Vegetarian Nutrition Counselling

A Vegetarian is a person who abstains from eating meat. People often adopt a vegetarian diet for health or ethical issues, such as animal rights.

A vegetarian nutritionist believes that a balanced vegetarian diet consists of a variety of healthy plant-based foods including whole fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, and whole grains. Check out my ultimate vegetarian grocery list for a guide to a balanced vegetarian diet.

Becoming vegetarian is not an overnight process and can take time. A vegetarian dietitian recommends adding more grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits to your diet, and start eliminating meat from one or two meals a week or leave the meat out of one meal every day. Of course, this highly depends based on each individual.

If you feel like you could benefit from some extra support in making this lifestyle change, reach out for your FREE 15-minute discovery session with a vegetarian dietitian today.

5 important nutrients for vegetarians include calcium, iron, protein, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. A vegetarian nutritionist can work with you to build a vegetarian meal plan when starting your journey.

Vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:

• Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, and eggs, including foods that contain them. However, dairy products, such as milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt are included.
• Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products, but allow eggs.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, and fish but allow dairy products and eggs.
• Pescatarian diets exclude meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs but allow seafood.

A vegetarian does not eat any animal flesh including meat, poultry, or fish. However, a vegan does not consume any products derived from animals such as dairy, eggs, and others.

According to studies, vegetarianism is constantly growing in Canada with 2.3 million vegetarians in 2018. There are several reasons people are vegetarian, some include: maintaining a healthy weight, reducing animal cruelty, saving money, improving gut health, decreasing chances of chronic diseases, and helping the environment.

Yes! Eating meat isn’t necessary for your health or survival as with appropriate planning and supplements, plant-based diets can provide all the nutrients your body needs. Elimination of meat consumption has shown benefits of lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Vegetarians should obtain protein from a  variety of vegetarian protein sources, including legumes, soy products, grains, nuts, and seeds. Eggs and dairy products also provide protein for those following a lacto-ovo-vegeterian diet.

A vegetarian nutritionist recommends a daily vitamin B12 supplement, especially for those who are starting their veganism journey to prevent deficiency. Foods such as fortified breakfast cereal, nutritional yeast, fortified plant-based milk, tempeh, and natto are also great vegan food choices that contain B12.

Some vegetarian protein sources include seitan, tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, and many other delicious foods you can incorporate into your vegetarian meals.

Vegetarian diets have become increasingly popular over the years, with restaurants and grocery stores catering to this diet. Some vegetarian snacks include nut butter with fruit, popcorn, nuts, kale chips, roasted edamame, and homemade energy bars.

A list of the best plant protein that a vegetarian dietitian recommends includes tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, and quinoa.

Yes! In general, plant-based food is less expensive overall than meat based on what you can usually buy in large quantities of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, or lentils for what it costs for a much smaller quantity of meat.

Omega-3 fatty acids are important fats that provide health benefits such as reducing inflammation, decreasing blood triglycerides, and helping prevent heart disease and stroke.

The most well-known source of omega-3 fatty acids is fatty fish. However, a vegetarian nutritionist recommends brussels sprouts, chia seeds, algal oil, hemp seeds, and walnuts for vegetarian sources.

It is important to eat foods high in iron as a vegetarian as it plays a role in energy production and low iron levels can lead to iron deficiency and anemia. Some excellent high-iron foods for vegetarians include soy products, lentils, beans, and cashews. Check out my article on 13 vegetarian foods high in iron!

Iodine is an essential trace element that helps regulate hormone and cell production and you need a relatively small amount of iodine-rich foods in your diet to get a sufficient intake.

A vegetarian dietitian recommends an intake of 2ml of iodized salt for adults, 1ml  for toddlers, and an iodine supplement for babies.

Some vegetarian iodine sources include dried sea vegetables such as kelp, fruit plants high in iodine such as strawberries and prunes, and leafy greens.

Calcium is a mineral that plays an important role in maintaining bone health. A vegetarian nutritionist recommends taking a calcium supplement to receive this mineral through foods such as figs, kale, soybeans, broccoli, and bok choy.

You don’t need a protein powder but you do need adequate protein for good health! Protein powders are great in addition to a well-balanced vegetarian diet and there are many great vegetarian protein powders on the market you can use to supplement your diet. If you feel like you are having a hard time meeting your protein needs just through diet, implementing protein powders into your diet can help. Consult a vegetarian dietitian to see if this is a good option for you.