Question

Can you tell us the vitamins we may want to monitor with someone who is a vegan or vegetarian? Also

When you talk about good balance what does that mean? If you were teaching a patient about diet for someone with a BMI of 35 what would you teach them and how?

Answer 1

Vitamin that has to be monitored for people who are vegetarians and vegan is Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin which is necessary in normal development and maturation of blood cells. It is not available in plant based foods. Hence supplements are great choice for people who are vegetarians and vegans.

A good balance is diet which comprises of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and fats in balanced quantities.  

For a person with BMI of 35 , the teaching would include -

• Eat fruits and vegetables of about 4 to 5 servings in a day.
• Eat protein for breakfast so that you don't crave for carbohydrates later in a day.
• Eat more of whole grains than processed grains.
• Avoid eating junk foods.
• Avoid processed foods.
• Avoid fat content foods.
• Along with these nutritional measures, regular exercise or physical activity is very important to decrease the unhealthy BMI of 35.

Thank you.