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Most people who have heard of quinoa think it’s a grain, and judging by how it’s pronounced, some assume it’s from the Orient. But technically, quinoa is a seed, not a grain and it’s grown high in the Andes Mountains of South America. Quinoa plants have been cultivated at altitudes of well over 10,000 feet and have been considered a superfood for at least a few millennia — in fact, the Incas cherished it as a superfood of their own.

Improved Heart Health

The first major advantage of a vegetarian diet is that, over time, there becomes a reduced risk of heart health problems. Vegetarians, on average, consume more nuts (often as a supplemental form of protein). Nuts contain “good” fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6. This promotes good heart health by reducing “bad” cholesterol and unclogging arteries.

In addition to nuts, vegetarians also consume more soy based products like soy milk (often to replace cows milk) and tofu, which reduces “bad” cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health by medical studies.

Better Complexion and Skin Health

The second major advantage vegetarians enjoy is increased skin health. In addition to consuming larger quantities of nuts (which contain healthful oils), vegetarians tend to consume more fruit and vegetables, which are rich in essential vitamins, including A and E, which are linked to good skin health.

Fruits and vegetables also contain plenty of fiber, which helps flush toxins out of the body, further contributing to better skin health.

Less Likelihood of Becoming Obese

As a vegetarian diet is significantly leaner than that of people on a meat diet, and most of the fats consumed are “good” fats, your chances of becoming overweight are reduced.

Reduced Risk of Cancer

The last health advantage vegetarians enjoy is an increased natural consumption of antioxidants. Antioxidants are foods that help prevent cancer by destroying free radicals. Vitamin C and Vitamin E, two strong antioxidants, are commonly found in vegetarian meals.

Vitamin C can be found in berries, tomatoes, citrus fruit, kale, kiwis, asparagus and peppers. You can combine many of these by liquidising them together to produce a delicious smoothie. This applies even if you are still having some meat in your diet, as it is an easy way to get your recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.

Vitamin E can be found in wheat germ, seed oils, walnuts, almonds, and brown rice. All of these foods are commonly a part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.

So what does this all mean for you as a prospective vegetarian?

It means the popular mythology about vegetarian diets is false. Not only can a vegetarian diet be nutritionally sufficient, but it can also help reduce the risk of cancer, contribute to better skin health, and increase your heart health. You also have a reduced likelihood of becoming obese due to the leaner eating regimes associated with a vegetarian diet.

A common symptom of a poorly thought out vegetarian diet can be a lack of energy – and often accompanied by a significant loss in muscle mass. What they are actually experiencing is a form of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). PEM emerges when a person fails to consume enough protein, leading to muscle loss and ultimately results in feelings of weakness that are often accompanied by head and muscle aches.

Others observe a number of other more peripheral problems that go hand in hand with a vegetarian diet that has not been researched and planned properly.

These problems can be circumvented by a few simple changes to the diet. A vegetarian who is experiencing PEM should either:

a) Find out what foods contain what amino chains, so they can combine them to form proteins
b) Start consuming larger amounts and more diversified sources of protein, such as nuts, soy milk, and yogurt.
c) Take regular food supplements

People with PEM often suffer from some form of iron deficiency as well. Because vegetarians can only consume non heme iron, which is more sensitive to iron inhibitors, they often do not consume enough to maintain healthy blood-iron levels. This can cause pervasive weakness and even anemia. Eating citrus fruits, potatoes and vegetables from the brassica family (e.g., broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) can help improve absorption of iron and counter these effects.

Most nutritionists suggest that vegetarian and vegan dieters consume roughly twice the recommended amount of iron while greatly reducing their consumption of iron inhibitors. (Such as tea, coffee, red wine and soy based foods – which, unfortunately are one of the main sources of protein for vegetarian diets).

People in the second group who suffer from a range of other peripheral, diet-related problems are often not consuming enough of the nutrients that they would normally take in unknowingly on a diet that includes meat and dairy products. These nutrients include, for example, zinc, calcium, vitamin b, and riboflavin.

Some recent studies have suggested that vegetarians also process certain types of foods with less efficiency because they consume different amounts and varieties of absorption inhibitors and enhancers, however, there is also a suggestion that a vegetarian or vegan diet, when done correctly, is not only as healthy as a non vegetarian diet, but it is also much more heart-healthy – and usually contains higher amounts of antioxidants.
What does this all mean for you as a prospective vegetarian? It means that eating a healthful vegetarian diet is not only a good alternative to your current diet, but it can also lower your chances of getting heart disease and cancer.

If you are committed to eating a healthy vegetarian diet, you also need to dedicate enough time to research and plan it properly. If you don’t, there is a strong chance that you will end up in one of the two groups described above.

Consumption of animal proteins could yield close to a 1:1 absorption ratio, while consuming plant proteins, such as wheat, might only yield around half of the amino acids needed to build a “complete protein” or a protein that can readily be assimilated into the human body.

In order for vegetarians to absorb a healthy amount of protein, they must consume a variety of different plant proteins in order to form complete amino chains. By eating legumes, whole grains, vegetables, seeds, fruits and nuts, vegetarians can increase the amount of complete proteins they create by combining a number of varieties of amino acid chains.

A vegetarian diet must also include more foods containing proteins due to the fact that plant proteins are, in general, much harder for the human body to digest. While a nutritional label may suggest that a food type has 5 grams of protein per serving; you may only be able to digest 2-3 grams of that protein, which means it needs to be complemented with additional sources of protein.

Those following a vegetarian diet should also seek out foods that are “protein-fortified”, i.e., artificially infused with protein, in addition to natural sources of protein. For example, many supermarkets now offer a variety “protein-fortified” pasta and bread. I have seen pasta that contains as much as 12 grams of protein per serving.

Soy milk is also a good source of protein for vegetarians. Studies on isolated soy protein show that it can be absorbed nearly as well as animal proteins, yielding close to a 1:1 protein absorption ratio.

For non-vegan vegetarians, dairy products like yogurt, milk, and eggs (which contain complete proteins) are all excellent sources of protein.

As a vegetarian you have a number of options to boost your protein intake – and you should consider taking advantage of all of them. You should diversify your food selections, drink more soy products, and eat “protein-fortified” breads and pasta. By consuming different types of plant protein, you will be getting sufficient protein in your diet for your body’s needs.