Vegetarian Diet (2704)

Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in fat and higher in fiber than the typical American diet. Eating less fat and more fiber can reduce your risk for several chronic degenerative diseases, such as obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and possibly colon cancer.

However, remember that both vegetarian and nonvegetarian diets can either be healthy or harmful, depending on how you plan and follow the principles for a complete diet as outlined in the Food Guide Pyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

All vegetarian diets restrict foods of animal origin to some degree, but specific foods that vegetarians avoid vary depending on the individual. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians avoid red meats but they eat milk products and eggs, in addition to plant foods.

Some vegetarians also eat fish or poultry. Total vegetarians, also known as vegans, eat only plant foods. As a rule, the more you restrict animal foods in a vegetarian diet, the greater the likelihood of nutrient deficiencies.

Well nourished vegetarians select their diets carefully and pay attention to nutrients that vegetarian diets may lack. As a vegetarian, you need to make sure you get enough riboflavin, vitamin D, calcium, iron and zinc. In addition, if you're a total vegetarian, you need to use foods that are fortified with vitamin B-12 or take a B-12 supplement.

Infants and young children, pregnant and lactating women must also be careful to get enough calories and protein from a vegetarian diet. In fact, vegan diets are not recommended for pregnant women or young children unless the diets are carefully planned with the health care provider's advice.

To plan a healthy vegetarian diet, choose a wide variety of foods from all the major food groups. Nuts and seeds, eggs, peas, beans and peanuts are roughly equivalent in most nutrients to lean meat, poultry and fish. Eating a variety of these foods daily provides a balance of amino acids, so you don't need to precisely plan for complementary proteins at each meal. Eating a good source of vitamin C with your meals helps to increase absorption of iron and reduces the risk of iron-deficiency anemia.

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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