Vegetarian Diets

Vegetarian Diets Unit 16

Perspectives on Vegetarianism • Many people are skeptical about vegetarian diets without knowing much about them • Diet is usually one of several healthful characteristics of a vegetarian lifestyle

Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people are vegetarians Reasons for Vegetarianism

Wide Selection of Vegetarian Products

Types of Vegetarian Diets

Macrobiotic Diets • Macrobiotic diets can range from quasi-vegetarian to vegan • No specific foods are prohibited • Philosophy emphasizes organic and “yin-yang” food combinations

Raw Food Diets • Basically an uncooked, vegan diet with focus on benefits of plant enzymes • Actually, enzymes are inactivated by digestion • Associated with impaired growth in children, lower HDL cholesterol, vitamin B12 deficiency, loss of bone minerals • Low body weight for height; healthy blood levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol

Other Vegetarian Diets • Some vegetarians adopt diets that don’t sustain health for spiritual/emotional reasons • “Living foods diet” • Fruitarians • Fruitarian • Diet in which fruits are the main ingredient • Deficient in a variety of nutrients

Vegetarian Diets and Health • Vegetarian diets can be healthier than those of nonvegetarians, as long as they provide adequate nutrients • Main concerns: • Iron and vitamin B12 deficiency • Quality and quantity of protein • Calcium intake in vegans

Health Benefits • Lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, chronic bronchitis, gallstones, and kidney stones • Reduces blood cholesterol levels

Dietary Recommendations • Foods selected must provide sufficient calories and the assortment and quantity of nutrients needed for health • Guidelines vary for each type of vegetarian diet and generally require a variety of foods

Dietary Recommendations

Vegan Diets Grains Legumes and nuts Vegetables Fruits Fats and oils Sweets Dietary Recommendations

Dietary Recommendations • Vegetarians who eat fish, dairy, or eggs get important nutrients and complete proteins • Complete proteins • Proteins that contain all nine essential amino acids in the amounts needed to support protein tissue construction

Sample Diet

Dietary Recommendations • Vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, EPA and DHA are the nutrients most likely to be lacking in vegetarian diets • Supplied by fortified foods and supplements • Dietary assessment is advised Key Nutrients Required

Essential Amino Acids • If any essential amino acids are missing in the diet, protein tissue construction stops • Essential amino acids • Amino acids that cannot be synthesized in adequate amounts by the human body and must be obtained from the diet

Complementary Protein Foods • Vegetarians can meet needs for essential amino acids by combining plant foods to yield complete proteins • Complementary protein sources • Plant sources of protein that together provide sufficient quantities of the nine essential amino acids

Complementary Protein Foods

Some good cookbooks and websites are available Watch out for wrong or misrepresented information and exaggerated claims Information on Vegetarian Diets

Vegetarian Diets