By Elena Voropay

Vegetarian diets are becoming increasingly popular today - and that's great! Plant foods have potent phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants which help protect against disease, boost immunity and give natural energy we need to keep our bodies healthy and alive. Vegetarians are known to have a much lower rate of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension -- all serious conditions linked to excess body fat.

With their deep colors, flavors, and odors, vegetarian foods are the most natural sources of nutrients, if they haven't been processed -- vegetables and fruits, pasta and rice, whole grain breads, enriched cereals, nuts, legumes, pulses, soy products, tofu, and some even eat eggs, dairy products, fish and poultry. So, what 'vegetarian diet' really means?

A vegetarian diet is mostly based on plants. But there different types of vegetarian diets, depending on how many foods of animal origin are included. Here are some of the popular types:

• Quasi-vegetarian. The diet includes fish and poultry but not red meat.

• Pescatarian. The diet includes plants and fish.

• Semi-vegetarian. Meat occasionally is included in the diet. Some semi-vegetarians may not eat red meat but may eat fish and perhaps chicken.

• Lacto-ovovegetarian (lacto – dairy; ovo – eggs). The diet includes eggs, milk, and milk products but no meat or fish is consumed.

• Lactovegetarian. Milk and milk products are included in the diet, but not eggs or meat or fish.

• Vegan. The diet excludes all fish and animal products, including eggs, milk, and milk products.

Nutritional Concerns for Vegetarians

If you call yourself a "vegetarian," but live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, French fries and pasta, you are leaving your body nutritionally deprived. Before you start a vegetarian diet, it's a good idea to check the foods you choose for each meal.

Planning ahead ensures that your body gets more than just caloric energy, but the right amount of nutrients to support its needs. Here are a few key nutrients that vegetarians should be concerned about:

• Protein. Proteins are your body's food. They function as enzymes, hormones and antibodies helping you build skin, muscles, bones and hair and are also used for energy. Although the human body can make some of these amino acids, nine of them are essential and must be obtained from food. Fish, meat, poultry, milk, dairy, egg and soy proteins are complete with all the essentials. Vegetable proteins are of poorer quality than animal proteins as they do not contain all amino acids to make a protein available in the body, so they can be metabolized as carbohydrates. The key to obtaining good protein quality lies in combining different vegetable protein sources – eating grains like rice, buckwheat, rye, oats and legumes like chickpeas, kidney beans, and black beans at the same time. Other protein sources include nuts and nut butters, but they are high in fat and harder to digest. Also, a nice hearty bowl of cereal with milk is an excellent protein choice.

• Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is needed to help make DNA, the genetic material in all cells, to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Inadequate vitamin B12 intake eventually leads to anemia and nervous system disorders. Vegetarians can also get B12 by drinking fortified soymilk, enriched cereals and bread, by taking a supplement or eating fortified nutritional yeast. Brewers yeast is actually a very natural and superb source of all B vitamins which keep your metabolism, nervous system and nutrient absorption healthy. Just sprinkle yeast over your salad, cereal, or popcorn – it tastes really good adding slight acidity and nutty flavour to your meal! The researchers have found that many people who start supplementing with yeast have stopped craving all the sugary and fattening treats.

• Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin. From there, it is converted in the liver and kidneys into a metabolically active form all body tissues can use. for use by body cells. Good quality cod liver oil is a fountainhead of vitamin D. Vegetarians can also get plenty of D from fish, such as cod, salmon, tuna, sardines, eggs, organ meats, fortified milk and cereals. But sunshine is the best source.

• Iron is an essential component of proteins involved in oxygen transport and needed for all growth. A deficiency of Iron limits oxygen delivery to cells, resulting in fatigue, poor work performance, and decreased immunity. There are two forms of dietary iron: heme (found in animal products) and nonheme (in plants). Heme Iron is absorbed better than nonheme Iron, so vegetarians, especially women who menstruate, are at great risk for iron deficiency. Some good choices of Iron for vegetarians include iron-fortified breads and cereals, legumes, soybeans, dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots), blackstrap molasses, wholegrains,nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables. Good ways to help the body get as much iron from these foods as possible is to eat a food containing vitamin C at the same time or a fermented soy food such as miso or tempeh. Drinking tea or coffee at the same time make it harder for you to absorb iron.

• Calcium. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. You can only build bone mass until about age 30. After that you slowly start losing bone, so supporting your skeleton with Calcium on a daily basis is extremely important. Low-fat dairy foods, legumes and beans, dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with Calcium and fortified soymilk and fruit juices are other options.

• Zinc. Zinc is needed for growth and development of new cells, for wound healing, helps to maintain your sense of taste and smell and keeps immunity in tip-top shape. This mineral is plentiful in both animal and plant foods. Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food. If you stay away from shellfish, best sources of Zinc for you include milk and milk products, whole grains, legumes, wheat germ, and nuts. However, you have to make sure you don't get too much Zinc, or more than 8-15mg. Toxicity has been shown to alter copper and iron function, reduced immunity, increased infections, and decreased levels of high-density lipoproteins (the good cholesterol).