1. Eat a variety of foods from all food groups, being sure to include all nutrients.
2. Consume adequate calories for your lifestyle to prevent your body from using amino acids for fuel.
3. Moderately consume nuts and seeds to maintain a low-fat diet.
4. Select whole grains whenever possible to increase fibre and iron content.
5. Include a vitamin C source at every meal to aid iron absorption.
6. If a strict vegan you may need additional vitamin B12 (for strict vegans).
Here are some nutrients that are commonly lacking in vegetarian diest that are not well balanced.
1. Calcium : Found in Dark leafy vegetables, brown rice, fresh orange juice.
2. Iron: Found in fortified breads or grains, legumes and soya products, remember Vitamin C absorbs iron.
3. Linolenic acid: Linolenic acid is a dietary essential fatty acid that aids tissue strength, muscle tone, blood clotting, cholesterol metabloism and heart function. Usually obtained in walnuts, flaxseeds and soybean and canola oils.
4. Vitamin B12: should be taken as a supplement, can be found in brown rice.
5. Vitamin D: can be found in fortified Soya Milk and ready to eat cereal. In healthy people most vitamin D can be obtained by spending 10 minutes in the sun each day.
6. Zinc: can be found in whole grains, soya products, nuts and seeds.