WHAT IS CALLED “VEGETARIAN DIET”?

The vegetarian diet is a diet consisting of the total elimination of meat products from one's diet. By "meat" we mean all flesh of animal origin, whether meat, fish, or even shellfish.

Unlike a vegan diet, a person following a vegetarian diet consumes products made from animal resources, such as butter, milk, honey or even eggs.

By definition, vegetarianism therefore does not include the assimilation of proteins of animal origin into its diet, or only occasionally, through dairy products for example.

To ensure that you eat a balanced diet and do not suffer from any deficiencies, it is strongly recommended when adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet to ensure that you have a sufficient protein intake to meet the needs of our organization.

WHICH PROTEIN-RICH FOODS TO CHOOSE?

This protein intake will therefore be mainly plant-based and will involve consuming foods naturally rich in protein on a daily basis.

Among these, dried vegetables often take pride of place, choosing for example:

- lentils: they contain a little more than 10% protein,

- red beans: they contain a little more than 9% protein,

- split peas: they contain a little more than 8% protein,

- mung beans: they contain a little more than 7% protein,

- flageolets: they contain a little more than 5% protein,

- beans: they contain around 5% protein.

Cereals will also be an excellent source of protein and are often easy to combine with a cooked dish.

Soya, chosen organic and grown without GMOs, is often the favorite of the selection thanks to the presence of more than 30% protein in its seeds.

Spelled also has an interesting nutritional contribution, thanks to its 15% protein. Oats, quinoa and even buckwheat are also very interesting from the point of view of their protein intake and are, moreover, very digestible.

ANOTHER ALTERNATIVE?

However, when a busy schedule does not allow it, or simply when you want to be vegetarian without being fond of cereals or legumes, supplementation may be necessary.

Indeed, a protein deficiency can have numerous consequences, more or less important depending on its importance. It can manifest itself in different ways, the symptoms of which are more or less visible depending on our lifestyle:

- for an athlete, physical capacities will be limited or even reduced and muscle mass gain will no longer be possible,

- for a sedentary person doing office work, for example, the consequences will be felt on the ability to concentrate or learn,

- for a child, the deficiency will impact growth and good physical development, etc.

More generally, this deficiency can also cause mood swings, fatigue, and loss of energy. These are all signs of stress felt by your body.

Daily supplementation can in this case be carried out very simply through natural food supplements such as protein powder , or even an intake of spirulina , which contains 55 to 70% excellent quality protein.

To find out more about spirulina , do not hesitate to consult our article: The benefits of spirulina

Source: www.inoaa.fr