A vegetarian diet is more beneficial for your heart health than one that contains meat, according to a recent study. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that vegetarians have a significantly reduced risk of hospitalization and death from heart disease, cutting their risk by more than a third.
But does making the switch to a meat-free diet automatically improve your wellbeing? After all, meat provides you with very important vitamins and minerals, such as protein, iron, vitamin D and vitamin B12, so wouldn’t a vegetarian diet lend itself to poor health in other areas of wellness? According to a report from the US National Library of Medicine, these nutrients, as well as zinc and riboflavin, may be lacking in a vegetarian diet, so if you want to reduce your high cholesterol, high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart attack and cardiac diseases with a meat-free diet, does that mean you have to turn to supplements?
In short, no; there are three meat-free superfood groups that will help you pack each of these vital nutrients into your vegetarian diet. Firstly, whether your preference is for garbanzo, kidney, cannellini, black or pinto, beans are a fantastic source of protein and iron in a vegetarian diet. Lentils and legumes, such as edamame, are likewise beneficial and can be easily added to your stir-fries and soups.
This next one’s not for the vegans, but vegetarians can still find a great source of protein in dairy products and eggs, as well as good amounts of certain vitamins. According to The Daily Green, fortified milk has about one-fifth of the daily recommended value of vitamin D, and eggs, as well as Swiss, Parmesan, mozzarella and feta cheeses, can help you to get your daily requirements of vitamin B12.
Finally, go nutty for nuts and silly for seeds! Nuts and seeds are both excellent sources of protein, but certain types can also help you to get other important minerals. You can get the zinc you need from sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds, whereas walnuts are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. If that’s not enough nutty nutrition to tempt you, almonds are loaded with vitamin E, so there’s no excuse not to try a vegetarian diet.
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