Harm and Benefit of Vegetarianism for Health. Diet

Recently, interest in partial vegetarianism (lacto-vegetable) or complete (refusal of all meat and dairy products) has been growing. At the same time, relatively recently, vegetarianism was considered an incomplete diet that could not provide the human body with vital substances. In this regard, doctors advised carefully weighing the decision made to refuse animal food.

However, gradually the attitude of nutritionists to the vegetarian lifestyle began to change. After all, if initially people became vegetarians mainly to improve their spirituality at the “call of the heart”, now people are starting to give up meat products, wanting to improve their health, because the results of experiments conducted over the past decades say that oversaturation of the body with protein, calories and saturated fats of animal origin increases the risk of many diseases.

GOOD THINGS HAVE A MEASURE

It is worth recalling that the main material of the structure of living organisms is protein, and the main component of protein is amino acids. Protein food, entering the body, is first broken down into amino acids, and then the necessary proteins are synthesized from them. In total, 20 amino acids are involved in the structure of the body, while 12 of them can be recreated anew from different chemical elements. The remaining 8 amino acids must necessarily come with food, since they are not synthesized in the human body. Therefore, they are “essential”.

All animal products are rich in proteins consisting of all 20 amino acids. At the same time, the total amount of protein in plants is less than in meat, and with a partial set of amino acids.

Until recently, scientists believed that the more protein the body receives, the better. But now it has become known that the process of protein processing is accompanied by excessive production of free radicals and the formation of toxic nitrogen compounds that affect the development of chronic diseases.

FAT IS NOT ALL THE SAME

Vegetable and animal fats differ significantly in their properties. Animal fats are quite dense, viscous and refractory (the exception is fish oil), while vegetable fats, on the contrary, are often in a liquid state. This difference in consistency is due to the difference in chemical structure. Animal fats contain predominantly saturated amino acids, while plant fats contain predominantly unsaturated amino acids.

All saturated and monounsaturated amino acids are easily synthesized in the human body. And polyunsaturated amino acids, with 2 or more double bonds, are essential and enter the body only with food, playing a rather important role. A deficiency of these fatty acids entails a violation of lipid metabolism, a weakening of cell metabolism and other metabolic disorders. In particular, they serve as the basis for the construction of cell membranes, as well as material for the synthesis of prostaglandins.

ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF FIBER

Plants used for food contain a significant amount of carbohydrates with a complex structure, called dietary fiber, or plant fiber. Among them are cellulose, pectins, dextrins, lignins. Some types of carbohydrates are not absorbed by the body at all, while others are partially digested due to the work of the intestinal microflora.

Fiber is necessary for the human body for the proper functioning of the intestines, preventing the formation of constipation. It also plays a significant role in the process of binding various harmful substances (free radicals, toxins, etc.) and removing them from the body.

GREEN PHARMACY AROUND YOU

Plants, including those that we eat, synthesize and accumulate a huge number of various biologically active substances that participate in the vital processes of the human body, performing various functions in it. First of all, these include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, macro- and microelements, essential oils, flavonoids, etc.

A large group of natural compounds of plant origin, absent in animal tissues, can slow the development of cancer, lower cholesterol levels and prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases, stimulate the body's immunity.

These include sea buckthorn and carrot carotenoids, vitamins C and P contained in fruits and vegetables, tomato lycopene, polyphenols and catechins of green and black tea, which increase the elasticity of blood vessel walls, essential oils of various spices that have pronounced antiseptic properties, etc.

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO LIVE WITHOUT MEAT?

As mentioned above, many substances important to the body can only be obtained from plant foods, since animals do not synthesize them. But there are compounds that are more easily obtained from meat and fish. This applies to some amino acids, as well as vitamins A, B12 and D3. With the exception of vitamin B12, even these substances can be obtained from plants with the right diet.

To get the required amount of vitamin A, vegetarians should eat red and orange vegetables, since their color is mainly formed by carotenoids, precursors of vitamin A.

The same applies to vitamin D. Derivatives of vitamin D are found not only in food of animal origin, but also in yeast (baker's and brewer's). When they enter the human body, under the influence of sunlight, they are converted into vitamin D3 through photochemical synthesis in the skin.

For quite a long time, hematologists believed that vegetarians were destined for iron deficiency anemia, since plants do not contain heme iron (the most absorbable form of iron). However, there is already data indicating that in about 4 weeks the body gets used to a new source of iron (plant-based) and begins to absorb non-heme iron almost as well as heme iron.

An important role is played by the fact that with plant foods, iron enters the body simultaneously with vitamin C and carotenoids, which improve iron absorption.

The best way to get iron into the body is to eat: legumes, wholemeal bread and bakery products, oatmeal dishes, nuts, fresh and dried fruits (apples, dried apricots, prunes, figs, black currants, etc.), as well as dark green and leafy vegetables (greens, zucchini, spinach).

These same products help to normalize zinc levels in the body. Lacto-vegetable vegetarians need to remember that milk has a negative effect on iron absorption, so it should be drunk separately from iron-containing foods.

And in order for strict vegetarians to have enough calcium in the body, they need to eat almonds, green leafy vegetables, legumes, cabbage, radishes.

For some reason, the most significant problem is considered to be getting vitamin B12. However, plants also contain essential amino acids, just not all together. Therefore, we must not forget about legumes and whole grains. Buckwheat is especially useful in this case.

VEGETARIAN PYRAMID

Currently, many nutritionists believe that a balanced plant-based diet perfectly provides a person with the elements necessary for the body and prevents some chronic diseases.

Moreover, this applies to pregnant/nursing women, as well as people of any age, except children.

Here we mean that a complete vegetarian diet should be composed, which excludes a deficiency of any vitamins, microelements and other vital components.

There are some recommendations for choosing products for proper nutrition of vegetarians, presented in the form of a pyramid.

The basis is whole grain products (oatmeal and buckwheat porridge, brown rice, whole grain bread). They should be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They contain carbohydrates, fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals.

Next come legumes and nuts, as they are rich in protein. Nuts (especially walnuts) are an excellent source of essential fatty acids, and legumes are rich in zinc and iron.

Vegetables are located on the third step from the bottom up. Yellow and red ones are sources of carotenoids, while dark green and leafy vegetables are full of iron and calcium.

Fruits and dried fruits follow.

Vegetable oils, which contain essential amino acids, top the pyramid. It is necessary to consume 1-2 tablespoons of oil daily, including that used for dressing salads and during cooking.

It is worth noting that the vegetarian pyramid invented by nutritionists has some shortcomings. It does not take into account that protein consumption decreases in old age. However, the diet of children and adolescents, as well as physically active people, should contain more protein.

To summarize, we note that recent studies show that excess animal protein in the human diet is the basis of most chronic diseases. Therefore, there is no need to overload your body with protein. In this regard, vegetarianism prevails over mixed nutrition, since plant foods contain less protein, which, moreover, is not so concentrated in it.

In addition to limiting the intake of protein into the body, a vegetarian diet has the necessary biological substances, for the sake of which you do not need to run to the pharmacy and buy them in the form of drugs and dietary supplements.

The main thing is not to forget that any diet, including vegetarian, created for the benefit of the body, must be properly balanced.