Vegetarianism is a special nutritional system that involves excluding meat products from the diet. Every year the number of its adherents only grows. Many famous people have chosen just such a diet for themselves. Those who are just beginning to be interested in this area want to know what vegetarians eat.

The grocery list will help you understand what vegetarians eat. It includes plant foods, dairy and protein products, and grains. It is worth getting acquainted in more detail with the list of permitted foods for people who have decided to stop eating animal meat.

Vegetables and fruits

Most people associate vegetarianism with plant foods, that is, fruits and vegetables. This has its own logic, because they make up most of the daily menu of a person who does not eat meat. Vegetables fill the body with useful microelements such as vitamins, minerals and organic acids. In addition, they are low in calories, so such food will not allow you to gain weight. overweight.

It is necessary to diversify your menu with vegetables as much as possible.

It is advisable to include the following plant foods in your diet:

• Leafy greens.
• Broccoli.
• Green pea.
• Green beans.
• Spinach.
• Asparagus.
• Carrot.
• Bell pepper.
• Tomatoes.

Vegetarians should reduce the amount of potatoes they eat. You are allowed to eat no more than 8 pieces of this vegetable per week.

Fruits bring no less benefits. There is no need to focus on only 2-3 types of these products. The menu should be varied enough so that it does not become boring and makes you want to give up plant foods in favor of a more satisfying menu.

Vegetarians can enjoy the following fruits:

• Orange.
• Banana.
• Kiwi.
• Apple.
• Pear.
• Grapefruit.

It is necessary that the diet contains not only fresh fruits, but also berries. All of them are rich in useful minerals, various vitamin complexes and dietary fiber. Dried fruits are an ideal replacement for high-calorie sweets. Moreover, the benefits from them are much greater than from caramels or chocolate.

For fruit to truly have a positive effect on the body, a vegetarian should eat about 3-4 full servings per day. One of these consists of 1 medium fruit or a bowl of large berries, for example, currants or strawberries.

The basis of the diet of vegetarians is whole grain products.

These include:

• Porridge (rice, oatmeal, buckwheat).
• Pasta.
• Grain bread.

These products are very important, as they saturate the body with the necessary amount of complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. They are also the main source of energy that a person needs throughout the day. Whole grain products contain large amounts of vitamins B and E.

It is advisable that a vegetarian's daily diet include 5-8 servings of dishes made from whole grains. One of these may consist of half a plate of porridge or pasta and a slice of bread.

Since a person especially needs energy in the first half of the day, it is recommended to eat the main portions during breakfast and lunch. The rest are distributed at personal discretion.

Milk should be present in everyone’s diet, regardless of what diet they follow. For vegetarians they are indispensable. Dairy products are necessary for those who want to maintain their health and beauty for many years.

Dairy products are rich in phosphorus, calcium and protein. They also contain vitamin B. It must be remembered that only natural products, and not their substitutes. It is very important to pay attention to the packaging of the product when purchasing it. Only those with the exact name indicated, for example, milk or cottage cheese, and not a dairy or curd product, should be included in the cart.

Why should you refuse to buy substitutes for natural products? The thing is that such products usually contain vegetable oils instead of healthy milk fat. They also contain preservatives, artificial flavors and dyes. You shouldn't expect anything good from such ingredients. The maximum benefit can be obtained only from natural milk, which does not contain unnecessary additives and sugar. It’s better to simply add a spoonful of homemade jam or pieces of fruit to milk or your favorite yogurt before eating to make it tastier.

Normally, a vegetarian's diet should contain 2-3 servings of dairy products. One of these consists of a glass of drinking yogurt, kefir, milk or 50 g of cottage cheese.

By refusing meat, a person deprives himself of protein. Therefore, he has to look for other ways to obtain it. Fortunately, this substance is found not only in meat and fish.

It can also be found in the following products:

• Legumes (lentils, peas, chickpeas and beans).
• Eggs of any bird.
• Soy based cheese.
• Soy milk.
• Meat-free sausages.

Eggs should be the favorite product of every vegetarian, as they contain a huge amount of healthy amino acids. It is advisable to eat 4-6 pieces per week. Your daily diet should include about 3-6 servings of legumes. One such meal would include, for example, half a plate of cooked lentils or a whole bowl of soy milk.

Vegetarian nutrition can be both healthy and very varied. You just need to learn how to compose it correctly. Listed above are products that must be included in the daily menu of a person who does not consume meat products. They will help keep his body healthy by saturating him with a sufficient amount of proteins, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.

Seafood is prohibited for vegetarians. But they still shouldn’t refuse to include seaweed, which is a source of iodine, in their menu. In addition, this product contains easily digestible protein.

Aromatic spices and herbs will help diversify and add newness to already boring dishes. Particular attention should be paid to seasonings made from plant barks, seeds and roots. Vegetarians love cardamom, turmeric, pepper, ginger and basil because they pair well with so many foods.

To make it easier to transition to a vegetarian diet, you should prepare a sample menu for yourself for each day in advance. It will save a person from having to constantly think about what he can eat to satisfy his hunger. In addition, a pre-planned diet will protect him from eating foods that are strictly prohibited for vegetarians.

Vegetarianism is a food and lifestyle system that has been known since ancient times and is inherently an important part of human culture. The history of this movement goes back a long way. Many famous people in different historical periods did not consume meat. In this context, we can recall the ancient thinkers Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and the great minds from later historical periods - Albert Einstein, Ilya Repin, Henry Ford, and many of our contemporaries. The principles of this movement are in great demand both among its ideological followers and among those who simply strive to lead healthy image life.

However, there is still active debate about how beneficial strict vegetarianism is, and whether it is worth adhering to its principles. What vegetarianism is, why people become vegetarians, and what are the reasons that prompt such changes in diet and life will be discussed in this article.

Vegetarian philosophy

This trend is widespread in the world. However, in some countries it is a real cult. A similar thing is observed in India. Vedic laws state that people have no right to take the life of other living beings, since killing for food seriously violates God's laws. Russian vegetarians and adherents of this system in other countries adhere to the same position. Answering the question of how many such people there are in Russia, statistics claim that about 4% of citizens practice vegetarianism.

