DEAR DR. BLONZ: I am in very good health, but have had an annoying muscle ache after a strain that has been slow to heal. Workout friends tell me that this may be due to the fact that I do not eat red meat. Could this be true? Is there anything I should supplement my diet with, to compensate? -- V.E., Santa Clara, California

DEAR V.E.: Good nutrition is good nutrition, regardless of whether you eat red meat. You did not mention whether you consume other animal products, but if yours is a vegetarian or vegan regimen, there are a few nutrients that you may need to pay extra attention to. These include protein, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin D.

In most cases, protein doesn't represent a special problem. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and of the 22 different amino acids, our body can manufacture all but nine. These nine, referred to as the essential amino acids (EAAs), need to be supplied by our diet. Most foods contain some amino acids. Animal proteins, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy, are considered "complete proteins" because they contain all nine EAAs.

Except for soybeans, vegetable proteins such as grains and legumes are incomplete proteins because they lack one or more of the EAAs. Vegans can easily meet their daily protein requirement by combining different foods so that sufficient amounts of all the EAAs are consumed during the day.

One nutrient that may be a potential problem is vitamin B-12. It's needed for red blood cells and nerve tissue, and is only found in bacteria and animal products. Vegetarians can use specially fermented soy products, such as tempeh or miso, as a dietary source of B-12, or rely on foods fortified with it.

If you consume dairy, you shouldn't have a problem getting enough calcium, but if you are a strict vegan, you will have to rely on other calcium-rich foods. These include broccoli, dark-green leafy vegetables (such as kale and turnip greens), almonds, figs, some legumes, calcium-set tofu and calcium-fortified drinks (such as soy milk and orange juice).

Red meat is an excellent source of iron, but it can also be found in dark-green leafy vegetables, legumes, raisins and prunes. Iron absorption is facilitated by acidic foods, such as citrus juices, and vitamin C. Zinc, which can also be in short supply without red meat, is found in nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes.

Vitamin D, needed for calcium absorption and bone formation, is another nutrient that's not widely available in vegan cuisine. Besides food sources such as fish and vitamin D-fortified milk products, the body produces this nutrient upon exposure to direct sunlight. Again, the alternative is to rely on a fortified food or a supplement. See tinyurl.com/hpqpavn for more tips on vegetarian eating.

Finally, you might consider seeing a physical therapist for your persistent muscle ache. Your physician may be able to provide a referral. A therapist can make sure that your current activities aren't preventing healing or even making thing worse, and provide specific exercises to help strengthen the affected muscles.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: How long can vegetables such as carrots or broccoli be kept in the refrigerator without losing a significant amount of their nutrients? These are the vegetables we tend to buy regularly, always having them available for a meal. -- E.P., Oakland, California

DEAR E.P.: You have chosen a great pair of staples: ones that are available in most farmer's markets and grocery stores throughout the year, in most parts of the country. Depending on the way they are stored, you should have a week or two for the broccoli and about a month for the carrots, after which points both will have begun to experience decreases in their nutrients and flavors.

Carrots can lose sweetness as they sit, so purchasing carrots with fresh-looking greens intact can provide a good indicator of just-picked freshness. Once purchased, though, you should remove the tops, as the greens drain water and nutrients from the carrot. This makes perfect sense, given the fact that the portion of the carrot we consume is the root, which is the nutrient supplier for the above-ground greens.

Carrots store well in a refrigerator set no higher than 40 degrees F. They should be kept in a sealed plastic bag or container to prevent loss of moisture. They are at their nutrient and flavor peak in those first few days, and then begin to lose crispness and nutritional quality -- slowly for the first couple of weeks, but then quickly downhill until they become limp. If it gets to the point where the carrots become spotted or discolored, or get slimy, they are only fit for the compost bin.

Most of the carrots we get in the store are immature, being picked that way to maximize tenderness and flavor. More mature carrots often have a more "woody" texture, and while they might not have the same sweetness, they can be kept for longer periods of time. In pre-refrigerator days, root crops such as carrots were kept in root cellars for up to six months. Sustenance was the primary consideration in those times, and stored vegetables could always be incorporated into slow-cooked, flavorful stews.

Broccoli, similar to carrots, keeps best at low temps (35 to 37 degrees F), preferably in a high-humidity crisper drawer in the refrigerator. A perforated plastic bag is recommended to prevent wilting. Give your fresh broccoli a sniff and use that scent as a mental benchmark for later.

Count on broccoli keeping for up to a week or so, and possibly longer. Temperature is the key. At temperatures just above freezing (32 degrees F), broccoli can be kept up to four weeks. This drops to two weeks if the temperature is 41 degrees F, and only five days if the temperature is 50 degrees F.

Nutrient losses will be insignificant at first. Signs that things have begun to turn are new odors, signs of discoloration (yellowing), and a loss of the rigid texture that characterizes this vegetable. At that point, this broccoli should share the same fate as over-the-hill carrots.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I'm taking a dietary supplement that contains OPCs along with vitamins, minerals and herbs in an isotonic form. It is purportedly a more efficient delivery system, as it goes through the stomach and right to the small intestine, allowing for close to 95 percent absorption (since it's not diluted by stomach acid). Also, this speeds up the nutrients' entry into the circulatory system, occurring within five to 15 minutes, as opposed to the average four hours that a typical pill or capsule takes. What are your thoughts on this? -- G.C. San Diego

DEAR G.C.: Wow! Your descriptive statements certainly provide a supplement of puffery. They seem to be taken directly from promotional product literature. It is unclear whether there is any substantiation for these claims, or what extra benefits you stand to gain by taking such a product.

Ninety-five percent absorption for all nutrients? That's doubtful. The degree to which a nutrient is absorbed depends on the individual nutrient and a number of additional factors, including whether there is a deficiency (or an excess) of it in the body and in the diet. With many nutrients, only a small fraction gets absorbed even under the best of conditions.

You say your supplement's delivery system is "purportedly more efficient," but I would be interested to see any evidence supporting this claim. Pills, capsules or powders work just fine. As a rule, it's usually best to take vitamin and mineral supplements at mealtime. Digestion and absorption are designed to get the good stuff out of our foods by keeping the mass of food churning and in contact with the absorptive surfaces for an extended period of time.

For those interested, OPC is an abbreviation for "oligomeric proanthocyanidins." These are naturally occurring bioflavonoids found in grape seeds and skin, pine bark extract and other plants. They have been shown to perform as effective antioxidants and are currently being investigated for their role in protecting against chronic disease. But no one antioxidant can carry the entire load.

As with other lessons from nature, always consider the context in which the substance occurs. A whole food may contain a superstar nutrient with particular biochemical abilities, but it also contains a symphony of healthful components perfected over time to work together with that star. It is of questionable value to rely on a supplement without also having a healthful overall diet and lifestyle.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I read with interest your article on the "milk effect" of putting tea in milk. It triggered this question of mine: Does adding half-and-half or milk to coffee also blunt coffee's antioxidant prowess? -- J.H.

DEAR J.H.: Great question. The phytochemicals in the coffee bean are a different family of compounds. They come from the bean (seed) portion, not the leaf, as with tea. They are not affected the same way.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.