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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Vegetarianism and Bruising, Can You Tell Me What I Need to Know?

By Carolyn Cooper

If you are currently a vegetarian or if you are considering becoming one, you may be somewhat concerned about the effects that vegetarianism may have on your body's systems, with some additional attention to bruising easily. The fact of the matter is that while there is an old wives' tale that says that people who are vegetarians are subject to bruising, there is no reason that a little careful scrutiny of your diet can overcome it.

To begin with we need to figure out where the thought process of vegetarians being susceptible to bruising came from. Generally speaking, if a vegetarian, specifically a young one, suffers from easy bruising, it would normally be an indication of a vitamin deficiency. This can, and in some cases does, occur, but if you apply careful scrutiny to your diet to make sure that you are receiving all of the foods and nutrients that your body needs, this shouldn't prove to be a problem. There are any number of problems that will be the result of you're shorting yourself some essential vitamin or mineral, but there is nothing about a vegan diet that causes bruising any more often than any other diet.

If you are eating as a vegetarian and have noticed that you are prone to increased bruising, you'll find that one thing that you might need to look at is the amount of iron in your diet. Iron is an important mineral when you are looking at supplementing your immune system and encouraging better circulatory health. Iron is found much more abundantly in animal products than it is in vegetables, though it is certainly there, just in smaller quantities.

If you are following a vegan diet, are you aware of the best ways to increase iron in your diet? Start off by looking for dark green vegetables that are available at a local produce stand or farmers' market. Vegetables that include spinach and broccoli are going to be heavy in iron, as will soy products, molasses, prunes and any cereals and breads that have been fortified with iron. Another clever way to be assured that you are going to increase iron in your diet is to start cooking with cast iron pots and pans.

Increasing your intake of vitamin C is another important way to increase the rate of iron absorption into your body. Vitamin C is really important in host of different aspects, so there are a multitude of reasons to raise your daily intake. Fruits are the most common source of vitamin C, of course, but more dinner and meal oriented vegetables, like sweet potatoes also provide added vitamin C.

If you are a practicing vegetarian, it is very important that you make sure that you are going to be able to eat a balanced diet, and easy bruising is one sign that you may need to focus on your diet a little more closely. Be mindful of what your body is trying to tell you, and make sure that you are eating what you need to eat to keep you healthy. - 17273

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