Does a vegetarian diet necessarily mean a healthy diet?
A. Absolutely not. A vegetarian diet is characterized by removing certain foods. Many of the foods that are absent from a vegetarian diet may have significant nutritional value. It is important to incorporate alternate nutritional sources when removing animal foods from a diet. Protein, calcium, iron, and B12 requirements are concerns for vegetarians. Legumes and grains are good sources for protein and contain significantly less amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than animal sources. Spinach, turnip greens, and kale are good sources for calcium. Prunes, baked beans, and molasses are good sources for iron. Another excellent source for iron is fortified cereal, such as raisin bran. Most fortified cereals also contain significant amounts of B12. Q. What are complete and incomplete proteins? A. Proteins, the ‘building blocks of the body,’ are made up of 22 amino acids. 14 of the amino acids are made by the body. The other eight must be acquired through food. These are known
