Skip to content

Top Navigation

MyRecipes MyRecipes
  • Course
  • Baking
  • Global
  • Healthy
  • Favorite Ingredients
  • Holidays and Occasions
  • Quick and Easy
  • Convenience Recipes
  • BBQ and Grilling
  • How To
  • Extra Crispy
  • Well Done
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Register
  • Recipe Box this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Pin FB

Explore MyRecipes

MyRecipes MyRecipes
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 1 55+ Easy Dinner Recipes for Busy Weeknights

      Everybody understands the stuggle of getting dinner on the table after a long day. If you're looking for a simple recipe to simplify your weeknight, you've come to the right place--easy dinners are our specialty.Ā For an easy supper that you can depend on, we picked out some of our tried-and-true favorites that have gotten us through even the busiest of days. Whether you're cooking for yourself or for a family, these easy dinners are sure to leave everyone satisfied and stress-free. Read More Next
    • 2 The Brilliant Secret to Making Better Mashed Potatoes

      Trust me, it’s so worth it. Read More Next
    • 3 65 Super Easy Finger Foods to Make for Any Party

      From chips and dip to one-bite apps, finger foods are the perfect way to kick off a party.Ā No forks or spoons required, justĀ easy-to-pick-up party foods, so you can clean up in no time.Ā  Read More Next
  • Course

    Course

    See All Course
    • Best Appetizer Recipes...Ever
    • Best Drink Recipes for Any Occasion
    • Salad Recipes
    • The Ultimate Guide to Sensational Sides
    • Soup and Stew Recipes
    • Easy Entertaining for Everyone
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Main Dishes and EntrĆ©es
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
  • Baking

    Baking

    See All Baking
    • Bread Recipes
    • Our Most-Loved Cake Recipes
    • Cookie Recipes
    • Pie Recipes
  • Global

    Global

    See All Global
    • Spanish Recipes
    • Thai Recipes
    • Vietnamese Recipes
    • Middle Eastern Recipes
    • Mexican Recipes
    • Malaysian Recipes
    • Korean Recipes
    • Japanese Recipes
    • Italian Recipes
    • Indian Recipes
    • Greek Recipes
    • French Recipes
    • Chinese Recipes
    • African Recipes
    • American Recipes
    • Cajun and Creole Recipes
    • Caribbean Recipes
    • South American Recipes
    • Southern Recipes
    • German Recipes
  • Healthy

    Healthy

    See All Healthy
    • Easy, Healthy Recipes
    • Healthy Breakfasts
    • Healthy Dinners
    • Healthy Desserts
    • Diabetic Recipes
    • Gluten-Free Diet and Recipes
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Low Carbohydrate Recipes
    • Low Cholesterol Recipes
    • Low Fat Recipes
    • Low Sodium Recipes
    • Low Calorie Recipes
    • Vegetarian Recipes
  • Favorite Ingredients

    Favorite Ingredients

    See All Favorite Ingredients
    • The Ultimate Guide to Chicken
    • Vegetable Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Cheese Recipes
    • Chocolate Recipes
    • Pasta Recipes
    • Pork Recipes
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Shrimp Recipes
  • Holidays and Occasions

    Holidays and Occasions

    See All Holidays and Occasions
    • A Foodie's Guide to Halloween Recipes
    • The Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide
    • Hanukkah Recipes
    • Your Ultimate Christmas Recipe Guide
    • Our Most Festive New Year's Recipes
    • Best-Ever Super Bowl Sunday Recipes
    • Best Valentine's Day Recipes
    • Mardi Gras Recipes
    • The Ultimate Guide to Easter Recipes
    • Labor Day Recipes
    • The Ultimate Fourth of July Guide
    • Memorial Day Recipes
    • Touchdown-Worthy Tailgate Recipes
    • Wedding and Shower Recipes
  • Quick and Easy

    Quick and Easy

    See All Quick and Easy
    • 15-Minute Recipes for Busy Home Cooks
    • 45-Minute Recipes
    • 5 Ingredients or Less
    • Dinner Tonight
    • No-Cook Recipes
  • Convenience Recipes

    Convenience Recipes

    See All Convenience Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Kid Approved
    • Our Top Make-Ahead Recipes
    • Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes
  • BBQ and Grilling

    BBQ and Grilling

    See All BBQ and Grilling
    • Grilled Beef Recipes
    • Grilled Chicken Recipes
    • Grilled Fish Recipes
    • Grilled Pork Recipes
    • Grilled Shrimp Recipes
    • Grilled Vegetable Recipes
  • How To

    How To

    See All How To
    • 7 Ways With...
    • Cooking Questions
    • Ingredients and Tools
    • Kitchen Cleaning
    • Videos
  • Extra Crispy
  • Well Done

    Well Done

    See All Well Done
    • Homemade vs. The Internet
    • How-to and Explainers
    • Mom vs.
    • Recipe Videos
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Register
  • Recipe Box this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Our Best Recipes for Healthy Eating Chevron Right
  3. Vegetarian Advisory: 7 Necessary Nutrients

Vegetarian Advisory: 7 Necessary Nutrients

Updated April 15, 2008
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin

When eating a vegetarian diet, getting key nutrients can be a challenge. Here's how to make healthy choices.

