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Following a few simple guidelines
will help...
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Maintain a balanced diet;
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Curb hunger pangs, sugar cravings, and
fatigue,
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as well as protect you against anemia.
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These guidelines,
which can be used in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, call on you
to take into account two very important nutrients:
protein and iron.
First Guideline- Eat enough protein
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How much protein is
appropriate varies according to a person's age, size, healthy weight,
state of health, and physical activity;
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If you are small and not
a very active person, you will need are less protein than a tall and
athletic individual; |
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If you are pregnant or a
nursing woman, you need more protein than normal; |
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If you are recovering
from surgery or cancer treatment, a higher intake of protein will help
repair tissues and allow growth of new tissue; |
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If you are over sixty,
your needs are even higher than they were when you were thirty ; |
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Calculating your protein
needs isn't that complicated.On average, your needs correspond to
slightly less than one gram
of protein per kilogram of healthy weight ; |
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To find out
your weight in kilograms, divide your weight in pounds by 2,2. For
example, if you weigh
125 pounds,
you divide 125 by 2,2 to obtain your weight in kilograms; 57 kg. At
this weight, si votre activité est limitée, la dose appropriée de
protéines est d'environ
50 grams per day
are considered an appropriate amount if you aren't very physically
active.
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The appropriate amount
determined by our simplified formula does not correspond to a maximum
daily intake of protein. If you add a few grams, it won't do you any
harm. But if you never reach your target amount, you run the risk of
feeling tired and having other problems associated with a protein
deficiency; |
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But beware:
50 grams of
protein is not the same thing as 50 grams of meat.
Grams of
protein are invisible and cannot be weighed on the butcher's scale. For
example a chicken breast or fish filet contains at least 20 grams of
protein; an egg has 5 grams; and a slice of whole-wheat bread contains
less than 3 grams. |
Second Guideline - Eat enough iron-rich foods
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Iron is extremely
important to good health...
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Caried by the red blood cells, iron transports
oxygen and stores it in the muscles, evacuates carbon dioxide to the lungs,
and serves other vital functions; |
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Individuals who lack iron suffer from
anemia, which leads to symptoms ranging from an inability to concentration
to a weakened immune system; |
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Anemia is widespread
among both vegetarians and non-vegetarians throughout the world, when
there isn't enoug iron in the daily diet or when it is poorly absorbed; |
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Because the iron in
plant foods is less well absorbed than the iron in animal flesh...
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The daily
dose recommended for
strict vegetarians
goes up to 36 mg
for women before menopause and 16 mg per day for postmenopausal women and
for men of all ages; |
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It is therefore
important to include iron-rich foods and foods that encourage iron
absorption on a daily basis. |
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Among the richest
sources of iron-fortified breakfast cereals...
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Organ meats such as liver and
kidneys; |
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Legumes such as soybeans; |
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Molluscs such as oyters;
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Mussels, and
clams; |
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Blackstrap molasses.
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As can be seen, red meat is not the only
source. |
Note: *
To learn more on part-time vegetarianism, consult
the "The
Part Time Vegetarian"
Stoddart
Publishing, 2002
at
Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
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