers the risk of major heart diseases and cancers.
• It boosts metabolism and thus helps in lowering body weight.
• Vegetarian diet comprises of whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, which supply fibre, antioxidants, vitamins as well as essential minerals.
• Avoiding meat is one of the best ways to cut down your fat consumption.
• Cholesterol levels are much lower in vegetarian meals as compared to non-vegetarian meals.
• It helps to save animals.
A well-planned vegetarian diet can meet the nutritional requirement needs of people of all ages, including children, women and elderly people. The key is to be aware of your nutritional needs so that you plan a diet accordingly.
Myths:
- You can’t get enough protein from vegetarian food: This is the biggest myth associated with the vegetarian diet. In order to get all the essential amino acids, focus on eating a variety of protein-rich diet which includes lentils, sprouts, oats, soya, soya milk, almond and walnuts, beans, seeds, milk and cottage cheese (paneer).
- A vegetarian diet is tasteless and lacks variety: Vegetarians enjoy food as much as anyone else. You just need to experiment with different food items and preparations in order to make the food tasty and nutritious when cooked imaginatively. A well planned vegetarian meal can add taste as well as variety to savour your taste buds.
What are the best sources of food for vegetarians in order to get a balanced diet People having a different type of vegetarian diets can enrich their meal with some of these sources:
Vitamin B12: Dairy products, eggs. Fortified cereals, bread, soy and rice drinks
Vitamin D: Milk and sunlight
Calcium: Dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli
Protein: Pulses, dairy products (milk and cheese), eggs, tofu and other soy products, dried beans, and nuts
Iron: Eggs, dried beans, dried fruits, whole grains, leafy green vegetables
Zinc: Wheat germ, nuts, fortified cereal, dried beans, and pumpkin seeds
Also read: Mr Veggiie: To keep your fruits and vegetables free of infection during Covid-19
Also read: IIT-KGP develops novel vegetable oil to keep heart healthy
