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| Myth: Vegetarians |
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| Food labels |
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Leonardo Da Vinci, David Duchovny, Chelsea Clinton, Jerry Seinfeld All Did It
You may have something unique in common with numerous famous people including Paul McCartney, Hank Aaron, Mr. Rogers and Candice Bergen. No, it’s not that you are all left-handed or snore or share a birthday. Actually, all of you chose a vegetarian lifestyle.
You might think that vegetarians are only a minority of people; however, studies show that there are over six million adults who consider themselves vegetarians.
The Myth: Vegetarians are sickly and unhealthy
Some might think that vegetarians are poorly nourished and unhealthy. That couldn’t be further from the truth. As with any diet, it is a matter of choosing foods that adequately nourish your body and keep you healthy and strong. That being said, however, vegetarians need to be more cautious about the foods they eat. They need to make sure they eat foods high in iron, vitamins B12 and D, calcium, protein, iron and zinc.
For example, studies indicate that teens today drink twice as much soda—no calcium—than milk—good calcium source. Girls who consume large quantities of soda are getting maybe 800mg calcium each day. The U.S Department of Agriculture recommends teen girls get 1300mg calcium each day. Boys who drink soda face the same health risks as girls. In fact, boys 12-29 years old drink more soda than anyone according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Growing bones need a diet rich in calcium, otherwise osteoporosis, broken bones and tooth decay could be eminent.
According to the Center for Disease Control:
- 1-3 year olds need 550mg calcium each day
- 9-18 year olds need 1300mg calcium each day
- 31-50 year olds need 1 000 mg calcium each day
- 51-70 year olds need 1200mg calcium each day
The American Dietetic Association states that a vegetarian’s diet can provide adequate nutrients to have a healthy body and teeth. It is extremely important for vegetarian children to eat enough of the essential ingredients such as zinc, iron, vitamins D and B12, and calcium.
Good sources of calcium include:
- Broccoli
- Tofu
- Fortified soy milk
- Fortified orange juice
- Breads and cereals fortified with calcium
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Spinach
Teeth are victims of inadequate diet
One of the foremost victims of inadequate nourishment are your teeth. Teeth fall prey to the sugar in soda and other foods when the sugar converts to acid. The acid dissolves the calcium out of the tooth enamel; then bacteria can cause serious tooth decay.
Vegetarians can be particularly vulnerable to tooth decay if they are not including foods high in calcium in their diet. They need to carefully read food labels and count the percentage of calcium they eat each day.
To prevent periodontal disease, the Academy of General Dentistry recommends that vegetarians monitor their intake of vitamin D and calcium and consult a dentist about their diets and oral health.
Counting calcium, counting iron, counting, counting, counting…
I remember the days when I counted each cereal box top to know when I had enough to send away for a Captain Midnight Secret Decoder Ring. Now I have to count nutrients! All these years later I wish I still had that ring to help me understand exactly what is I am buying at the grocery store. If you are like me, you ponder over each nutrition label to determine whether a product is healthy for you based on your dietary needs. How much is serving of fruit? A slice of bread? One potato? It boggles the mind.
Consider how much more complex this head scratching gets if you have decided to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle. Not only do you need to monitor the animal products that may be lurking in that food, but you also have to be more careful to eat foods that are higher in certain nutrients such as calcium.
Food labels unmasked and exposed
Even though a food label may seem like hieroglyphics or some ancient unknown language, it is easy to read once you understand what each element of the label is.
- Label, top section: tells the serving size, the number of calories and
nutrient information.
- Label, left middle section: lists the nutrients in the food
- Label, right middle section: lists the Daily Values (DV) for either a 2,
000 - or 2,500-calorie daily diet. This number is always written as a percentage.
- Label, footnote in bottom section: lists the Daily Values (DV) for either
a 2, 000 - or 2,500-calorie daily diet. This section tells consumers what
the recommended nutrients are.*
First, from the top of the label, determine what portion of one serving
you actually eat. If one serving is equal to one cup, and you eat only
half that amount, then the nutritional value (DV) of the food decreases
by half. Thus, if the label states that one cup of the food provides 20%
of the daily requirement of calcium (DV from the bottom of the label),
your half serving gives you only 10% of the daily calcium requirement.
Second, go to the middle of the label where vitamins and elements are listed, and see what the DV percentages are. Based on what the usual serving size is that you eat, recalculate that percentage as referenced above: one-half a serving is equal to one-half of the DV.
If you take a multi-vitamin or other supplements each day, add those milligrams or percentages into your total daily intake.
Understanding the DV will help you compare nutrient claims on similar products such as those that advertise as “reduced fat,” “low fat,” and “light.”
*This footnote is printed only on larger food packages.
Caveat emptor—let the buyer beware
Be careful of making assumptions about nutrient values. For example, the calcium value for whole milk or skim milk is typically the same per serving. However, for 8-ounce containers of regular, light or fat-free yogurt, the amount of calcium can vary from 20–45%DV.
Understanding a food label can help you to not only limit “bad” nutrients (perhaps sodium or fats), but most importantly, to help you increase the nutrients you need to eat in a vegetarian lifestyle. You can maintain a healthy body and healthy teeth!
Eat healthily all year long
Once you know what foods are high in calcium, it is easy to build a menu
that will have variety and be tasty. For example, try these suggestions
to add calcium to your diet; eat:
Breakfast
- 2%, 1% or fat-free milk on cereal
- 8-ounce container of yogurt
- calcium-fortified orange juice
Lunch
- low-fat cheese on a sandwich
- low-fat cheese and peanut butter sandwich
- slice of pizza
- meatless nachos
- 1-or 2% milk in your favorite cream soup or tomato soup
Dinner
- macaroni and cheese made with low-fat cheese
- pink canned salmon with bones (pesco-vegetarians)
- different varieties of legumes in side dishes (kidney beans, soybeans)
- leafy, green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, mustard greens, bok choy,
spinach
- tofu in stir-fried dishes
- salads and side dishes topped with low-fat shredded cheese
A healthy diet, healthy teeth, a healthy you!
You may also be interested in:
Milk for your child's healthy mouth
Meal together nourish the family
Super snacks for super bowl
Nutrition and your oral health
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