The healthiest vegetarian diet plans consist of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans or legumes and nuts and seeds. Because meat is not an option in a vegetarian daily diet, your healthiest diet plans contain as little fat and cholesterol as possible and include foods that are high in fiber and nutrients.
Do Your Research
Before you create a specific daily vegetarian diet, first consider your body's needs. A vegetarian diet menu can be healthy, but you still need to think about how you'll receive all necessary nutrients, especially given the lack of meat in your diet. There are many nutrients lost in a vegetarian diet, but with some helpful tips, you can incorporate these lost essentials without much thought.
Commonly Lost Nutrients
Protein is important for your body. It helps build healthy bones, organs and skin. Vegetarians can bring protein into their diets by drinking milk or by consuming eggs or dairy products. Other sources of protein include soy products, legumes, nuts, lentils and whole grains.
Calcium maintains and builds strong bones and teeth. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables like spinach are great sources of this nutrient.
Vitamin B-12 helps to protect against anemia and helps to produce red blood cells. This nutrient is found in milk, eggs and in some cereals and soy products.
Iron is also crucial in producing red blood cells and avoiding anemia. Iron is found in peas, lentils and whole grain products.
Add Variety to Your Diet
The key to creating a diet for a vegetarian is to include as many foods as possible. This way, you can be sure to receive all necessary nutrients. The following is a sample daily menu. Craft the menu towards your personal preferences.
Breakfast: Try cereal, yogurt and fruit. This helps you obtain a variety of foods, but also ensures you're having a healthy, light breakfast to start the day.
Lunch: Create a large salad loaded with vegetables. Add hummus to whole wheat bread or a pita. Include a slice of fruit like an orange or melon.
Dinner: Cook up a vegetable curry or make tofu stir fry.
Dessert: Throw together a fruit salad or a low-fat pie.
Snacks: Pretzels, fruits, nuts and seeds are great for snacks throughout the day.
 | Cooking vegetarian food does require that you think outside the butcher's case, but it need not be intimidating. Start by replacing meat in recipes you already cook, then look for vegetarian recipes that appeal to your senses, making sure to stock up on plenty of herbs and spices. |
 | Being a vegetarian is more than just a moral choice to protect animals or to rage against distasteful conditions in farms and the like. There are many health benefits to making the choice to eliminate meat from one's diet. The benefits of being a vegetarian are numerous and can help a person live a long and full life. |
 | Everyone needs variety in their diets to stay healthy and to keep their taste buds happy. Vegans perhaps need even more diversity in their diets to cover all of their nutritional needs. However, getting the proper vegan nutrition is not difficult. |
Tempeh is a healthy and delicious meat alternative that not enough Americans are eating. It is firm and hearty in a way that tofu is not, and with more protein and fiber, it's better for you, too. |
Seitan is gaining popularity amongst vegans and vegetarians, partly because it contains so much protein, and partly because the texture is often considered preferable to tofu or tempeh. Once you learn the basics of how to make seitan, you can experiment with different flavorings and shapes, making your own "steak" or "chicken" seitan cutlets. |
