Meeting your veggie quota
Oakville, Ont., registered dietitian Lynn Roblin, a member of the NIN's communications advisory board, also advocates eating more "vegetarian-style" meals to help you get the five to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables recommended by Canada's Food Guide. Since most Canadians tend to fall short on their veggie intake, eating more like a vegetarian gives you more green and crunchy stuff. "Vegetarian meals offer more high-fibre, nutrient-rich food choices and are generally high in the antioxidants we're all looking for, but people don't necessarily have to become total vegetarians in order to consume more vegetables and grains," she says.
Boosting protein intake
Those who espouse the value of beef and other meats in a healthy diet point out that trimming all visible fat off of a recommended-size serving of meat (about the size of a deck of cards) and grilling or roasting it will substantially lower its fat quotient. Lean beef, with less than 10 per cent fat content, is a healthy food choice and has received the thumbs up from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada's Health Check program, says Margaret Thibeault of Canada's Beef Information Centre. "You don't have to be a vegetarian to eat healthily," she says. "Eating healthily should not be about good and bad foods, but more about variety and moderation in food choices."
Thibeault goes on to say that beef and other meats provide the most efficient means of obtaining protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12. She also points to a 2001 McGill University study of the food habits of Canadians, which concludes that 50 per cent of women are not consuming the minimum recommended daily servings from the meat and alternatives category that provides the main source of protein in our diet. "Many women are not getting enough protein," she says.
Getting the nutrients you need
Dietitians Roblin and Melina both stress that simply giving up meat and other animal products is not the basis of a healthy vegetarian diet. Like any other nutritious diet, vegetarian eating must be well-balanced, with careful attention paid to compensating for the lack of vitamin B12 that is only found in animal products by choosing foods fortified with that nutrient. Vegans, who only eat plant-based foods and don't consume milk products, must also make sure they get calcium from other sources. "A vegetarian diet is only as healthy as the foods chosen," says Roblin.
More info
Just four per cent of Canadians consider themselves vegetarians. "Many people are meat-nibblers and still view themselves as vegetarians. More traditional vegetarians ... limit their choices to plant foods, dairy products and meat alternatives with the occasional touch of chicken or fish," says a National Institute of Nutrition statement.
Canadians are increasing their vegetable intake by:
• Choosing canned bean soups.
• Adding canned beans to rice mixes to create an entrée.
• Ordering pizza with vegetable toppings.
• Adding texturized vegetable protein (TVP), a fat-free protein with a texture similar to ground beef, to tacos, chilis and sloppy joes.
• Grilling marinated vegetables -- eggplant, zucchini or tomatoes.
Stay healthy! Read the top 10 nutrition blunders.
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