Eating vegetarian: how to do it right!

As of 2021, around a quarter of all Swiss citizens eat a mostly or entirely vegetarian or vegan diet. That number keeps rising steadily, whether for reasons of health, animal welfare or environmental protection. Yet while many people are convinced they can go meat-free, they often end up making mistakes along the way.

Without meat in your daily diet, certain nutrients are simply missing, ones you need to get from other food groups instead. If you don't approach a vegetarian diet the right way, it can lead to deficiencies. And that's obviously not how it should be.

In this blog, I want to give you a short guide to help you better understand how to eat a proper vegetarian diet. Whether you're already eating meat-free or are just considering the possibility, this blog post will be well worth your time.

Reasons for eating vegetarian

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to eat vegetarian or even vegan. These reasons can be about health, ethics or the environment.

Health

Health plays a major role for many people. Numerous studies have already shown that vegetarians have a notably lower mortality risk than people who eat meat and fish as usual. This is largely down to "red meat", meaning pork and beef. The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classifies red meat, as well as sausage and salami, as potentially carcinogenic.

The risk of cardiovascular disease is also significantly lower in people who eat a meat-free diet.

Ethics

For many people, though, it's simply about taking a stand against factory farming. The sheer amount of meat produced today leads to conditions for animals that are more than just questionable from an ethical standpoint. In Germany, for example, more than 2 billion animals are slaughtered every year.

Many people therefore decide to push back against this trend and either eat less meat, sourced from better animal husbandry instead, or give up eating animals altogether.

Environment

With climate change accelerating in recent years, many people have switched to a vegetarian diet. It's hard to deny anymore that the meat industry has a major impact on our environment.

After all, huge areas of land are cleared in developing countries to make room for livestock and animal feed crops. The rainforest is no exception. On top of that, the meat industry emits around 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Vegetarian diets: different forms

Not everyone eats the same way. Meat-free doesn't always mean the same thing:

• Vegetarian: the standard vegetarian diet. This means no meat or fish.
• Vegan: this form of eating goes a step further. The diet here is entirely plant-based, meaning no animal products at all, like milk, eggs or honey.
• Pescatarian: no meat here, but fish is still on the menu.
• Flexitarian: often a transitional stage. Meat consumption is greatly reduced here, but not cut out completely.

The right foods for a vegetarian diet

As beneficial as a vegetarian diet can be for your health and the environment, going meat-free requires a real shift. In a "normal" diet, meat is a key component. If you just cook the same dishes without meat, certain nutrients go missing. That can lead to a nutrient deficiency, which obviously shouldn't happen.

So what should an ideal diet actually look like? Well, ProVeg Germany has put together a food list for vegetarians. It lists the most important foods along with recommended portion counts. Of course, this is just a guideline and doesn't need to be followed to the letter every single day.

• Fruit and vegetables: fruit and vegetables make up a large part of a vegetarian diet. 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables are recommended here.
• Nuts, seeds, legumes: to make sure you get enough protein, these food groups shouldn't be missing. 1 to 2 servings a day is enough here.
• Plant oils: 2 to 4 tablespoons, to keep your hormone balance in check.
• Dairy and eggs: if you eat vegetarian, you should have these products in moderation. For vegans, this food group is left out entirely.
• Alcohol and snacks: also to be consumed in moderation.

These are probably the most important food groups for vegetarians. At first glance that might not look like much, but you can prepare a huge variety of dishes with these foods. In the next few paragraphs, you'll get some more tips to help you with a vegetarian diet.

Tip #1: Get enough protein-rich foods!

Meat is practically loaded with protein. When switching to a vegetarian diet, don't make the mistake of not getting enough protein.

There are also plenty of foods in a vegetarian diet that are packed with protein. These include:

• Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas)
• Soy products (tofu, tempeh, soy mince)
• Nuts (peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds)
• Seeds (pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds)

If you build these foods into your daily diet, you won't end up short on protein. If in doubt, you can also get a protein powder (whey or vegan) to give you an extra protein boost.

Tip #2: Plenty of variety!

Variety is always good for your diet. It means you take in nutrients from a range of different foods, which is also good for your gut flora. So if you eat vegetarian, you should build up a good repertoire of dishes.

A cookbook or a blog online can help with that. The ingredients you buy for this are often pricier, but they also last longer. What matters is having a range of different dishes. That makes your diet not just varied and healthy, but exciting and delicious too!

Tip #3: Meat substitutes!

Switching to a meat-free diet isn't easy for everyone. You simply miss the meat dishes you used to enjoy. This is where the food industry has stepped up in recent years with plenty of tasty meat substitutes.

From soy mince to vegan schnitzels and fish fingers, there's already a huge selection out there. These products are also a good source of protein, and some manufacturers even add vitamin B12 and iron to them, nutrients that are often missing from a meat-free diet.

While these substitute products serve their purpose, they shouldn't be eaten every day. After all, they're industrially processed and mixed with various additives. So enjoy them in moderation, though they're a great way to ease into a vegetarian diet.

Tip #4: Supplements!

As already mentioned, a meat-free diet can mean you end up short on iron and vitamin B12 in particular. Deficiency symptoms here show up as fatigue and weakness. To counteract this, you should of course eat foods that contain these micronutrients.

Iron:

• Spinach
• Pumpkin seeds
• Amaranth
• Flaxseed
• Pistachios

Vitamin B12:

• Eggs
• Cheese
• Milk

As you can see, vitamin B12 in particular is hard to get from plant-based foods. This is where supplements come in handy. You can buy vitamin B12 that's vegan-friendly. That way you cover your daily needs and avoid any deficiencies.

Conclusion

A vegetarian diet requires you to actively engage with what you eat. If you give up meat, you'll need to find new dishes at first. While getting started often takes some effort, you'll later benefit from the advantages of a vegetarian diet. From a health perspective especially, you reduce your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease

With the tips above, hopefully switching to a vegetarian diet will feel a lot easier. If you want to learn more about nutrition and might need some help along the way, feel free to reach out to me. My name is Marco Laterza, I'm a personal trainer in Zurich. I support people in strengthening both their body and their mind. If you'd be interested in coaching, feel free to get in touch with me.