HEALTHY WAY TO VEG OUT ON VEGGIES
If you're vegging out on veggies, or considering eliminating meat from your diet, you should know how to get your fill of protein and iron while avoiding fat.
Researchers writing in the Mayo Clinic Health Letter list lentils, beans, soy, nuts, nut butters and whole-grain breads and cereals as good sources of protein. Research has disproven the notion that vegetarians have to eat certain foods in combination to meet their protein needs, they noted. The nutrition experts also said non-meat sources of iron include beans, peas, whole-grain breads, spinach, raisins, apricots, peaches, nuts and seeds. Accompanying these foods with those rich in vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, they pointed out. They also cautioned that a non-meat meal does not necessarily mean a low-fat one. Fat and calories add up fast if your vegetarian fare consists of French fries, ice cream, whole milk, cheese and nuts, they pointed out.