Nowadays, more and more people are becoming vegetarians. They only eat plant foods. Some simply imitate new-fangled trends, others believe that this will make their body more healthy. Is it really?
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is a certain style or even a lifestyle that is led by people who completely exclude animal products from the diet. They do not eat meat of animals, birds, seafood. Some vegetarians consume eggs, milk and dairy products. Others do not eat this either. As for honey, there are still disputes: what type of product does it include? In any case, it is good for health, whatever its origin.
Plant Products
The list of plant products is quite diverse. It is not necessary to think that people who restrict their diet only to such food have a modest, monotonous and tasteless meal.
So, the products of plant origin include:
- Fruits.
- Vegetables.
- Berries
- Cereals.
- Herbs.
- Nuts.
- Juices.
Fruits and berries
Fruits are ideal foods of plant origin. There are opinions that the human body was initially, in primitive times, "tuned" only to their nutrition. Today, "fruit eating" is very popular when a person eats only this food. By the way, in the whole world there are about 300 types of such a product. Fruits contain a large amount of water, vitamins, carbohydrates. Fructose - the sugar in them is perfectly digested. It enriches the body with beneficial substances. By the content of vitamins, sugar and trace elements, fruits can be divided into several categories:
- Sweet: bananas, dates, papaya, etc.
- Half-sour: apricots, pears, apples, plums, etc.
- Sour: tangerines, oranges, lemons, pineapples, etc.
It is best if all three categories of fruits are present in the diet. But thermally processed fruits (jam, jams, compotes, etc.) are many times inferior to their fresh counterparts in quality and quantity of nutrients. They should be abandoned altogether. Berries are very similar to fruits in their composition, but they contain much more amino acids. The most useful: lingonberries, cranberries, currants, blueberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries and raspberries.
Vegetables
Vegetables are herbal products that can almost completely replace the meat of animals and birds. How? Very simple. Some of their representatives contain the optimal amount of protein. In terms of volume and quality, it can compete with the protein found in meat. All vegetables can be conditionally divided into the following groups:
- Juicy: cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, pumpkin, etc.
- Leafy: cabbage, lettuce, spinach, etc.
- Seeds: beans, beans, peas, lentils.
- Petioles: celery, fennel.
- Flowering: cauliflower, artichoke.
- Tuberous: carrots, onions, radishes, potatoes, etc.
Interestingly, the terrestrial part of the plant is much more useful than the one in the ground. Take beets, for example. Its tops will be much more useful than rhizomes. Vegetables should be present in the diet of any person in large quantities, since they contain a large amount of carbohydrates, vitamins and protein.
Cereals
Cereals are also plant-based foods.This group includes wheat, rye, oats and their other species. For many centuries they are used by man. At first they were cooked whole, then they began to grind and bake various bakery products. But over time, more and more research scientists come to the conclusion that cereal cereals cause fermentation, and excessive consumption of bread helps to increase body weight.
Of course, we cannot succeed in completely eliminating these plant foods from the diet. But it’s worth using some tips:
- It is necessary to use cereals in an unprocessed form. That is, the diet should not have any cereal, semolina, etc.
- You must combine them with vegetables and fruits. This refers to the correct balance of these products in the diet.
- Eating cereals is better in the morning. They contain a lot of carbohydrates necessary for normal activity and vitality throughout the day.
Herbs
Herbs are rich in vitamins, insoluble fats and essential oils. Some are capable of stimulating appetite, while others, on the contrary, suppress it. This is necessary if you urgently need to lose weight. Many herbs have healing properties. For example, dill improves digestion, and fennel helps eliminate fermentation in the intestines. Such plant products have been eaten since ancient times.
Nuts
Nuts are the most healthy protein foods of plant origin. In addition, they have a lot of carbohydrates. Even in antiquity, they were valued for their taste, high energy properties and long-term storage ability. The fats contained in nuts are absorbed much better than lipids of any other product. It should be noted that because of this they have a fairly high calorie content. At one time, it was believed that nuts were not digested well. This happened when people consumed them at the end of dinner, when two or three dishes had already been eaten.
In order for the nuts to bring maximum benefits, they should be consumed as an independent dish in combination with vegetables and herbs.
Proteins and plant foods
The table of plant-based products will clearly show which vegetables and nuts contain the highest amount of protein.
| Product name | The amount of protein in 100 g |
| Soybean | 35,1 |
| Peas | 22 |
| Peanut | 27 |
| Almond | 19,1 |
| Brussels sprouts | 5,1 |
| Garlic | 5,4 |
| Dried apricots | 5,2 |
| Spinach | 4,1 |
| Champignon | 4,7 |
All products of plant origin due to the sugar content supply carbohydrates to our body. Starchy vegetables provide the body with complex carbohydrates, while fruits and berries provide simple carbohydrates. As for protein, everything is a little more complicated. Its best source is animal products, meat or fish. If there is no possibility or desire to eat them, then a good substitute can be found among plants, especially legumes. A vegetarian can get fats if he adds unrefined vegetable oil to his diet: sunflower, olive and others.
Thus, any person can decide independently: whether to consume fully all products of plant and animal origin or not. As for nutritionists, they do not recommend completely abandoning the latest variety of food. Doctors advise eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and, if desired, meat or fish dishes every day. The main thing is that the food is balanced.