Vegetarianism plays an important role in world religions - such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism. As for how Orthodoxy relates to this movement, Christianity does not formulate a clear attitude towards it. The Bible contains a number of quotes that adherents of plant foods interpret as a call to vegetarianism. However, the essence of vegetarianism differs from the essence of Christian fasting.

For the majority of those who practice vegetarianism, this system is not just a special diet, but a certain philosophy of life. They adhere to it, guided by ethical and moral principles.

The essence of ethical principles is that killing for food cannot be acceptable. Spiritual beliefs are that food has positive or negative energy, which it is “saturated” with during the process of extraction and preparation. And if an animal experiences fear when dying, then the meat dish will also have negative energy.

This philosophy involves not only abstaining from animal food, but also eliminating bad habits from life. Smoking, drinking alcohol - all this is not for true adherents of this system. In addition, they do not wear leather shoes, fur, and do not accept anything related to the suffering of animals.

Famous people have written a lot about vegetarianism in different historical periods. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato noted that meat consumption leads to unwise use of land.

Leo Tolstoy also wrote a lot about vegetarianism, noting that consuming exclusively plant foods allowed him to feel healthier and stronger compared to people his age.

Our contemporaries confirm this. The famous journalist Alexander Nevzorov, presenters Nikolai Drozdov and Olga Shelest, have been practicing this lifestyle for many years; Mikhail Zadornov was a convinced vegetarian.

Even the appearance of some famous people is clear evidence that a vegetarian lifestyle benefits them. For example, the famous actor Jared Leto looks much younger at forty-seven.

Although there are many similar examples, the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the main guide in the field of health, does not speak out either for or against vegetarianism. This diet plan is allowed if it fits into the general nutrition recommendations.

Wikipedia and other sources indicate that vegetarianism is divided into several movements, depending on the food consumed.

• – this is the most radical option, when a person rejects all products of animal origin, including dairy, eggs, honey.
• – one of the options for veganism, when food is not prepared in the usual way, but is consumed raw. So, raw foodists eat sprouted cereals, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts. However, doctors believe that only those with ideally healthy intestines can practice such nutrition.
• Lacto-ovo vegetarianism – this is the most “gentle option” when you can eat eggs and milk.
• Lacto-vegetarianism – in addition to plant foods, you can eat dairy.

There is still a lot of debate about the benefits and harms of such nutrition for the body. However, most doctors believe that complete exclusion animal products from the diet is wrong. The best option is lacto-ovo vegetarianism with the consumption of fish and seafood. With such a diet, a person can feel good and get all the substances he needs without eating meat.

However, regarding this trend, you can find a lot of different publications in the press, which talk about the fact that eating exclusively plant foods is extremely harmful, and even that it is a serious mental disorder. At one time, there was even evidence that vegetarianism was recognized mental illness WHO. The World Health Organization reported that the desire to follow such a trend is a mental illness after one family's parents practicing a raw food diet drove their children into a coma.

Of course, such information became a reason for indignation among vegetarians all over the world. They wrote numerous letters to WHO stating that a smart and conscious attitude to nutrition allows you to competently and correctly formulate a plant-based diet. As evidence, they cited various books, quotes from those who successfully practice this system, etc. But, if you visit any forum where the physiological and psychological aspects of vegetarianism are discussed, you can conclude that heated debate on this issue has not subsided to this day .

Points for and against

Considering how many vegetarians there are in the world, and according to statistics there are more than a billion of them on the planet, we can safely conclude that this movement is becoming more and more popular every year. Therefore, in order to immediately debunk the myths about this type of nutrition and lifestyle, it is worth listing all the pros and cons of vegetarianism.

Arguments in favor

The following arguments can be made to convince a person to give up eating meat and follow the basics of vegetarianism:

• Plant foods contain less carcinogens . This has been proven in numerous studies. Those who are accustomed to regularly eating fried meat dishes are more likely to suffer from various diseases, and they are more likely to develop cancer of the digestive organs.
• This diet allows you to better control your weight. , as a way to lose weight, is described in many sources. Indeed, when consuming exclusively plant foods, it is easier to lose weight, since such a diet is generally lower in calories. However, not all vegetarians are thin. And even among sumo wrestlers, vegetarianism is common. Therefore, such nutrition can be called lighter. But the answer to the question of whether there are fat vegetarians is still positive.
• Plant foods are an effective prevention of the development of vascular and heart diseases. This thesis is motivated by the fact that in countries where a meat diet predominates in the diet, people are much more likely to get sick, hypertension, and suffer from. Also, people with a plant-based diet are less likely to experience such a terrible disease as , because vegetarians have lower blood cholesterol levels.
• A vegetarian diet contains more vitamins. If the plant-milk diet is varied and balanced, then a person will be able to get everything necessary for the body minerals and .
• When following this diet plan, a person becomes more energetic, feels better and more cheerful. In addition, his mood improves and attacks of irritability are less frequent.
• There is an opinion that adherents of vegetarianism are less likely to suffer from colds.

Arguments against

There are several compelling arguments against following a vegetarian lifestyle:

• Considering what vegetarians eat, it should be understood that their diet lacks those minerals and vitamins that are present exclusively in meat products. We are talking, first of all, about iron and. Even if soy and legumes are present in the diet instead of meat, they still do not satisfy all the body’s needs. As a result, in more than half of the cases, vegetarians experience anemia and iron deficiency, which leads to hair loss and brittle nails, decreased performance and loss of strength. In women it may be impaired monthly cycle, problems with the intestines appear.
• Foods of plant origin contain little iodine, calcium,... A deficiency of these substances can result in problems with the thyroid gland, problems with teeth and bones. This condition is especially dangerous for older people.
• Since vegetarian food contains a lot of plant fiber, its constant consumption leads to impaired protein absorption. This condition causes the development of muscular dystrophy, deterioration, increased risk, etc.
• Pregnant women and mothers nursing babies cannot get enough of the substances they need from such food, in particular, protein, which the child needs for normal development.
• Many sources note that children under 15 years of age should not practice exclusively plant-based nutrition. Meat should be introduced into a child's complementary feeding in a timely manner to avoid the development of anemia, dystrophy, mental and mental retardation. physical development. In addition, later, when the baby goes to kindergarten or attends a children's camp, he will have to give up regular food and, probably, be malnourished.
• Another disadvantage is that vegetarian food is not always available. In many cafes, shops, restaurants, hotels, it is very difficult for vegans or vegetarians to purchase food that meets all the principles of their nutritional system. Therefore, meals have to be planned in a special way.
• It is also unlikely that you will be able to save money with such food. Despite the fact that there is no need to buy meat, products that allow you to diversify your diet are quite expensive. Mushrooms, high-quality dairy products, and fruits are not a cheap pleasure.