Start Slideshow

1 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Necessary Nutrients

Credit: Jonathan Kantor Studio/Digital Vision/Getty Images

A diet of French fries and soft drinks is certainly vegetarian but hardly full of nutrition. It's important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and soy products, paying close attention to protein, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc–nutrients which are sometimes harder to consume on a meatless diet.

1 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Protein

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

This isn't a big deal for most vegetarians because other than fruits, almost every other food of plant origin contains protein, even if it's in small amounts. The quality of plant protein is generally lower than protein from animal sources, but it's still adequate to meet the body's needs–just be sure to eat a varied diet that includes soy products, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, and vegetables.

Recipe:Ā Stir-Fried Tofu and Spring Greens with Peanut Sauce

2 of 8

3 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Vitamin B12

Credit: William Dickey; Styling: Margaret Dickey

This vitamin, which helps produce red blood cells, is widely available in animal-based foods and isn't a problem for vegetarians who eat dairy products or eggs. But vegans should take a supplement or eat vitamin B12-fortified foods such as cereals, soy or rice beverages, or veggie burgers.

Recipe:Ā Espresso Soy Milk Shake

3 of 8

Advertisement

4 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Essential Fatty Acids

Credit: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Vegetarians need to consume alpha-linolenic acids because they convert to omega-3 fatty acids, which help keep the brain and nervous system functioning and may also offer protection from heart disease. Plant-based sources of alpha-linolenic acids include canola oil, soy oil, walnuts, ground flaxseed, and soybeans. Flexitarians who consume fish can get omega-3s from fatty varieties like salmon.

Recipe:Ā Parsley and Walnut Pesto

4 of 8

5 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Vitamin D

Credit: Tina Cornett; Melanie J. Clarke

Although fish, liver, and egg yolks are the only foods that naturally contain vitamin D, it's added to most milk in the United States. Your body also makes its own when your skin is exposed to sunlight, so simply drinking milk and getting outdoors can provide enough vitamin D to assist in calcium absorption and help maintain strong bones. Vegans may need a supplement or other vitamin D-fortified foods.

Recipe:Ā Butternut Squash and Parmesan Bread Pudding

5 of 8

6 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Calcium

Credit: Van Chaplin; Katherine Webb; Marian Cooper Cairns

If you consume dairy products, calcium intake is usually not a problem. Without dairy, it takes a little planning to consume the recommended amount of 1,000 milligrams per day. Consider taking a supplement and eat lots of calcium-containing plant foods: soybeans, fortified soy products, broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, okra, rutabaga, bok choy, dried figs, and fortified juices, cereals, cereal bars, and breads.

Recipe:Ā Collards with Red Onions

6 of 8

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Iron

Credit: Jan Smith

Lacto-ovo vegetarians can get iron from eggs, but others should eat plenty of legumes, fortified cereals and breads, spinach, beet greens, seeds, tempeh, prunes, raisins, and blackstrap molasses. Because our bodies don't absorb plant-based iron (nonheme iron) as well as iron from animal products, eat vitamin C-rich food with every meal to help increase absorption of nonheme iron. Also, if you cook in a cast-iron skillet, some of the iron from the pan will pass into the food.

Recipe:Ā Bulgur, Spinach, and Toasted Walnut Pancakes

7 of 8

8 of 8

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Zinc

When you don't eat meat, poultry, or seafood, you may come up short on zinc, a nutrient that helps the formation of proteins. Dairy products and many plants also contain this important nutrient, but the zinc from plant foods isn't absorbed as well as the zinc from animal products. However, if you eat plenty of whole-grain breads, legumes, tofu, seeds, and nuts, you can get an adequate amount.

Recipe:Ā Barbecued-Tofu Sandwich

8 of 8

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 8 Necessary Nutrients
2 of 8 Protein
3 of 8 Vitamin B12
4 of 8 Essential Fatty Acids
5 of 8 Vitamin D
6 of 8 Calcium
7 of 8 Iron
8 of 8 Zinc

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email

Login

MyRecipes

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Advertising this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
MyRecipes.com is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. MyRecipes is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. MyRecipes may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.myrecipes.com

View image

Vegetarian Advisory: 7 Necessary Nutrients
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.