Nutritional plans for vegetarians and vegans
Diet and Health
Diets for Vegetarians and Vegans
In recent decades, an increasing number of people have decided to change their lifestyle and nutrition philosophy for ethical or personal reasons, adopting a more or less strict vegetarian diet, excluding all types of meat and fish, or a vegan diet, excluding all animal products.
These types of diets have been and are consistently studied and applied in various clinical studies, highlighting positive effects on individual health in the short and long term, such as reducing inflammation and preventing cancer.
Proper Nutrient Management
However, care must be taken when implementing these nutritional regimens, because consuming only plant-based foods can make it more difficult to meet daily requirements, especially for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and even athletes who engage in intense activity, as their energy and nutrient requirements increase.
Under these conditions, a vegetarian or vegan diet may not always meet all nutritional needs, and it is therefore advisable to carefully research it before starting it to ensure the body does not lack the necessary nutrients.
It should be remembered that, given the same calorie intake, these types of diets do not help a person meet the normal recommended macronutrient balance. Instead, they are naturally unbalanced toward a higher carbohydrate intake and tend to lack the minimum recommended intake of proteins and essential amino acids.
Multiple studies show that people who have recently started following these types of diets tend to have problems maintaining a healthy body composition, gaining weight due to the excess carbohydrates they contain, which are often poorly proportioned to the person’s energy needs. In some cases, this can lead to loss of muscle mass.
The Importance of a Nutritionist
It is therefore important that the diet plan be carefully studied and developed by a qualified professional, and that the individual is properly informed about the characteristics of these types of diets.
Nutritionist Andrea Del Seppia develops nutritional plans for vegetarians and vegans, as well as for anyone wishing to follow this type of diet and participate in high-intensity sports.