Diet rules for vegetarians

When following such a nutritional system, one must not only eat “allowed” food, but also adhere to some rules that adherents of this system consider very important. It is believed that if a person confidently says about himself: “I am a vegetarian or a vegetarian,” then even in small things he should behave correctly. Most adherents of this movement follow these rules:

• You should eat only when you are hungry. If a person is full and an appetizing dish appears in front of him, this is not a reason to eat again.
• Vegetarians do not eat immediately after completing hard physical or mental work. First, they must give the body time to restore balance.
• You should only sit at the table in a normal mood. It is believed that a bad mood can negatively affect digestion.
• During the period of a cold, you need to eat as little as necessary. The body's forces should be aimed at fighting viruses, and not at digesting food.
• It is important to remember not to eat too quickly. To make it easier to digest, you need to chew the pieces thoroughly.

A person should become satiated gradually so as not to end the meal in a state of overeating.

What do vegetarians suffer from?

The whole truth about this system should also include information about those diseases, the risk of which increases in the absence of animal food in the diet. As noted above, due to the refusal of animal products, the body experiences a lack of a number of important substances. The result of this may be the development of serious diseases and pathological conditions:

• Iron deficiency and other varieties anemia – a condition associated with a lack of meat in the diet. In this condition, weakness, pallor, heartbeat disturbances, etc. are troubling.
• AT 12- And folate deficiency anemia – as a result of such a deficiency, neurological disorders can develop.
• Urolithiasis And cholelithiasis – Vegans develop such diseases more often. When you refuse animal food, the outflow in the body is often disrupted, which leads to the formation of sand and stones. In addition, some plant foods (spinach, rhubarb, sorrel) provoke the accumulation of oxalic acid salts in the urine. These later form into stones. Stone formation is also associated with a lack of vitamin D in the body.
• Digestive disorders - in the process of switching to a vegetarian menu, people often experience diarrhea, constipation, cramps, and bloating.
• Deficiency conditions - if the body lacks certain minerals, this can lead to the development of brain diseases. According to some scientists, a lack of and activates brain aging and provokes the development of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. And a lack of vitamin D leads to the development.
• Hormonal imbalance – scientific research has confirmed that if people do not eat animal products, this can lead to disruptions in the balance of thyroid hormones. Therefore, vegetarians are more likely to experience endocrine disorders.
• Deterioration of dental health – when consuming large amounts of acidic vegetables and fruits, tooth enamel is destroyed, which increases the risk of other dental diseases.

Therefore, you need to be conscious about vegetarianism and try to diversify your diet as much as possible.

In this context, there is still debate about who has a longer life expectancy - those who eat meat or those who refuse it. In some studies, scientists note that the average life expectancy is about three and a half years higher for those who give up meat. Among those who do not consume meat, long-livers are quite common. However, there are many studies on this matter, some of which, on the contrary, indicate that meat eaters live longer. After reading an abstract or report on this matter, you can find many arguments confirming this or that opinion. But in general the issue is still quite ambiguous.

Moreover, there are many myths about this current. For example, some sources say that those who do not eat animal foods do not get cancer. However, this statement does not stand up to criticism, since numerous studies show that vegetarians are slightly less likely to suffer from certain types of cancer.

Vegetarian menu: how to create?

To minimize all the risks of giving up animal food, a vegetarian’s daily menu should be as balanced and varied as possible. For beginners, it is advisable to schedule meals for every day and purchase the necessary products. Preparing a vegetarian menu for the week is easy. To do this, every day your diet should include vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, as well as dairy products and eggs, if the type of vegetarianism allows you to consume these products.

It is important to consider that you can only eat the freshest fruits and vegetables - then the body will receive the maximum amount of nutrients. Below are more detailed description what vegetarians eat throughout the day, and how to properly formulate a diet.

• Breakfast - you should start the day with oatmeal, buckwheat or barley porridge. You should also eat some fruit in the morning. You can drink green tea or coffee.
• Lunch – it is recommended to consume two dishes at the main meal. The first is a liquid dish, for example, vegetable or mushroom soup, borscht. For the second course, you can prepare a green salad or a salad of cabbage, apples, radishes, etc. For lunch, you can eat a small vegetarian dessert - for example, pastries.
• Afternoon snack – at this time you should eat a fruit salad. For those who eat dairy dishes, you can opt for yogurt, kefir or fermented baked milk.
• Dinner - in the evening you can prepare stewed potatoes and cabbage or cucumber salad. A good option would be milk soup.

This is only an approximate “schedule” of nutrition, which can be varied by preparing a wide variety of dishes. A list of foods that vegetarians consume will help you do this.

What do vegetarians eat: food list

The following groups of products that vegetarians consume can be distinguished:

• Legumes and cereals - cereals, bread, cereals, cereals, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc.
• Vegetables are green and starchy.
• Fruits, berries.
• Dairy products - if a person does not profess the principles of veganism, they are also included in the menu.
• Vegetable oils.
• Seeds and nuts.
• Seafood - seaweed.
• Herbs and spices.

Do vegetarians eat eggs?

The question of why vegetarians don’t eat eggs is very relevant. This product is consumed by ovo-vegetarians, while vegans completely abandon animal foods. The essence of their philosophy is to give up animal products for which animals are exploited. The answer to the question why vegans don’t drink milk is similar. Milk and milk products are obtained by keeping livestock in captivity, which is contrary to the ethical principles of veganism. Therefore, if you ask vegans whether adherents of this philosophy eat cheese, you will get a negative answer.

