Veggie tales: Tips for wannabe vegetarians
Is it possible to achieve a balanced diet if you cut out meat?
"Absolutely," says Bobbie Saccone, registered dietitian and nutrition counselor at the Indiana University Health Center in Bloomington.
Too often, however, she she sees students who do not properly compensate for a non-meat eating diet.
"You cannot be a vegetarian who does not like grains and vegetables," she said. "The ones that rely on cheese pizza are the ones I worry about."
Saccone says that many students come to her seeking advice on how to integrate vegetarianism into their lives. Each case is different, though. Many subgroups exist in the world of vegetarianism. Lacto-ova-vegetarians do not consume animal flesh but do include dairy and eggs in their diets. Pescatarians consume fish but no other animal flesh. Then there's the flexible vegetarian or flexitarian, the most popular choice for college students. These people might not buy or prepare meat, but they will eat it occasionally. Vegans, the most restrictive of vegetarians, eat no meat, eggs, dairy, or processed foods that contain animal-derived products like gelatin.
Saccone offers the following tips for aspiring vegetarians:
Be flexible.
"Sometimes vegetarian options are not always available," Saccone says. "Flexible vegetarians -- those who will occasionally eat meat -- enjoy all the benefits of vegetarianism with the added bonus of a high iron, B12 and good quality sources of protein once in a while without the ill effects that can come from it's overconsumption."
Get your calcium and B12.
Photo by: Donya Maleto
There are many options for adopting vegetarian principles.
It can be tough to get calcium and B12 from a diet that does not include milk, cheese or other dairy products. Saccone recommends buying calcium fortified items such as orange juice or taking a supplement to achieve recommended nutritional values.
"A bigger problem is getting B12," says Saccone. "It's only found in animal foods."
While vegetarians who consume dairy products or eggs need not worry, vegans face a particularly tough challenge trying to get enough B12. If you are not eating B12 fortified foods, taking supplements, or consuming dairy or eggs, Saccone recommends getting your B12 levels checked regularly by a doctor or consulting a registered dietician.
Eat your grains and veggies.
"Many just rely on cheese to meet their protein needs and are less healthy because cheese is high in fat," says Saccone.
She recommends eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. If you need inspiration, flip through a vegetarian cookbook or talk to your veggie friends.
"Vegetarians strive for the very same goals as a healthy regular diet using the food pyramid as a guide," she says, "only they substitute the animal products with other foods."
These can include beans, legumes, soybeans, meat analogues such as tofu and tempeh, cheese and dairy, nuts, and seed butters such as tahini and peanut butter.
Know your resources.
Many online resources exist for vegetarians and vegans. Saccone recommends the Vegetarian Resource Group at www.vrg.org and the Vegetarian Pages at www.veg.org as two options. She also recommends the book The College Student's Guide to Eating Well on Campus by Ann Selkowitz.
Plenty of resources exist for IU students living on campus. The Collins Living-Learning Center offers a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, as do many of the other residential halls. IU students can rest assured that their campus makes vegetarian eating easier than most.
