Rearrange it! I had a very similar breakfast yesterday, but today’s had a slight twist. I used strawberry yogurt instead of vanilla. After posting the article about surprisingly sugary foods, I took a peek at the yogurt info. 24 grams of sugar, yikes! I’m not monitoring my sugar intake so I ate it anyway. But man oh man, that’s a lot for 1 little serving.
It’s Day #4 of my Vegetarian Challenge. Eliminating animal products from your diet can be good for you.
Adopt a Vegetarian Diet… For Your Health
(source)
Yup, another food guide pyramid for you guys to enjoy! I like looking at the little pictures.
If you make the right decisions, a vegetarian/vegan diet is great for your health. Without getting into specifics, here are some tips from the Vegan Food Guide:
- Choose mainly whole grains
- Eat a wide variety of colorful vegetables
- Include raw vegetables each day
- Eat an assortment of fruits
- Eating fruits and vegetables along with protein rich foods increases iron absorption
- Many foods do food group double-duty so know what you’re eating (Example: vegetables count as veggies and calcium)
- Supplements or fortified foods can help add nutrients to your daily diet
- It is important to be aware of your specific dietary needs – The most important way to follow a vegetarian diet is to educate yourself!
Remember…
The ADA says that a vegetarian diet needs to be ‘appropriately planned.’ Simply dropping certain foods from your diet isn’t the way to go if you’re interested in maintaining good health, a high energy level, and strong muscles and bones. (source)
Vegetarians have to be careful to include the following key nutrients that may be lacking in a vegetarian diet:
- iron
- calcium
- protein
- vitamin D
- vitamin B12
- zinc
COMMENTS
13 Comments
1. Kelly
February 25th, 2010 10:36 AM
That’s cool that there is a food pyramid for vegans! I definitely think you’d have to be careful to get all the nutrients, but that’s true of most diets I guess
2. Jessica @ How Sweet
February 25th, 2010 10:39 AM
I like that grains are at the bottom of that pyramid – I can eat lots of those!
3. Sarah
February 25th, 2010 12:00 PM
I had no idea there was a separate food pyramid for Vegan/Veggies. This is really great to know. Thanks for sharing
4. Katharine
February 25th, 2010 02:14 PM
I’m always amazed by how much sugar is in yogurt! Hence why I love the greek ones like Chobani!
5. Julie
February 25th, 2010 03:13 PM
I know there is a ton of sugar in dried fruit, but I’m addicted! I love dried cantaloupe for some reason. I probably eat waaaaay too much sugar than normal…is it really that bad?!
6. Caitlin @ Right Foot Forward
February 25th, 2010 03:35 PM
Thanks for another pyramid!
Do you think you’ve been getting adequate amounts of the nutrients that you mentioned (iron, etc) during this week? I think that would be hard, for me.
7. Lauren @ Eater not a runner
February 25th, 2010 05:50 PM
That’s why I switched to plain yogurt for the most part!
8. Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly
February 25th, 2010 06:12 PM
Plain Greek Yogurt has very LITTLE sugar and a higher protein content…try that out sometime!
9. KIM
February 25th, 2010 06:22 PM
I think I remember having the same conversation with you at some point about the amount of sugar in oatmeal packets (that’s why I get the orig.) and yogart. I do look for the least amount of sug. when buying yogart and I’m not very fond of the plain ones as a snack food. But maybe I might try some again. I do put cinnamon into my oatmeal which is very good for you so maybe I should put some into the plain yogart with the fruit that I add. And I am wondering if you are getting enough nutrients in your new diet.
10. Naomi(onefitfoodie)
February 25th, 2010 06:44 PM
very insteresting stuff! I had no idea eating fruits and veggies with protein helps with iron absorption..awesome!!!
11. pen
February 25th, 2010 07:26 PM
I love that food pyramid for vegans. I’m a long time veggie, but have been throwing around the idea of becoming a vegan.
So glad I found your blog and can’t wait to read more!
12. Becky
February 25th, 2010 07:46 PM
I always eat plain Greek yogurt and find the flavored ones taste too sweet now. When I need some sweetness, I just add a bit of fruit preserve or fresh fruit to my yogurt. I feel like adding my own sweetener tastes great and still packs less sugar than the average flavored yogurt.
13. Crunches for Cupcakes » Vegetarian Challenge Reflections
March 4th, 2010 03:37 PM
[...] Posted about being a vegetarian, how it affects animals, and how it affects health [...]