Buddhist Diet: Here’s everything you should know about THIS food tradition

Buddhist diet consists of Buddhist dietary restrictions and food traditions. Apart from Buddhists, people who want to follow the aspects of this religion can maintain this diet plan. Primarily, the Buddhist diet is based on three dietary aspects- vegetarianism, alcohol restriction and fasting. In Buddhism, harming or killing animals is a great sin. So, they generally follow a lacto-vegetarianism diet. So, they can consume dairy products but not eggs, meat, fish, etc. This diet strictly prohibits intoxication from alcohol.

Fasting is observed as a practice of self-control. They abstain from food and drinks from noon until the dawn of the following day. This quite resembles the intermittent diet plan, which has been popular among health-conscious people. So, you can follow this diet plan to stay healthy. But you can avoid the religious restrictions on this like alcohol restrictions, fasting for a certain period, etc.

What you should know about the Buddhist diet?

Foods for Buddhist diet

You can eat vegetables and dairy products in this diet plan or can avoid dairy products if you want to.

Foods to eat in Buddhist Diet:

Dairy: Yoghurt, cottage cheese, milk.

Grains: Bread, oatmeal, rice.

Veggies: Tomato, cucumber, zucchini, asparagus, peppers, green beans, potato.

Fruits: Apple, banana, grapes, orange.

Legumes: Kidney beans, black beans, lentils, chickpeas,

Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, Pistachios,

Oils: Olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc.

Foods to avoid in Buddhist Diet:

Meats: Beef, pork, lamb.

Fish: Cod, tilapia, tuna.

Poultry: eggs, chicken, turkey, duck, quail, pheasant.

Vegetables: Onions, garlic, leeks.

Alcohol: Beer, wine, etc.

Pros of Buddhist Diet

This diet plan predominantly has plant-based protein and nutrients. So, following this diet gives you all kinds of essential nutrients to stay healthy. Some of them are antioxidant properties, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fibres, etc. All these nutrients help to reduce the risk of cancer and heart diseases. This diet is also good to regulate diabetes. Following this diet may also be helpful to shed belly fat.

Cons of Buddhist Diet

This diet plan lacks the essential amount of proteins which can only be gained from animal-based foods like meat, poultry, etc. People maintaining this diet may have a lower amount of iron, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acid, zinc, vitamin B-12, etc. So, you should consult your doctor and dietician before opting for the Buddhist diet plan.