Do vegetarians eat fish?

If a person refuses meat, but still consumes fish, his diet is quite complete, and the question of what can replace meat is no longer so relevant. Fish and legumes are adequate substitutes for the protein that the body gets from meat.

However, do fish and vegetarianism go together? In fact, true vegetarians completely avoid fish, since it is an animal product. People who give up meat and still consume fish are called pescatarians. People who adhere to such principles eat not only plant foods, but also eggs, milk, fish and seafood. Their menu includes various fish - fried, boiled, salted. But for many people this stage is transitional. Reading the diary or blog of those who profess the principles of vegetarianism, you can see that after giving up meat, people only ate fish for a while, after which they became “full-fledged” vegetarians.

Vegetarianism: recipes for every day

Numerous recipes for vegetarian dishes make it possible to eat varied foods and prepare very interesting dishes. Those who want to master very complex recipes are advised to watch a step-by-step video that will help you prepare the dish correctly. Almost every vegetarian website contains such videos.

Below are some original vegetarian recipes.

Required : 150 g spinach or lettuce, 1 cucumber, 1 bell pepper, 1 avocado, 3 tbsp. l. pumpkin seeds, 2 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp. mustard, 2 tsp. vegetable oil.

Preparation : Wash the spinach and place it on a plate. Cut the vegetables into strips and mix. Place them on a plate with spinach. Prepare the sauce by mixing mustard, vegetable oil and vinegar. Season the salad, add salt to taste and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.

Required : 100 g oyster mushrooms, 100 g cabbage, carrots, 2 tomatoes, 1 sweet pepper, bay leaf, sea ​​salt, 1 tsp. honey, 60 g vegetable oil, dried herbs, black pepper.

Preparation : cut the peppers and carrots into strips and simmer in oil. Grate the tomatoes, after peeling them, and add to the frying pan with the vegetables. Chop the cabbage and chop the mushrooms, place everything in a saucepan. Pour 300 ml of water, add vegetable stew and all the spices, as well as herbs and honey. Simmer everything over low heat for about half an hour. Remove from heat and sprinkle the dish with ground black pepper.

Required : 1 glass of grated carrots, 300 g of milk, 1 glass of oatmeal, a pinch of ground ginger and nutmeg, 0.5 tsp each. cinnamon and vanilla, 100 g chopped nuts, 2 tbsp. l. coconut flakes, 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 50 g raisins, 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Preparation : heat the milk, adding ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg. Add oatmeal and carrots to the heated milk, boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the thickened mixture from heat, add raisins, nuts, vanilla, sugar. After mixing the mixture, place it in the pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Transfer the finished dish to a large plate, sprinkle with coconut flakes and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Syrniki

Required : 100 g cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. l. semolina, 50 g raisins, 20 g flour, 20 g butter, a pinch of salt.

Preparation : Squeeze the curd until it is as dry as possible. Add semolina to it and stir well. Wash and dry the raisins. Add it, as well as flour and salt to the cottage cheese and stir everything well. Fry until a crust appears. Can be served with honey.

Below are some Interesting Facts about vegetarianism:

• In India, more than 80% of the population does not consume animal products. The fewest vegetarians live in China.
• By giving up meat consumption, a person reduces the likelihood of getting sick cataracts by 40%.
• The study confirmed that the body odor of people who have excluded meat from their diet is more pleasant than that of meat eaters. It has been noted that red meat has the most negative effect on body odor.
• It was vegetarians who created the Kama Sutra. Therefore, you can find the statement that people who give up meat are more skilled lovers.
• Even vegans can gain weight. The answer to the question of how to gain weight for vegetarians is simple: you need to consume more high-calorie foods and introduce a variety of nuts, seeds and starchy vegetables into your menu.

Vegetarianism: reviews and results

Numerous reviews and opinions about why it is worth practicing vegetarian philosophy are not uncommon on the Internet. But many people practice the so-called vegetarian diet temporarily to lose weight. It is not followed constantly, but in courses - for several weeks or months. But even such periods of abstinence from meat help improve well-being and reduce weight. Those who practice such a diet write that after just a few weeks, lightness appears in the body, and extra pounds disappear.

conclusions

Without a doubt, in many ways our era is the era of vegetarians. There is now an entire industry dedicated to providing plant-based consumers with the products and services they need. There are vegetarian cafes and restaurants in big cities. Very often you can see invitations to a vegetarian festival, to a hobby club, and even to special cooking courses.

In most cities it is not difficult to find a store that sells everything for people practicing this lifestyle. And those who live in small towns can easily order everything they need through the online store.

But still, those who want to change their lives and start practicing veganism or less radical forms of vegetarianism should still carefully prepare for such a step. To do this, it is necessary to study as much information as possible about this movement, reading books, watching documentaries, which provide a detailed presentation of this philosophy. It wouldn’t hurt to visit a thematic forum - there are a lot of them on the Internet, or corresponding VK groups. On the social network VKontakte you can make numerous acquaintances with like-minded people and even find suitable vacancies for people who practice this philosophy.

However, you need to remember that many resources (Lurk, etc.) contain a lot of rather contradictory information.

But if a person truly consciously strives to become a vegetarian, then, using the advice of experienced people, he can gradually move on to this practice. But such nutrition should be as balanced and varied as possible - only in this case will it bring benefits to the body and good health to the person.

I have been on a vegetarian diet for three weeks. Houseplants have never looked so delicious! Jokes aside, vegetarianism is a desire for healthy eating and a new lifestyle. Meat and animal products are not included in this diet. What do vegetarians eat? The list of products will be useful for those who have decided to radically change their life.

What do you know about vegetarians?

Do vegetarians eat eggs? This is of interest to many people who have decided to eat exclusively healthy low-fat foods. Many of us mistakenly think that we eat all foods except meat. Do vegetarians eat fish? Imagine, yes. The list of products that make up the diet of vegetarians depends on the direction.

Today, the world knows several groups of vegetarians:

• veganism;
• ovo-vegetarianism;
• raw foodists;
• fruitarians.

