Vegetarian Diets and Health

“Vegetarian diets are healthful and nutritionally adequate when appropriately planned. Both vegetarian and nonvegetarian diets have the potential to be either beneficial or detrimental to health.”

– American Dietetic Association Policy Statement, 1988.

Attention to Parents of Vegetarians
What Parents Should Know About Vegetarian Diets

“I’ve decided not to eat meat anymore.” “No meat for me.” As increasing numbers of teens make the decision to pass up the traditional “meat and potatoes” diet of the Midwest, more and more parents are facing mealtime and nutritional challenges that can prove quite frustrating. Though it may be tempting, frustrated parents must not throw up their hands and abandon the role of nutritional “watchdog.” A vegetarian diet can be a healthy diet, but only when the correct foods in the correct combinations are eaten on a regular basis.

Vegetarian means different things to different teens. Begin by finding out what being a vegetarian means to your child. Use the chart on the next page to determine what type of vegetarian your child is.

Healthy Habits: Bright is Right

When it comes to choosing vegetables and fruits, bright is right.  Brightly colored vegetables and fruits such as spinach, kale, strawberries, and blueberries have high concentrations of nutrients called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease and promote good health.

Vegetarian Variations

To use this chart:
Find the food groups that your child regularly includes in his or her diet. The categories with a check mark pictured indicate that these foods are eaten. The “X” indicate that foods in this group are not eaten. When you find the line that best matches the food groups your child eats, the “Type of Vegetarian” column tells you the official name for that diet. A diet that includes eggs and dairy products (lacto-ovo vegetarian) is the most common vegetarian diet and the least risky for nutritional problems.

Note: A diet that includes seafood and poultry (partial vegetarian) is not truly vegetarian.

Health Benefits

A well-planned vegetarian diet offers the following health benefits:

• A low rate of obesity because plant foods contain fewer calories.
• A low rate of heart disease due to the low cholesterol level and low saturated fat level in plant food.
• A low rate of certain cancers due to the protection provided by antioxidants naturally found at high levels in some plants.
• A low rate of diabetes and gall bladder disease.
• The advantage of a diet that is naturally high in fiber.

Health Alert: A Note to Vegetarians

To avoid serious nutritional deficiencies with vegetarian or alternative diets, you should seek
advice from your physician or a registered dietitian.

An unplanned vegetarian diet (especially one that does not include eggs or dairy products) increases the chances of:

• Calorie deficiency, since plant foods are so bulky that appetites may be gone before adequate calories are eaten.
• Protein deficiency, since plant proteins are less complete and less well used by the body (see “Complete proteins – Vegetarian style”).
• Vitamin B12 deficiency, since vitamin B12 can only be absorbed from animal products.
• Vitamin D deficiency, since vitamin D is found in egg yolks, fish liver oil, and vitamin D-fortified milk and butter.
• Calcium deficiency, since the best sources of calcium are milk and milk products.
• Zinc and iron deficiency, since meat and poultry are the richest source of zinc and iron.

Vegetable Protein vs. Animal Protein

Protein is an essential nutrient needed by every cell in the body. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Certain amino acids (essential amino acids) must be supplied by the diet. Complete proteins contain all of the essential amino acids. Most animal proteins are complete and most vegetable proteins are incomplete. Vegetable proteins can be combined in several ways to create complete proteins. Vegetable protein can also meet nutritional requirements when combined with the complete protein from small amounts of eggs and dairy products. (See “Complete proteins – Vegetarian style.”)

Mix and Match Amino Acids for Complete Protein

To form a complete protein, mix and match foods so that the amino acid strength of one food balances the weakness of the other. (See “Complete proteins – Vegetarian Style” below.)

Complete Proteins - Vegetarian Style

Grains with Legumes
Rice and black-eyed peas
Peanut butter sandwiches
Bean taco

Grains with Milk
Oatmeal with milk
Macaroni and cheese
Pizza

Grains with Eggs
Rice pudding
French toast
Egg salad sandwich

Other Vegetables with Milk and Eggs
Eggplant parmesan
Vegetable omelet
Vegetable quiche

Legumes with Seeds
Hummus (chickpea and sesame paste)