Gerry, et al

I have switched over to a vegetarian (dairy included) diet about a month ago (I was already on a very light meat protein balance at that point) and I practice yoga daily.  I am in reasonable physical condition (40 yr old male, 5'10", 160 lbs, no major health issues outside moderate osteoarthritis) and I follow a 5 meal per day ~2000 calorie diet.

My question is really about getting sufficient protein for long term muscle maintenance and combating any potential vitamin/nutrient deficiencies to which I might be exposed by my diet.  I try to keep nuts, legumes, and protein rich cereals in my diet and eat lots of green leafy vegetables for iron.  What else should I be doing to keep my nutrient intake in balance?

Ben

Hi Ben,

Vegetarian diets can be healthful and nutritionally sound if they’re carefully planned to include essential nutrients. However, a vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if it contains too many calories and not enough important nutrients.
What are the nutrients to consider in a vegetarian diet?

Protein: You don't need to eat foods from animals to have enough protein in your diet. Plant proteins alone can provide enough of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs. The best sources of protein though are definitely animal in origin. Whey protein isolate is the most bioavailable naturally occurring protein and I would strongly recommend incorporating it into your diet. http://www.energyfirst.com/site/files/whey/whey-protein-powder.htm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.energyfirst.com/site/fil...powder.htm

Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. You don't need to consciously combine these foods ("complementary proteins") within a given meal.

Iron: Vegetarians may have a greater risk of iron deficiency than nonvegetarians. The richest sources of iron are red meat, liver and egg yolk -- all high in cholesterol. However, dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.

Vitamin B-12: This comes naturally only from animal sources. Vegans need a reliable source of vitamin B-12. It can be found in some fortified (not enriched) breakfast cereals, fortified soy beverages, some brands of nutritional (brewer's) yeast and other foods (check the labels), as well as vitamin supplements.

Vitamin D: Vegans should have a reliable source of vitamin D. Vegans who don’t get much sunlight may need a supplement.

Calcium: Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Vegetable greens such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants.

Zinc: Zinc is needed for growth and development. Good plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are an excellent source of zinc. Take care to select supplements containing no more than 15-18 mg zinc. Supplements containing 50 mg or more may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people.

Best,

Gerry Morton
gmorton@energyfirst.com
http://www.energyfirst.com/

You may want to consider tofu. My wife marinates it and serves it with a stir fry. It's really excellent and even my three year old son asks for seconds.

I have eaten a vegan diet for over a year. I get protein from nuts, beans & vegetables. For anyone concerned about the kind/amount of protein they are eating or need to eat, I would suggest reading a book called The China Study.

Ben,

Lentils should be an essential part of a Vegetarian Diet. I have been vegetaian since birth. Being an Indian by origin, my diet consists of a lot of beans and lentils. I eat eggs too. I suggest you eat lentil soup with vegetables. It is quite nourishing. Hope this helps

-Vai

I just converted to vegan it is hard when I go to best friend to eat unless we go to spiral diner. Do you have any suggestions? at home it has been easy i like eat out once a month with my best friend.

Hi Antoinette and welcome to Sunstone Yoga.


I have been a vegetarian for 35 years. Eating out is always a challenge and there are times when it seems the restaurant industry is absolutely clueless. I still get caught going into places and after looking at every single item on the menu, discover there isn't a single thing I can order that doesn't have meat, fowl, or seafood in the dish, or isn't cooked in a chicken or meat broth.


In the Texas market, the safest places to go out (at least for me) seem to be Italian, Mediterranean, or Mexican restaurants. Oddly enough, BBQ places also have good salad bars, vegetable side dishes, and baked potatoes. These restaurants, if you don't see something on the menu you like or can eat, are at least usually able to make an adjustment to accommodate your requests.


Part of the personal challenge is not being intimidated or embarrassed about being a vegetarian while ordering. One thing I do is when the menus are delivered I have a side conversation with the wait staff. Tell them you're vegetarian, ask for recommendations, and get the ball rolling. That prevents awkwardness when it comes time to order with the group.