The classic direction of vegetarianism is called vegans. What do vegans eat? Their product list is quite limited. Firstly, they are strictly forbidden to feast on meat and fish. They also do not drink milk or eat eggs. And they have to refuse honey, despite the fact that it is a beekeeping product.

All areas of vegetarianism are united by the refusal of meat products. For example, ovo-vegetarians sometimes allow themselves milk and also introduce eggs into their diet. Honey is also present on their table.

Lacto-vegetarianism is considered a gentle direction. People who follow this diet include the following foods in their diet:

• milk;

But there is a taboo on eggs. It is very difficult to be a raw foodist. The basis of this diet consists of products of exclusively plant origin. However, they cannot be subjected to any heat treatment. Pickling is also prohibited.

Fruitarians are considered the happiest. Their diet includes any fruits and berries. They can also eat plant fruits, but only raw. The main source of vitamins and minerals for fruitarians are seeds and nuts.

Directions of vegetarianism are information for general development. Only true supporters of plant foods can join one group or another. Recently, a vegetarian diet has become very fashionable. People who are actively fighting excess weight try to follow this diet.

In this context, it is useful to talk about the general aspects of a vegetarian diet. What can you afford? How to maintain your energy, health and vigor? To do this, you need to create a correct and balanced diet.

Let's take a short tour of the groups of acceptable products:

1. Without protein, life is not the same. It is known that we get most of our protein from fish and meat fillets. If you follow a vegetarian diet, you need to find an alternative. You can enrich your body with protein using legumes, nuts and grains.
2. Iron is the first building block of our hemoglobin. This element plays an important role in the process of hematopoiesis. You can stock up on metal elements with buckwheat, beans and soybeans. For variety, you are allowed to enjoy dried fruits and leafy vegetables.
3. B vitamins are found in sauerkraut, seaweed and sea buckthorn.
4. You can replenish your zinc supply with leavened bread.
5. Our body also needs amino acids. These elements can be extracted from flaxseed, rapeseed or soybean oil. Walnut kernels remain an indispensable food for vegetarians.

Few people can afford to indulge in fermented milk products. But some vegetarians do not give up gastronomic pleasure and include yoghurt, butter, sour cream, kefir and cottage cheese in their diet. A quick note: these products should not contain animal fats. Only plant foods are welcome.

As Faina Ranevskaya said, if you don’t eat meat, your face becomes smaller, but sadder. And the supply of vitality will gradually dry up. To prevent this from happening, you need to take multivitamin complexes. Then your vitamin supply will always be normal.

Vitamin ABC

To keep your energy constantly bubbling like Niagara Falls, you need to replenish your vitamin supply. For this purpose, vegetarians introduce fruit and vegetable dishes into their diet, which are an extraordinary delicacy for them. So, you can prepare fruit smoothies. This cocktail will replace a full breakfast, and after half an hour you will notice an unprecedented surge in energy. You can add various fruits, oatmeal, cereals, and vegetables to smoothies.

Once a day you need to please your stomach and eat soups. In order for the first dish to become a real storehouse of vitamins, micro- and macroelements, it must be prepared using vegetable broth. Celery is ideal for these purposes.

Many vitamins are found in seafood, but only of plant origin. How about kelp? This is a common seaweed that is known to vegetarians from Alaska to Brazil.

If you have just started on the path of vegetarianism, then you simply cannot do without snacks. Getting used to the new diet will last from 14 to 21 days. To celebrate your belly, you can eat nuts and dried fruits.

There is an absolute taboo on a number of food additives, in particular:

• gelatin;
• albumen;
• rennet extract.

To prevent your dishes from being bland, you can use absolutely any herbs and spices. Try adding new colors and flavorful notes to your usual dishes. You will definitely like it.

What vegans can’t eat and what they can? This is probably the most popular question that a person asks when he finds out that he is facing a real vegetarian. Those who are planning to change their lifestyle and switch to a vegan diet are also thinking about this. Is there really a list of foods that vegans cannot or should not eat? Let's conduct our own investigation!

The difference between a vegan and a vegetarian

Today, only the lazy have not heard of a vegetarian diet. Almost every second person associates vegetarianism with the exclusion of meat and meat products from food. But this is not entirely true. Today, there are several forms of vegetarianism, and veganism is one of them.

Veganism implies strict abstinence from eating animal products.. And it’s not just meat that has to be excluded. There are many things that a vegetarian can eat that a vegan cannot eat.

What vegans shouldn't eat: food list

So, what should vegans not eat? Consider the staple foods that are not present in their diet.

1. Meat and meat products

This goes without saying. This includes all types of meat: from beef to chicken. Some people believe that chicken is not meat. In any case, it is not acceptable for a vegetarian.

The list of meat products also includes various frozen meats, sausages, semi-finished products and even pizza containing meat ingredients.

1. Milk and dairy products

The list of what vegans should not eat also includes dairy products. Although vegetarians can indulge in milk. But many of them still replace animal milk with soy or rice milk.

1. Fish and fish products

Fish falls into the dubious category of what vegans can and cannot eat. This is especially true for fish products: many vegetarians eat them. But let us repeat that these are vegetarians, not vegans, who advocate only plant foods.

So, we've listed the three main food subgroups that top the list of what vegans shouldn't eat. Also forbidden foods for many vegans include:

• Eggs;
• Preservatives;
• Sugar;
• Mushrooms;
• Bakery products;
• Mayonnaise;
• Cheeses containing rennet;
• Gelatin;
• Chocolate containing milk powder.

This is where we’ll finish listing what you can’t eat while being vegan and let’s begin listing what you can.

How do vegans eat?

Despite the fact that the list of restrictions for a vegan diet is quite impressive, it cannot be said that vegans starve. Their diet contains a lot of healthy and balanced foods.

1. Fruits and vegetables

Let's start, of course, with vegetables and fruits, because... They are the basis of plant foods. Add some greens here and the full menu for the day is ready! Vegetarian vegetable soup, stewed vegetables, any salad made from raw vegetables and herbs, sliced ​​fruits, freshly squeezed vegetables and fruit juices, smoothies – the list is endless! And how delicious it all sounds! How useful!

