相信現代人都知道素食對身體好，也環保, 但因為素食者不吃肉和海鮮，有些還不吃蛋和奶類，他們的食材中易缺少六種營養元素，分別是蛋白質，鐵，鈣，鋅，維他命B12，維他命D。
經常吃下麵這八種食材可以幫助素食者補充這六種營養元素，從而最大程度的保證身體健康。這八種食材由美國營養學協會發言人（American Dietetics Association spokesperson Cynthia Sass）推薦。Cynthia是位嚴格素食者。
這八種食材分別為豆腐，小扁豆(lentil), 豆類（beans），堅果（nuts），糙穀物（whole grains），深綠色蔬菜（leafy greens），海帶，果脯。
詳細資料請看下麵這篇文章。
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/features/editors_picks/387
There
is a world of reasons to go meatless, from heart health to animal
welfare. But nutritionally, there’s one tricky trade-off. You
drastically shrink your body’s supply of six vital nutrients: protein
and iron—which can be the toughest to get in adequate quantities—plus
calcium, zinc, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
To help you fill in
these gaps, we tapped the expertise of nutritionist Cynthia Sass, RD, a
spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association—and a vegan, so she
totally gets it. We’ve identified the “great eight” foods on these
pages. All are loaded with one or more of these hard-to-get nutrients.
The only thing you need to do: Check the chart below to see how much
you personally need of each nutrient. Then use food labels to keep
track of what you eat for a day or two, or even a week. Good bet you’ll
be amazed by how many gaps you have. The simplest way to fill them?
Start working in daily servings of the great eight.
And, oh
yes, check out the recipes. They were invented by one of VT’s best
staff cooks, who combined every one of the great eight foods into a
single, genius soup-and-salad meal. Have a version of this meal
regularly and that tricky trade-off we mentioned? Bingo, it’s gone.
Tofu
Why
it’s great: Plain tofu has a lot going for it. It’s a terrific source
of protein, zinc, iron, and it even contains some cholesterol-lowering
omega-3 fatty acids. It also gives you more than 100
milligrams
(mg) of calcium in a half cup. But the same amount of calcium-enriched
tofu gives you up to 350 mg (about one-third of your daily needs) plus
roughly 30 percent of your daily vitamin D, which helps your body
absorb the calcium—an extra bone-building punch that many people need.
Look for enriched soymilk, too, which is also fortified with calcium
and vitamin D.
Tip: “Tofu can be substituted for the same amount of meat, poultry or fish in almost any recipe,” says Sass. Firm tofu works best because it holds its shape when you sauté it or grill it.
Lentils
Why
they’re great: Lentils, like beans, are part of the legume family, and
like beans, they’re an excellent source of protein and soluble fiber.
But lentils have an edge over most beans: They contain about twice as
much iron. They’re also higher in most B vitamins and folate, which is
especially important for women of childbearing age as folate reduces
the risk for some birth defects. For new vegetarians, lentils are also
the perfect way to start eating more legumes because they tend to be
less gassy.
Tip: Lentil soup is just the beginning. Add
lentils to vegetable stews, chilis or casseroles. Toss them with red
onions and vinaigrette. Stir them into curries; cook them with carrots.
Experiment with different varieties—red lentils (right) cook up very
fast and can be turned into bright purées.
Beans
Why
they’re great: A cup a day gives you about one-third of your iron and
protein and roughly half your fiber. Even better, most of that is
soluble fiber, which helps lower cholesterol. One cup also provides a
good amount of potassium, zinc and many B vitamins, and some calcium
too. Just one alert: Rinse canned beans well—they can be soaked in
salt.
Tip: It was once thought that to get a complete
protein, you needed to combine beans with grains (rice, pasta, bread)
at the same meal. “Now we know you just have to eat them during the
same day,” Sass says. Toss beans and vegetables with whole wheat pasta;
make soups and chilis with several varieties; add a sprinkling to
grain salads. And for a different taste treat, look for canned heirloom
varieties.
Nuts
Why
they’re great: They’re a nifty source of quick, totally palatable
protein. In additon, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans,
macadamias and Brazil nuts are rich in zinc, vitamin E and omega-3
fatty acids. Some, like almonds, even provide a decent amount of
calcium (about 175 mg in a half cup).