The other thing I try to do, especially if I'm going to a new place, is have a small snack beforehand. This takes the edge off my hunger and if all I wind up being able to order is a salad then I'm okay with that.


Fried Elliott
Executive Director
Sunstone Yoga

I agree with Fried. Most restaurants will accommodate.

Here are a couple of restaurants in Dallas vegan friendly. Enjoy living healthy.

• I enjoy the Cosmic Cafe http://www.cosmiccafedallas.com/for Lunch, Dinner is great because they are open late 11pm.

• Kalachandjis is a restaurant at the Hare Krishna Temple Thttp://www.kalachandjis.com/ This is a little bit of a drive but it is worth it. There is a buffet every lunch time with a variety of salads and cooked Indian style vegan foods.

• Spiral Diner Oak Cliff Vegan and organic http://www.spiraldiner.com/

• Dream Café is just around the corner from Sunstone Yoga Uptown www.thedreamcafe.com. I have never had a bad experience here when ordering substitutes with my meal, they will replace meat with spinach, vegetables .

• Greenz on McKinney in Uptown makes great salads and the soup is fresh daily
http://www.greenzsalads.com/

• Snappy Salads at Preston and Forrest across the road from the Studio! http://www.snappysalads.com/ I enjoy eating here because it is always fresh and the black bean soup is a must!!

• http://www.happycow.net/north_ameri...as/dallas/ this web site has some places listed I have not been to. Give them a try and post your experience on the forums.

What is the link between a vegetarian diet and yoga practice? I've noticed that my desire for heavier food and junk food has greatly decreased after doing yoga, and i;m wondering if people have had a decrease in their desire for meat? I have been a vegetarian for 7 years so it's difficult for me to know of any direct influence that may have on my practice.

Yoga Vegetarian Food
In Hatha Yoga Pradipika, one of the most significant classical yoga texts provides some advices on a yogic diet. According to yoga vegetarian food or ayurvedic diet, food is traditionally categorized into three Gunas, the primary qualities of nature. These three Gunas are;



•Sattva: the quality of love, light and life
•Raja: the quality of activity, passion and instability
•Tamas: the quality of darkness and inertia, dragging us into ignorance and attachment


A person can be predominated by one of these three qualities. A sattvic person is knowledgeable. A rajasic person is greedy and selfish and a tamasic one is inactive and reckless. In yoga view, food is a carrier of the life force called prana. The qualities of its prana hence have impacts on our consciousness.


Sattvic diet
Sattvic diet is pure and vegetarian. It is easy to digest, mildly cooling and refreshing. Sattvic foods provide calmness and clarity to your mind.
•Whole grains and legumes
•Whole meal bread and cereals
•Fresh organic fruits and pure fruit juices
•Organic vegetables and flowers
•Organic milk and derivative milks (butter, cheese and ghee etc.)
Lacto-vegetarian foods are recommended as they suitable for building health and balancing mind





Rajasic diet
Rajasic foods are very hot, bitter, sour, dry, or salty. Too much rajasic food consumption induces restlessness and passion, destroying the balance of mind. Hence, yoga practitioners try to avoid this kind of food.
•Very spicy foods
•Coffee and tea
•Eggs
•Garlic and onion
•Meat and fish
•Chocolate



Additionally, eating in a hurry is also considered rajasic. However, a little rajasic food can be sattvic. A little spicy food helps digestion, promoting calmness to your mind.


Tamasic diet
Tamasic foods should be avoided since they withdraw the life force (prana). They induce pessimistic, ignorance and sluggishness.
•Alcohol,
•Stale and overripe foods




Besides considering these three Gunas, the individual's diet should be adjusted to fit one’s constitution and circumstance. The right eating behaviors are important for yoga practitioners as well. You may see more information regarding combining food for individuals, tips for yogic eating and yoga fasting from the following links;


•Combing food for individuals
•Tips for yogic eating
•Yoga fasting
•Egg substitutes
•Meat substitutes