1. Cereals

Buckwheat is especially loved by vegetarians, which can be either boiled or eaten sprouted.. Wheat and oats are also valued, the sprouts of which are also very nutritious. In fact, a vegan can eat any cereal, only the porridge based on it must be dairy-free.

1. Dried fruits

Another healthy group of foods, so loved by all vegans. Dried apricots, prunes, raisins, dates - all of this can be eaten as an independent product or diluted with porridge.

1. Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds contain a lot of nutrients and amino acids. And what a variety there is! Especially today, when many adhere to healthy eating, manufacturers do not stand still and come up with new tasty and healthy substitutes for junk food. For example, instead of a bag of chips, you can eat a bar of nuts and dried fruits for a snack.

Another irreplaceable vegetarian product. Soy meat and milk will diversify his table and make the absence of regular meat and milk not so noticeable. How delicious is soy milk soup with healthy muesli!

Also in a vegan’s diet you can find all types of berries, flax, from which, by the way, delicious cookie substitutes are produced - the so-called flax. The latter are presented with various additives: berries and fruits for children, vegetables and spices for adults.

Instead of a conclusion

So, you can see that the list of foods that vegans eat is more impressive than those that are not recommended for them to eat. At the same time, a vegan diet is not only varied, but also healthy. Therefore, even an inexperienced housewife will always find something to treat her vegetarian friend.

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The last time I ate meat was 10 years ago. Since then, I have heard different things about vegetarianism.

Valentina Puskash

Hasn't eaten meat for 10 years

Some people believe that giving up meat means living on cabbage and carrots. Bored, hungry, economical. Others, on the contrary, think that it is very expensive and that every day I eat chia seeds soaked in coconut milk and other unusual rare foods.

In this article I will tell you what vegetarians eat instead of meat, where to get these products and how much they cost.

Are vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists the same thing?

No, these are three different approaches to nutrition.

Vegetarians do not eat meat, poultry, fish, seafood and all dishes prepared with the addition of these products. For example, I don’t eat soup made with chicken broth. The principle is this: do not eat anyone who has eyes. Eggs and dairy products remain in the diet of vegetarians.

Vegans Only plant foods are accepted. They do not eat eggs, cottage cheese, or milk. The most ideological vegans even refuse honey, and dishes familiar to ordinary people are prepared from plant analogues, for example, sunflower seed mayonnaise, champignon pate, and tofu soy cheese omelet.

Raw foodists, like vegans, they live on plant foods, but they eat everything only raw. As a last resort, the products are heated to 40 °C - it is believed that with greater heat treatment, all products lose beneficial features. Products are pickled, crushed, mixed in unusual combinations: for example, “bread” is prepared from seeds and grains, and cakes are made from crushed cashew nuts - they taste like cheesecakes.

What to buy in the supermarket

Vegetarians eat foods containing vegetable or dairy protein instead of meat. Much can be found in standard chain stores like Perekrestok and Pyaterochka, but in the hypermarket there is more choice. I'll tell you what to buy using Auchan as an example.

Legumes. Beans, lentils, mung beans are the simplest and most understandable replacement for meat. They are used to prepare soups and main dishes. Peas, mung beans and lentils are packaged in 450 g packages, they cost less than 100 rubles.

My favorite legume is chickpeas, also known as chickpeas. Popular Israeli dishes are made from chickpeas: spicy hummus spread and falafel. I often make hummus myself; it doesn’t require any special ingredients or any unusual equipment - just a saucepan and a blender.

In Moscow, they make good hummus at Vkusville. You can also buy hummus to take away from a vegetarian cafe, for example, Jagannath.

Falafel is the most famous vegetarian street food, similar to burger and shawarma. The shape of falafel resembles ordinary small cutlets. For falafel in Moscow, you can go to Fruits and Wedges, Falafel Guru, or to a market, for example, Danilovsky or Usachevsky. In Rostov-on-Don, there is good falafel in the vegetarian cafe “Kolyuchka”.

Width="1000" height="750" class="" style="max-width: 1000px; height: auto"> Falafel in the Rostov vegetarian cafe “Koljuchka” - with hummus, chickpeas and fresh vegetables, a portion costs 220 RUR

Soy products. Soybeans are used to make products of different textures: flour and milk, cheese and “meat,” butter and sauce. Many supermarkets sell soy meat and soy asparagus. Asparagus is known in the form of Korean salad, but you can also buy it in dry form to prepare this salad yourself.

Soy asparagus needs to be soaked in water for several hours. After this it is easy to cook. A package from Auchan lasts me 3-4 months.

Mushrooms. A nourishing and understandable product, suitable for everything. You can make mushroom pie, pasta, mushroom soup or salad. Champignons are sold by weight - a kilogram costs 200 RUR, oyster mushrooms in packages - about 85 RUR per 400 g.

Adyghe cheese. In addition to milk, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese and hard cheeses, vegetarians love Adyghe cheese. It's all about Indian cuisine: there are many vegetarian recipes, many of them require special homemade cheese called “paneer”. It is difficult to find paneer on sale in Russia, but Adyghe cheese replaces it. Adyghe cheese can also be fried and baked with spices and vegetables.

Width="600" height="800" class="" style="max-width: 600px; height: auto"> Adyghe cheese at Auchan - 155 R per piece

Avocado- a very satisfying fruit. Quick and filling breakfast idea: Avocado slices on grain toast. You can sprinkle black pepper, salt and lemon on top to prevent it from darkening. Sometimes I just eat an avocado with a spoon when I need a quick snack or don't feel like cooking.

Avocados have a different problem: it’s hard to find good ones. They are sold in supermarkets all year round, the price is low - 45-80 rubles per piece, but ripe ones can only be found in late autumn and early winter. In December, I was able to buy good avocados at Magnit, Pyaterochka, and Dixie. The rest of the time, edible avocados are sold on the market and are several times more expensive - about 200 rubles apiece.

Nuts- a good addition to the main diet and a snack option. I usually carry a mixture of raisins, cashews and almonds. Many vegetarians I know make their own or buy sweets from chopped dates, dried apricots, prunes and nuts.

