Nutritionist shares 5 foods every vegetarian should incorporate in their daily diet to prevent nutritional deficiencies

Due to food restrictions, vegetarians can face deficiencies of nutrients mostly found in non-vegetarian sources. Deepsikha shares 5 foods to include daily.

A large number of people in India follow a vegetarian diet for cultural, religious, or personal reasons. While a plant-based diet can be healthy and nourishing, it also comes with certain limitations, particularly when it comes to nutrients that are more commonly found in non-vegetarian foods. As a result, vegetarians may be more prone to deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and high-quality protein. To avoid these nutritional gaps, it becomes important to consciously include vegetarian foods that can help meet these essential requirements.

Make sure to include the foods recommended by Deepsikha if you're vegetarian! (Image generated via Google Gemini)

Deepsikha Jain, a nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Global Public Health Nutrition from the UK and a certified national diabetes educator, has shared five foods she consumes daily as a vegetarian to help meet her nutritional needs. In an Instagram video posted on February 10, she recommends incorporating these foods into a vegetarian diet to help prevent common nutrient deficiencies and maintain balanced nutrition.

Marmite

Deepsikha highlights that Marmite – a savoury spread with a strong salty, umami flavour made from yeast extract – is one of the few vegetarian sources of vitamin B12. She recommends incorporating it into the diet regularly to help prevent deficiency, noting that a significant proportion of vegetarians are often low in this essential vitamin.

She explains, “The first is going to be marmite. This is the only vegetarian source of B12 and 80 percent of the vegetarians have B12 deficiency. So this is a good one.”

Greek yoghurt

The nutritionist highlights that Greek yoghurt is excellent for gut health, as it provides a rich mix of probiotics that help nourish and support the gut microbiome. In addition to its digestive benefits, it is also a high-quality source of protein, making it a nourishing and well-balanced addition to the diet.

She explains, “Second, please eat a bowl of Greek yoghurt. This has a lot of good probiotics that are good for your gut health that can help give you beneficial bacteria, and is also a rich source of protein.”

Edamame and tofu

Deepsikha emphasises that vegetarians often struggle to find high-quality protein sources in their diet, which is where soy-based foods like edamame and tofu become especially valuable. She notes that these foods are complete proteins, containing all nine essential amino acids, and can also offer benefits for women’s hormonal health.

She explains, “Third, eating edamame or tofu. As vegetarians, we lack good sources of protein. This has all nine amino acids and is great for a woman’s hormonal health also. “

Halim seeds

The nutritionist also points out that vegetarians are often at risk of low iron levels due to the absence of meat in their diet. To help address this, she recommends incorporating garden cress seeds – also known as halim seeds – which are considered one of the richest plant-based sources of iron. However, she advises consuming them with lemon juice, as the vitamin C helps enhance iron absorption in the body.

She recommends, “The fourth is to consume garden cress or halim seeds. These are a great source of iron, which again, vegetarians lack. But make sure you take it with lemon juice.”

Walnuts

According to Deepsikha, walnuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, which many vegetarians tend to lack in their diets. She recommends eating a fistful daily to help bridge this nutritional gap, adding that the boost to brain health is an extra perk.

She highlights, “Last is going to be a fistful of walnuts daily. Walnuts are a great source of omega-3s, again something that vegetarians lack in food and this can actually give you good brain health and cognitivity.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.