There’s also some great
nut news: “Recent studies show that even though nuts are high in
calories, eating them does not lead to weight gain,” says Sass. In
fact, people who eat nut-rich diets tend to weigh less than those who
don’t, say researchers at Loma Linda University and Purdue University.
Peanuts may even help weight loss. Why nuts don’t make you fat—and may
even help you lose weight—isn’t clear. “It’s possible that nuts make
you feel so full that you’re less likely to overeat other foods,” says
Sass. Other experts suspect that the labor-intense job of digesting
nuts burns off calories. There are also hints that nuts increase the
amount of fat that passes through the digestive tract, which might
explain nut-linked weight loss. More research is obviously needed!
Tip: Different nuts give you different nutrients. For example, a half
cup of almonds provides about four times as much fiber as the same
amount of cashews. Cashews, however, contain about twice as much iron
and zinc as almost any other nut. Pecans and walnuts tend to land right
in the middle for most nut nutrients—potassium, magnesium, zinc and
calcium. Sprinkle them in salads, or keep a bag of mixed nuts in your
desk or backpack. Garnish smooth soups with crunchy whole nuts, stir
chopped nuts into muffins and add crushed nuts to pie crust.
Grains
Why they’re great: Some enriched whole-grain cereals are fortified with
hard-to-get vitamin B12—some even offer 100 percent of a day’s
requirement in one serving—as well as iron, calcium and many other
nutrients. Keep in mind that if you don’t eat eggs or dairy, you’ll have
to take a B12 supplement to make sure you’re getting enough. As a
group, cereals and other whole-grain foods (whole wheat breads and
pastas, brown rice, etc.) are also high in other B vitamins, zinc and,
of course, insoluble fiber, which not only helps whisk cholesterol out
of your system but may reduce your risk of colon cancer and other
digestive disorders.
Tip: Because different grains provide different nutrients, vary the
types you eat. “It’s easy to get into a rut of, say, just making brown
rice all the time. It’s better to mix up the grains you eat, including
oatmeal, bulgur, wild rice, whole rye and pumpernickel breads,” says
Sass. Also try some of the ancient grains—spelt, farro, kamut—which are
now sold at most whole foods markets.
Leafy Greens
Why
they’re great: Unlike most vegetables, dark leafy greens such as
spinach, broccoli, kale, Swiss chard and collards contain healthful
amounts of iron—especially spinach, which has about 6 grams or about
one-third of a day’s supply. They’re also a great source of
cancer-fighting antioxidants; are high in folic acid and vitamin A; and
they even contain calcium, but in a form that’s not easily absorbed.
Cooking greens and/or sprinkling them with a little lemon juice or
vinegar makes the calcium more available to your body, says Sass.
Tip: Always try to eat iron-rich foods with foods that are high in vitamin C because the C helps your body absorb the iron. With dark leafy greens, this comes naturally—just toss them into salads with yellow and red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, mandarin oranges or any citrus. Or if you prefer your veggies cooked, sauté a couple of cups of greens in some seasoned olive oil with sweet peppers, garlic and onion.
Seaweeds
Why
they’re great: Besides being a terrific source of iron and
phytochemicals, many seaweeds—such as alaria, dulse, kelp, nori,
spirulina and agar—are good sources of minerals, including magnesium,
calcium, iodine, iron and chromium, as well as vitamins A, C, E and many
of the Bs. Talk about superfoods!
Tip: Add chopped dulse to
salads or sandwiches, sauté it with other vegetables or use it in
soups. Use nori sheets as the wrappers for vegetarian sushi. Toast
kelp, and crumble it on pasta or rice, or add it to noodle soups.
Browse through Japanese or Korean markets to find seaweeds to sample.
Dried Fruits
Why they’re great: They’re good, super-convenient sources of iron—and
if you combine them with some mixed nuts, you’ve got a packet of iron
and protein you can take anywhere easily. In addition, dried
fruits—think apricots, raisins, prunes, mangos, pineapple, figs, dates,
cherries and cranberries—provide a wide array of minerals and vitamins
as well as some fiber. And even kids love to snack on them.
