by iWrite

Created on: March 18, 2010

There have been many controversies on whether being a vegetarian is the healthy choice. There are also many variables that could make it either healthy or unhealthy. In order for it to be healthy, you must eat a well balanced diet with proper nutrients, know what is healthy and what’s not, and know how to eat out as a vegetarian. You may also want to know what you can eat as a meat substitute, for either flavor, or nourishment. The vegetarian diet can be a very healthy alternative if you take in the proper nutrients and know what to substitute for the right vitamins, and eat a variety of foods.

Some vegetarians lack in important nutrients because they aren’t eating the foods that may replace meats. Meat contains several nutrients that may be hard to find in other foods. To be successful in being healthy and a vegetarian, you need to make sure that you are getting enough iron, calcium, vitamin D, protein, vitamin B12, and zinc. You need iron in your bodies to live, and without it you could get iron deficiency anemia. Iron transports oxygen throughout our bodies, and helps with your metabolism. Calcium builds strong bones and you will continue to have strong bones in later years if you get the right amount of calcium. Vitamin D helps to absorb minerals in the body, which then leads to healthy teeth and bones. Along with certain foods, you can get vitamin D from sunlight. Protein is one of the most common minerals. Protein makes up most of our bodies, and replaces our bodies’ atoms when we need new ones. Protein also helps us with our immune system, and fighting against sickness and aiding in the healing process. Protein is one of the nutrients found in food that can fill you up faster than others, and give you energy throughout the day. Vitamin B12 is a number of vitamins (B1-B12) and they work together to do many things. They strengthen your body, help with swelling, and also help absorb other nutrients that the body takes in. Zinc allows our bodies to function, without it our senses like smell may lessen or we may lose them. Zinc also helps our immune system by shortening colds and flues that attack the body. All of these nutrients are essential to our bodies; they lead to good health, strength, and allow us to function properly. However, it may be difficult to find these if you are eating a vegetarian diet because you are cutting meat out of the food pyramid, but there are certain substitutions.

If you don’t eat meat, you may be lacking

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