So let's have a look at the Food pyramid. When planning a meal, try to ensure than your plate resembles the pyramid. By that I mean, have more of the foods at the bottom of the pyramid and less of those at the top.

For example, you would have a lot of fruits and/or vegetables, and a lot of a whole grain cereals, a moderate amount of a dairy food like milk and also a vegetarian meat equivalent, like nuts, beans, tofu, or egg. And of course to top it off, include a small amount of foods that are not meant to be eaten in huge amounts (only if you want to of course).

Two other rules that vegetarians should adhere to are:
1. Do not drink and coffee, tea or colas at meal time, as these contain caffeine and tannins which stops your body absorbing most of the iron that was present in your meal.
2. Have some form of vitamin C with your meal. Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits and vegetables. By doing this you will also help your body to absorb as much iron as possible from your meal.

There are a lot of foods that contain a non meat source of iron. For example, iron fortified breakfast cereals, certain yeast spreads, lentils, baked beans, dried apricots and prunes, sesame seeds, cashew nuts and rolled oats, among many more.

Here is an example of a yummy, filling and healthy vegetarian main meal plan.

Vegetarian Chilli: Including red kidney beans, canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrot, red or green capsicum and mushrooms. Serve the chilli on a pile of brown rice and top with grated cheese and some sour cream.

When you have a look at the above meal, you see several things. Firstly there are lots of vegetables and plenty of whole grain cereal from the rice. There is also the non meat equivalent which is found mostly in the beans. Additionally, there is the cheese for extra protein and calcium and the sour cream for a bit of decadence. Both the tomatoes and the other vegetables will help your body to absorb as much iron as possible from the meal.

Furthermore, the entire meal resembles the food pyramid in terms of proportion, so you can be sure you are getting all of the goodness required to stay a fit and healthy vegetarian.

For more information please visit the following web sites.
http://vegsoc.wellington.net.nz
http://www.ivu.org/nzvs/
http://www.vegsoc.org/youth/
http://www.sanitarium.com.au/

Back to Tech Frenz