There is a wide range of prices for packaged nuts. In terms of kilograms, for example, almonds cost from 1,400 to 1,700 rubles per 1 kg. You can save money by buying nuts in bulk. But it’s better to do this not at Auchan, but at the market: the quality of loose nuts there is better. A kilogram of almonds at the Central Market in Rostov-on-Don costs 800 rubles. Weigh any number of nuts.

Vegetarian blacklist

Some foods contain so-called hidden meat. This means that it contains components that vegetarians consider unacceptable. Here are the main products that are available in Russian stores.

Most hard cheeses are made in Russia. Often cottage cheese too. Manufacturers of cheeses and cottage cheese use rennet: it is needed to coagulate milk. Majority Russian manufacturers indicate on the label an enzyme of animal origin. This means that it was obtained from veal stomachs. For vegetarians, the composition should contain rennet of plant origin; manufacturers also call it microbial or microbiological.

Here are the brands of cheeses suitable for vegetarians: “Arla-Natura creamy”, “Vkusnoteevo creamy”, “Lamber”, “Suluguni Giaginsky”.

Yogurts in cups, fruit ice cream in paper cups, some marshmallows and marmalade, cakes and desserts with jelly. All of these products contain gelatin, a substance extracted from the bone marrow of animals. It is gelatin that creates the jelly consistency in these products. Vegetarians will benefit from sweets that use agar-agar instead of gelatin, a substance made from algae that has a similar effect. Pectin is also suitable - it is made from fruits.

Vegetarian stores

Shops for vegetarians sell things that diversify the menu and save time: lean sausages and frankfurters, semi-finished products, sweets without flour and sugar, urbechi - seeds and nuts ground into paste. In Moscow, these are Jagannath, Indian Spices, and a good selection of vegetarian food at Vkusville. In Rostov-on-Don I go to the Ethical Store, Vegan Shop and Ecostory.

Width="600" height="800" class="" style="max-width: 600px; height: auto"> Lean sausage made from wheat and soy protein in the Rostov “Ethical Store” costs 225 RUR

In such stores I buy, for example, cereals. There is always more choice here than in Auchan. There are expensive and completely unique porridges, for example hemp or cedar, but I usually buy something simpler, up to 200 rubles. Unpolished brown rice, which is considered healthier than white rice, couscous and bulgur are varieties of wheat cereal. Instead of the usual pasta, I buy Asian buckwheat and rice noodles here.

I also buy superfoods. These are seeds, berries, algae. It is believed that they contain tens of times more nutrients than other products. Some superfoods even contain elements that humans get primarily from animal foods, which is why vegetarians especially appreciate them.

For example, chia seeds. They contain omega-3 fatty acids and calcium. The easiest way to prepare desserts is from chia seeds: just pour juice or milk over them and leave for 15 minutes. The seeds increase in volume, resulting in a pudding.

In a Rostov store, chia seeds cost 565 rubles. The package weighs 225 g. I buy it cheaper on Iherb: 606 rubles for a package twice as large - 454 g. It lasts me about 4 months.

A more accessible Russian superfood is flax seeds. In the store they cost 50-60 rubles per package weighing 200 grams. Even cheaper - on the market, 18 rubles per 100 g. Flax seeds are best ground and added to your usual food - baking flour or salad. I add ground flax to oatmeal, about one tablespoon.

How vegetarians can save money on food

Buy by weight and in bulk. You can significantly save on nuts and dried fruits by buying them at the market. This is much cheaper than packaged nuts in stores.

You can save even more by buying at wholesale vegetable stores. True, you will have to buy at least a kilogram of nuts and dried fruits there. From 5 kilograms the price drops by another 20-50%. I have vegetarian friends who agree on such joint purchases, and sometimes I also participate in them.

Cook at home. I manage to save money on peanut butter, which I make myself. In the store, a jar weighing 430 g costs 365 rubles. I buy a kilogram of peanuts for 150 rubles and make the paste myself using a blender. A jar of the same volume as in the store costs me 65 rubles, which is 5 times cheaper.

My homemade pasta contains roasted peanuts, a pinch of salt and a little vegetable oil - sesame or sunflower. I like that it does not contain sugar or other additives.

Buy Russian superfoods instead of foreign ones. Chia seeds, spirulina, goji berries, acai, lucuma are popular imported superfoods. They are added in small quantities to food and drinks. But there are ordinary Russian analogues, the prices of which are several times lower: flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and green, unroasted buckwheat - all this costs much less and is no less healthy.

Move south. A radical method, but many convinced vegetarians use it. They move from harsh climates to warmer climes, where there are more local fresh products and lower prices. It so happened that I also live in the south, in Rostov-on-Don, after spending several years in Moscow. According to my observations, fruits and vegetables at the Central Market of Rostov are on average 30-50% cheaper than at the Preobrazhensky Market in Moscow, which is already considered quite inexpensive among metropolitan markets.

My costs

I spend about 10,000 rubles a month on groceries. I don’t save money, but I try not to buy too much. My list contains fairly simple products and almost no exotic ones.

My approximate food budget for the week

Product	Price
Potatoes (1 kg)	25 R
Tomatoes (1 kg)	100 R
Avocado (2 pcs.)	90 R
Cabbage (1 pc.)	45 R
Carrots (1 kg.)	25 R
Cauliflower (1 pc.)	50 R
Greens: lettuce, cilantro, green onions	110 R
Persimmon (2 kg)	100 R
Tangerines (1 kg)	80 R
Apples (1 kg)	50 R
Bananas (2 kg)	126 R
Chickpeas (1 pack)	89 R
Basmati rice (1 pack)	94 R
Buckwheat noodles “Soba” (1 pack)	74 R
Crispbread (2 packs)	34 R
Cashew (100 g)	95 R
Sesame (200 g)	46 R
Peanuts (300 g)	45 R
Adyghe cheese (1 pack)	155 R
Sour cream (1 pack)	43 R
Soy meat (200 g)	64 R
Halva (1 pack)	45 R
Dates (1 pack)	150 R
Drinking water (2 × 5 l) “Mountain Peak”	110 R
Total	1845 R

Product

Price

Potatoes (1 kg)

25 R

Tomatoes (1 kg)

100 R

Avocado (2 pcs.)

