Nutritional requirements for vegetarianism/veganism
Vegetarianism refers to a diet that emphasises a plant-based diet and either completely avoids animal products or only consumes products from living animals (e.g. dairy products).
There are 3 different forms of vegetarianism:
Vegan: no nutrients of animal originLacto-vegetarian: + dairy products
Ovo-lacto-vegetarian: + dairy products and eggs
So-called pescetarians abstain from meat, but consume fish and are therefore to be distinguished from true vegetarians. According to estimates, around 1,000,000 people in Germany follow a vegetarian diet.
From a health perspective, a vegetarian/vegan diet certainly appears to have benefits. A large number of epidemiological studies have shown that such a diet is quite suitable for preventing diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, gout and certain types of cancer. The reasons for this are likely to include lower LDL cholesterol levels and a lower intake of purines.Although meat has a high concentration of protein, iron, vitamin B12 and zinc, it is not an essential component of the human diet. Only people who are strictly vegan need to be more careful, as they can easily become deficient in vitamin D (already a deficiency nutrient in Germany), vitamin B12, iron, zinc and other nutrients. Vegans in general should consider taking an additional vegan protein powder.
.Possible deficiency symptoms with a vegetarian/vegan diet:
Due to vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency: tiredness, pallor, dementia, neurological damage, depressive moods, anaemia, muscle weakness, etc. Some of this damage can also be irreversible and can be exacerbated after a certain age (people over 50).
Caused by a lack of vitamin D (cholecalciferol): Depression, rickets in children, osteoporosis, fatigue, high blood pressure, increased risk of infection, certain autoimmune diseases, etc. Low exposure to sunlight and certain life circumstances (people over 50, young children, etc.) can exacerbate this deficiency.Due to a lack of iron: anaemia, skin damage, mouth rhagades, hair loss, tiredness, headaches, dizziness, etc.
Adding vitamin C (e.g. peppers or a glass of orange juice) can significantly increase the absorption of iron from food.
Caused by zinc deficiency: increased susceptibility to infections, hair loss, mouth corner rhagades, inflammation of the skin, etc.
As is easy to recognise, the respective deficiency symptoms overlap, making it difficult to classify them in practice.
In order to prevent the corresponding deficiency symptoms, our orthomolecular preparations contain vital substance combinations that are optimally adapted to the respective needs:
For vegetarians/vegans who do not belong to any of the above groups: Nutri-Plus Immune Essentials with all the important minerals and trace elements, vitamins and other vital substances.
Happy holidays from
the Nutri-Plus team
