Vegetarianism and veganism are a food flow that is becoming increasingly stronger among people and although both share many characteristics are not the same, here we are going to tell you what the difference is.
What is the difference between vegetarians and vegans?
Vegetarians are the people who decided to exclude red, white and fish meat from their diet , but they do consume animal by-products such as milk, eggs or cheese.
Vegans do not consume either red, white or fish meat, nor any animal by-products, basically their diet is based on what is produced on earth .
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Benefits of Being Vegetarian and Vegan
Although it is a very strict diet, especially for vegans, this type of diet brings many benefits to our body:
- Nutritional Value
By modifying the foods consumed, this type of diet contains more fiber, antioxidants and essential nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, C and E.
- Disease prevention
Having a diet with less saturated fat results in a lower risk of heart disease, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, digestive diseases and migraine.
- Weight reduction
This type of diet causes us to consume fewer calories and saturated fats, which positively affects our weight.
Contraindications of Vegetarianism and Veganism
When you start restricting food, you are also stopping giving the body essential nutrients, so you should replace them in another way or in other foods so that your body does not suffer an imbalance.
It is important that you receive the correct advice, since not doing so could be at risk of:
- Affect your physical and intellectual development by the absence of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that is in the flesh and is beneficial for neurons.
- Lack of vitamin B12affects nutrition and development, especially in children. Vitamin B12 is essential to prevent anemia.
- The lack of essential nutrients suchas iron and calcium can affect our overall health, iron is vital for red blood cells and calcium is essential for bones.
So vegetarians or vegans should replenish that lack of nutrients by consuming many more vegetables that possess them in high quantities.
Suggestions for Vegetarians and Vegans
- The first thing you should keep in mind if you want to change your diet is to consult with a nutritionist, since by modifying the foods you eat and excluding others completely from your diet, you must compensate for that nutritional deficiency that can be generated.
- Vitamin B12 is a vitamin that is mainly in the protein of animal origin, it is necessary for our body so you must supply it in another way, it may be as a supplement, but I remember that it will be an expert who prescribes it.
- When excluding proteins of animal origin from your diet, you must replace them with proteins of plant origin such as soy, tofu, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, chia seeds, hemp or pumpkin seeds, oats, almonds and walnuts.