90 R

Cabbage (1 pc.)

45 R

Carrots (1 kg.)

25 R

Cauliflower (1 pc.)

50 R

Greens: lettuce, cilantro, green onions

110 R

Persimmon (2 kg)

100 R

Tangerines (1 kg)

80 R

Apples (1 kg)

50 R

Bananas (2 kg)

126 R

Chickpeas (1 pack)

89 R

Basmati rice (1 pack)

94 R

Buckwheat noodles “Soba” (1 pack.)

74 R

Crispbread (2 packs)

34 R

Cashew (100 g)

95 R

Sesame (200 g)

46 R

Peanuts (300 g)

45 R

Adyghe cheese (1 pack)

155 R

Sour cream (1 pack)

43 R

Soy meat (200 g)

64 R

Halva (1 pack)

45 R

Dates (1 pack)

150 R

Drinking water (2 × 5 l) “Mountain Peak”

110 R

1845 R

From these products I can prepare pilaf with cashew nuts, potato casserole with Adyghe cheese, chickpea stew, hummus, noodles with vegetables, soups and salads. All this is simple and fast.

My diet is not universal, I would not recommend anyone to become a vegetarian overnight. The most common advice given to beginning vegetarians is not to make any sudden transitions. If you decide not to eat meat, try not eating only red meat first. If this is comfortable, you can try to give up poultry, and last but not least, fish and seafood. It is better to consult a doctor.

10,000 R

per month - my budget for food at home

What to order in a cafe

I work remotely and rarely go to cafes and restaurants. I spend about 2000 RUR on eating out. In Rostov-on-Don, dinner in a vegetarian restaurant can cost 800 RUR, a business lunch - 200 RUR.

In Moscow, everything is much more expensive in fashionable vegetarian restaurants. For example, in the Moscow-Delhi cafe on Patriarch's Ponds, everything is prepared from organic vegetarian products according to traditional Indian recipes, but dinner costs 1,800 RUR per person. In this case, you don’t choose the dishes yourself - you eat what you prepared today. There is also a chain of vegetarian fast food cafes in Moscow called Jagannath, which are much cheaper: pilaf with soy - 150 RUR, curry with chickpeas - 140 RUR.

You can almost always find vegetarian food in regular cafes, including cafes with national cuisine. And it’s not just buckwheat or potatoes from the “Side Dishes” section. I often order hummus, falafel, tabbouleh salad, pasta with mushrooms, lobio. Margherita pizza, cream of mushroom soup, vegetable salad - this entire standard cafe set is suitable for a vegetarian. In a Japanese restaurant you can order miso soup, rolls with avocado or cucumber.

Width="1000" height="750" class="" style="max-width: 1000px; height: auto"> The menu of the Italian pizzeria “Campania” in Rostov has three types of pasta suitable for vegetarians: ravioli with spinach and ricotta, Four cheese pasta and pasta with eggplant, tomato sauce and parmesan. Cost from 250 to 290 RUR

I advise you to carefully study the ingredients of the dish before ordering. If in doubt, ask the waiter. If after his answer you still have doubts, do not order. It happens that miso soup is prepared with fish broth, and vegetable minestrone is prepared with chicken broth. Several times I got caught like this and had to refuse the dish.

You have to be prudent when traveling too. I try to find out in advance what the vegetarian food situation is like in the place I'm going to. Sometimes it is useful to know the names and addresses of vegetarian-friendly cafes in advance. In my experience, there are no problems with vegetarian food in Asia, especially in India, Thailand, and Bali.

Some airlines offer vegetarian options on board. This does not apply to charter flights and low-cost airlines. It is better to say in advance that you will need a special menu - check-in for the flight opens 48 hours in advance, during check-in you can choose a special meal, if such an option is available.

Shoes

The hardest thing about being a vegetarian for me was not giving up meat, but giving up shoes made from unethical materials. This includes Genuine Leather, suede, nubuck. Ethical - everything is artificial: eco-leather, polyester, polyurethane, artificial leather, suede, nubuck.

I usually buy shoes in mass markets in shopping centers in Rostov-on-Don. It is inexpensive, but often inconvenient and fragile. You have to spend a lot of time to find an acceptable option. So, in winter I bought boots on sale for 2000 RUR, in summer - sandals for 1200 RUR. The most expensive pair I have now are shoes for 4000 RUR.

How to look after your health

Several times a year I go for preventive examinations to different doctors: over the past six months I have been to a therapist and an ENT specialist. When they hear that I am a vegetarian, they always send me for a general blood test. The analysis is needed to determine the level of hemoglobin: if it is below normal, this may mean anemia - iron deficiency in the body. Anemia is a common problem for vegetarians, because people get the most iron from animal products; there is much less of it in plant foods.

In 10 years of vegetarianism, I have never been diagnosed with a low hemoglobin level. I also did not have any other health problems due to nutrition. I continue to take a blood test at least once a year - I do it for free with a doctor’s referral at my local clinic. You can take it yourself in a private clinic or laboratory.

In a private clinic near my home in Rostov-on-Don, a blood test costs 535 RUR. In a large Moscow private laboratory, a general blood test costs 315 R plus 199 R for blood sampling.

You can play it safe and, in addition to the general one, also take a blood test for serum iron, total protein, B12 and calcium. A lack of these substances in the blood can also indicate anemia.

What I learned after 10 years of vegetarianism

1. There is nothing difficult about living without meat. Vegetarianism does not mean a strict diet and restrictions. You just need to learn how to replace meat with other products.
2. Vegetarianism doesn't cost much. But it will take time and imagination to cook.
3. Before giving up meat, consult a dietitian. In my experience, many doctors now support this restriction on meat products, but it's important to find out if it's right for you.
4. Vegetarians need to undergo a general blood test at least once a year. If you have compulsory medical insurance, this can be done free of charge at the clinic with a doctor’s referral. You should also inform all doctors, without exception, about your diet - this may affect your prescriptions and recommendations. Sometimes additional vitamins are prescribed. I was prescribed B vitamins several times.
5. In my experience, the hardest thing for vegetarians to find is quality faux leather shoes.