Let’s Have a Healthy Friendly Christmas!

Going vegetarian or reducing meat consumption can be a cause of concern for some health conscious people, so knowing where to get all the nutrients you need is necessary. The following is a list of all the essential nutrients and their non-animal source.  This list is courtesy of Animals Australia Unleashed Christmas Wishes website which also includes a pledge to save a pig by having a pork free Christmas (click on “pardon a pig”).  Here is the link to the website which contains some wonderful meat-free Festive Recipes:  http://www.unleashed.org.au/features/pardon-a-pig/festive-recipes.php

 

Non Animal Sources of Nutrients:

 

Omega 3 Fatty Acids Linseeds (or flaxseeds), soybean oil, rapeseed oil, tofu, walnuts
 

Vitamin A Green leafy vegetables, yellow/orange vegetables or fruits

Vitamin B2 (riboflavn) Fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soya drinks, almonds

Vitamin B12 Fortified soy milks, marmite

Vitamin D Exposure to sunlight, fortified breakfast cereals, vegetable margarines

Calcium Fortified soya drinks, sesame seeds, white/brown bread, fortified fruit juice, dried figs, broccoli, green leafy vegetables (except spinach), molasses, beans and pulses, tofu, soya mince

Zinc Tofu, legumes (e.g. baked beans, chick peas, lentils), peas, nuts and seeds (e.g. cashew nuts, sunflower seeds), wholegrain cereals and wholemeal bread

Iron Fortified breakfast cereals, wholemeal bread, dried fruit (e.g. apricots, prunes, raisins), green leafy vegetables, beans and pulses, molasses, nuts and seeds (almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds), tofu

Selenium Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, molasses, wholemeal bread

Iodine Iodised salt, seaweed

Protein Soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains

Becoming vegetarian does not mean missing out on those things that keep us healthy!  Research shows that vegetarians absorb B12 more effectively than meat eaters.  Also, our bodies will adjust to vegetable sources of iron over time and eating lots of fruit and vegies high in Vitamin C (like capsicum, cucumbers, citrus etc.) helps with iron absorption.  If necessary, take supplements to help your body adjust while switching to a meat-free diet.  As always, organic fruit and vegetables will provide you with more vitamins and minerals than commercially grown food.  

 

Keep your diet as varied as possible including a wide range of organic vegies and fruit, avoid processed and packaged food, drink lots of filtered water in between meals, keep out of the sun in the hottest time of the day and spare a thought for our animal friends.  Switching to a more vegetarian diet is not only healthier for your body but it will contribute to helping save the lives of many animals.

 

A happy, healthy Christmas to all!

 

Suzanne Staples, ND, DBM

Naturopath Herbalist Homoeopath

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