On the contrary and as the name suggests lactovegetarians consume plant products as well as dairy. In the ovovegetarian and semi vegetarian diets eggs and chicken and fish respectively are consumed along with plant products. But even semi vegetarians avoid red meat.

A vegetarian diet is scientifically proven to be healthier than a non vegetarian diet. This is due to the exclusion of meat which is a huge contributor towards the cholesterol and saturated fat intake in humans. Non vegetarians are more prone to coronary diseases, certain type of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and mellitus as compared to vegetarians.

However, most vegetarians tend to make up for their non consumption of meat by excess inclusion of fat and sugar in their diet which should be avoided. Also certain vitamin deficiencies have been observed among vegetarians. These can easily be remedied with supplements.

The following are the nutritional advantages and disadvantages of vegetarianism.

Advantages-
Protein: Contrary to what most people believe, the daily protein requirement can more than adequately be fulfilled by a vegetarian diet. Soya, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and seeds are a rich source of proteins. As a matter of fact excess intake of animal protein may sometimes lead to an increase in the creatinine levels in the body. However plant protein causes no such concerns.

Dairy products are a rich source of vitamin D. Vegans should compensate for the deficiency of vitamin D caused due to the exclusion of dairy from their diets with vitamin D supplements.

Vegetarians show greater absorption and retention of calcium from food products. Legumes, soya bean, bananas, milk and spinach are rich sources of calcium.

Zinc is available in plentiful quantities in legumes, nuts and grains. However if a deficiency is observed it can compensated by the intake 15-18 mg of zinc supplements daily.

Disadvantages
Iron deficiency is commonly observed in vegetarians. Organ meat such as liver and red meat are the primary sources of iron for non vegetarians. Vegetarians can either go for iron supplements or increase the consumption of iron rich products such as spinach, carrots, beet root, dried beans and fruits etc.

Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal products. Vegans should either take supplements to make up for the daily requirement of vitamin B12 or include products such as fortified soya products and cereals and brewers yeast in their diet.

Vegetarians should consciously eat a variety of food products to get a well rounded and balanced meal. Different types of fruits and vegetables rich in various vitamins should be an essential part of the daily diet. Fat and sugar should be consumed in limited quantities. Dairy products made out of skimmed milk are healthier than those made out of whole milk. Ovo vegetarians should limit the intake of eggs since the yolk contains high amounts of cholesterol.

High levels on insulin contribute to weight gain in the following ways

High level of insulin causes an increase in hunger and appetite thus abetting consumption of larger quantities of food.
A higher than normal level of insulin in the body is also indicative of low utilization of sugar in the body which means that the residual sugar is being stored in the body in the form of fats
Also high levels of insulin prevent the break down of fats in the body.

The results of this research which was conducted By Dr. Fujioka and his team at the Nutrition and Medical Research Centre at Scripps Clinic in San Diego came as a moment of triumph for the patrons of the famed grapefruit diet.

The research to everybody’s astonishment did conclude that the consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice does aid in lowering insulin levels in the body. The study was conducted on 100 people with weight related issues.

Some of them were asked to include grape fruit and grapefruit juice with their normal daily diet. Where as, others had to do no such thing at the end of 12 weeks people who consumed grape fruit or grapefruit juice along with their regular meals had managed to reduce an average of 3.5 lb.

However people who did not include grapefruit or its juice in their weight loss diet just managed to lose 0.5 lb. There was also a marked reduction in the amount of insulin in grapefruit consumers.

This was a ‘we told you so’ moment for most people who have been ardent followers of the grapefruit diet since its conception two decades ago. But little has changed on the critics’ front who still maintains that the weight loss caused due to the grapefruit diet can be attributed to the extremely limited calorie intake involved in this diet.

Fat, carbohydrates and sugar are restricted leaving only grapefruit, high protein foods such as eggs and poultry and generous amounts of black coffee and water. This causes the daily calorie intake to drop down to 800. According to most dieticians this is what causes the weight loss. Most dieticians chose to dismiss the findings of the research saying that the weight loss observed in grapefruit consumers was due to them being conscious about their food intake since they were part of this study.

Most experts and nutritionist believe that this research can at best be classified as preliminary and more research needs to be conducted in the matter before any recommendations are made.

However, most experts also believe that no harm can come from including grapefruit in your daily meals if you enjoy it. So long as you keep your meals balanced, inclusion of a variety of fruits including grapefruit can only be beneficial

On the contrary and as the name suggests lactovegetarians consume plant products as well as dairy. In the ovovegetarian and semi vegetarian diets eggs and chicken and fish respectively are consumed along with plant products. But even semi vegetarians avoid red meat.

A vegetarian weight loss diet is scientifically proven to be healthier than a non vegetarian diet. This is due to the exclusion of meat which is a huge contributor towards the cholesterol and saturated fat intake in humans. Non vegetarians are more prone to coronary diseases, certain type of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and mellitus as compared to vegetarians.

However, most vegetarians tend to make up for their non consumption of meat by excess inclusion of fat and sugar in their diet which should be avoided. Also certain vitamin deficiencies have been observed among vegetarians. These can easily be remedied with supplements.

The following are the nutritional advantages and disadvantages of vegetarianism.

Advantages-

Protein: Contrary to what most people believe, the daily protein requirement can more than adequately be fulfilled by a vegetarian diet. Soya, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes and seeds are a rich source of proteins. As a matter of fact excess intake of animal protein may sometimes lead to an increase in the creatinine levels in the body. However plant protein causes no such concerns.

Dairy products are a rich source of vitamin D. Vegans should compensate for the deficiency of vitamin D caused due to the exclusion of dairy from their diets with vitamin D supplements.

Vegetarians show greater absorption and retention of calcium from food products. Legumes, soya bean, bananas, milk and spinach are rich sources of calcium.

Zinc is available in plentiful quantities in legumes, nuts and grains. However if a deficiency is observed it can compensated by the intake 15-18 mg of zinc supplements daily.

Disadvantages

Iron deficiency is commonly observed in vegetarians. Organ meat such as liver and red meat are the primary sources of iron for non vegetarians. Vegetarians can either go for iron supplements or increase the consumption of iron rich products such as spinach, carrots, beet root, dried beans and fruits etc.

Vitamin B12 is naturally found only in animal products. Vegans should either take supplements to make up for the daily requirement of vitamin B12 or include products such as fortified soya products and cereals and brewers yeast in their diet.

Vegetarians should consciously eat a variety of food products to get a well rounded and balanced meal. Different types of fruits and vegetables rich in various vitamins should be an essential part of the daily diet. Fat and sugar should be consumed in limited quantities. Dairy products made out of skimmed milk are healthier than those made out of whole milk. Ovo vegetarians should limit the intake of eggs since the yolk contains high amounts of cholesterol.