Balanced diet for vegetarians

If you are a vegetarian, make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need to stay healthy. A balanced and healthy vegetarian diet can provide all the nutrients required for the body.  

Vegetarians prefer a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit. Some vegetarians choose to include dairy products such as cheese and eggs in their diet.

Plant-based diet can be a healthier way to eat to avoid diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Usually, a full-ranged vegetarian diet contains less saturated fat and more folate, fibre and antioxidants, plus as a vegetarian you are more likely to exceed the recommended daily intake of fruit and vegetables.

A balanced vegetarian diet also includes wholegrains, beans and pulses, low fat, and less sugar and dairy products.

Breakfast

Consuming protein-based food in the morning slows stomach emptying, and keeps you fuller for longer so you will eat fewer calories during the rest of the day. It is ideal to start the day with a protein-based breakfast. Egg is a great source of protein combined with fat and vitamins.

In the morning you can also eat porridge or cereal with a selection of nuts and seeds and finish with a generous dollop of natural yogurt.
Spinach pancake, bread, tomato and mushroom pancakes, scrambled eggs, veggie kedgeree are good breakfast options for vegetarians.  

To make sure you get enough iron during breakfast everyday, add a glass of fruit juice, rich in vitamin C and calcium to optimise your body's iron intake. You can even drink a leafy smoothie made with spinach and other vegetables. This will supply proper nutrition to the body.

If you get hungry before lunch, drink a glass of fruit smoothie, banana or crackers with jam before lunch.

Lunch

Eating enough proteins and starchy carbs at lunch will keep you full for long. The main sources of protein could be beans, peas, nuts, grains or dairy or dairy-free products.  

You need carb-rich foods because without them you will suffer from a mid-afternoon slump. Carbs keep our blood sugar level steady.
Vegetarians also need some fats in the diet, but the focus should be on the right type of fat as good fat is a source of energy and helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, D, E and K.

Heart-friendly mono-unsaturated fats are found in plant foods like avocado, and seeds, and nuts.

Various kinds of soup, cashew biryani, vegetable fajitas, salad, rice bowls, and poached egg with vegetables and fried rice are good options for lunch.

Dinner

Dinner is the last meal of the day. Most of the time, we try to avoid carbs at dinner. However, we can always eat carbs at dinner as long as they are combined with some healthy essential fats.

During the night our body will use the protein and these healthy fats for regeneration and repair, which is important for maintaining healthy skin and hair.

Here are some dinner options for vegetarians: Pasta, veggie burger, chickpea curry with naan or paratha, carrot chickpea curry with rice, carrot soup, and vegetable biryani.