Because vegetarians avoid meat products there is a common misconception that a vegetarian diet doesn’t provide enough bone building protein and calcium to keep osteoporosis at bay. But adequate protein and calcium can easily be obtained from vegetarian diets. In fact, studies have shown that since animal products force calcium out of the body, eating meat can actually promote bone loss. In nations with mainly vegetable diets osteoporosis is less common.

In a well-balanced vegetarian diet, the best sources of proteins come from foods like beans and peas, seed and nuts. Tofu is a well known soya bean meat substitute that is high in protein. Other legumes like chickpeas, lentils etc are also good sources of proteins essential for cellular growth and virtually all biological processes. Calcium, essential for bone health, is available in broccoli, some green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds and almonds. Quinoa which cooks like a grain but is actually a first class protein is every useful.  Some vegetarians are happy to eat eggs and these are excellent first class protein. 

 

Choosing a multivitamin and mineral that provides calcium, magnesium, vitamin D (as D3) and boron is a good way to ensure adequate levels of essential nutrients if you’re a vegetarian.  (The one I use in the clinic is called MenoPlus see the Resources Page).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 3:30 am and is filed under Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Osteoporosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.