National Nutrition Week 2018: Is A Vegetarian Diet Rich In Protein? Rujuta Diwekar Has The Answer

National Nutrition Week 2018 is on till September 7 and celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar is doing her part in terms of spreading awareness about most nutrition-related requirements of people. Her latest Facebook live, as part of Nutrition Week 2018, is that of vegetarian diet and the nutrition that it provides. When it comes to vegetarian diet or vegetarianism, there are a lot of apprehensions about the nutrition that it provides. Vegetarian diet is often kept under scrutiny because of lack of protein and vitamin B12 content of foods it includes. However, Rujuta denies all such claims. In her live video, she mentions that vegetarian diet can very much provide you with the proteins, nutrients and vitamins you require. You just need to be physically active in order to be able to assimilate proteins and vitamins from vegetarian foods.

Read below to know if a vegetarian diet is rich in protein on the occasion of National Nutrition Week 2018

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1. According to Rujuta, we need to teach our body to assimilate protein from vegetarian food. The biggest stimulation for protein assimilation is exercise and hence it is extremely important to stay physically active at all times. A minimum of 150 minutes of exercise in a week is important for good health and proper assimilation of protein in a vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian diet is a good source of protein and vitamin b12
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Also read: National Nutrition Week 2018: Status Of Malnutrition In India

2. Ensure good sleep quality for protein assimilation in a vegetarian diet. Make sure you are not watching TV or using any gadget 1 hour before bed time, for good quality of sleep. Try making your bedroom a dark, cool and gadget-free space.

3. To get adequate protein in vegetarian diet, eat local and seasonal food which is relevant to the occasion. Also, you must include food which is relevant to your heritage in your diet - recipes your grandmother asks you to eat, in simple terms.

Eating local and seasonal food is going to give you adequate proteins and vitamins
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4. Foods like khichdi and achar, dal rice and achar and similar meals are good for getting protein and even Vitamin B12. The idea is to include natural, home-cooked foods in your diet to get adequate nutrition. Also, coconut, bajra, jaggery, ghee, nachni laddu and paneer are good and healthy options in vegetarian diet. Your overall lifestyle on the whole is what matters the most when it comes to your nutrient intake.

5. Rujuta suggests that meat consumption must not be made part of your daily routine. Include all grains along with meat in your diet. Also use spices the way your grandmother has taught you because even spices enhance protein assimilation.

Avoid meat consumption on a daily basis
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Also read: If You Want To Lose Weight And Gain Health, Avoid These 5 So-Called Healthy Foods

So, this National Nutrition Week 2018, include all home-cooked and local foods in your diet and adopt a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise. This is the best way to get all your daily requirement of protein, vitamins and fibre,