When switching from a meat diet to a vegetarian diet, your body tends to lose six vital nutritional necessities including vitamin B12, iron and vitamin D.
To help make the change from meat to veg easier on your body, we have compiled a top five article to let you know exactly which five foods you should be eating on a daily basis to replace those lost nutrients.
Read more: 5 Foods Every Vegetarian Should Eat
5 – Green Leaves
One great source of Iron for your body, dark leafy greens such as Swiss chard, kale, broccoli and spinach can go down a treat in any vegetarian dish.
These foods help to increase the calcium available in your body and many of them contain great cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Also included are healthy portions of Vitamin A and Folic Acid while Spinach contains plenty of iron for the body to absorb.
Microgreens are immature greens produced from the seeds of vegetables and herbs and both Cabbage, Romaine Lettuce and Watercress are also easy foods to eat at lunchtime as part of a salad.
If you are looking for a green that has a crisp, nutty and slightly bitter flavour, then make sure you try out Endive as just 25 grams of leaves gives you 72% of your daily vitamin K.
Another amazing green you can eat on a daily basis is a Chinese cabbage named Bok Choy, which helps to increase cognitive function and increases good thyroid gland function.
4 – Dried Fruit
One of your iron-super sources, dried fruits including pineapple, mango, figs, dates, cherries and cranberries are some of the best foods you can eat.
Apricots, prunes and raisins are also great and can be incorporated into a number of foods including cereals and salads.
Dried fruits can also make puddings more exciting in your diet and feature minerals, vitamins and a small amount of fibre.
One must be careful when consuming too much-dried fruit on a daily basis as it can be considered a laxative in larger quantities, especially those dates and prunes!
3 – Lentils and Beans
Both are part of the Legume family, and you should definitely be incorporating both of these foods into your diet.
Lentils are slightly more powerful than beans and have a great source of protein and fibre while also containing a considerable amount of Iron.
Some of the best soups available for vegetarians are lentil based and these are also great to make at home with 36 grams of green lentils holding around 440 calories.
Lentils can also be added to many other dishes including casseroles and stews while they also work well in curries.
Lentils come in a variety of colours including slate green, brown and black to reddish-orange, coral, and gold.
Most lentils have a very short preparation time and they are one of the easiest foods to digest, helping both your heart and your gut.
When it comes to beans, Chickpeas, Black beans and Soybeans are some of the popular choices when it comes to Vegetarian diets.
Most are high in fibre and protein and contain many great vitamins and minerals while being naturally gluten-free.
2 – Seaweed
It has been proven that Seaweed is one of the great foods that you can eat in any healthy diet.
One way seaweed can help your body as a vegetarian is by replacing iron and phytochemicals while containing vitamins A, C, E and B.
Seaweed can be added to almost any food, from sandwiches and salads to stir-fry and soups.
Other good sources of proteins and minerals included in seaweed are chromium, iodine, iron, magnesium and calcium.
Some of the best seaweed varieties include Kelp, Alaria, Dulse, Agar and Spirulina while Hijiki, Kombu, Nori and Wakame are the highest-rated in the world.
1 – Grains & Nuts
Often found in cereals, many grains and nuts are by far one of the best sources of vitamin B12 around with one serving providing your daily allowance in most cases.
If you’re looking to reduce cholesterol in your body then both of these help to remove it from your system.
They are high in zinc and insoluble fibre which can help to reduce the risk of certain cancers and relieve bowel issues.
Some of the best grains you can eat include spelt, farro, Kamut, oatmeal, bulgur, wild rice and whole rye.
When it comes to nuts, protein is the name of the game with walnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews and pecans as some of the best sources of protein around.
Nuts are also a great way to lose weight and actively digesting nuts have been proven to burn calories and help larger amounts of fat move through the digestive system.
Remember to vary which nuts you eat as some have different values than others in a balanced diet.
Thanks so much for reading this article on the top 5 foods every vegetarian should eat, don’t forget to check out some of our other great helpful guides to help you also please check out our quick delicious recipes on The Vegetarian CookBook
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