VegetarianismVegetarianism

A Brief OverviewA Brief Overview

Objectives

• Define vegetarianism and associated terms

• Describe benefits of vegetarian diet

• Discuss nutrients of concern in vegetarian diets

Vegetarian

• A general term used to describe people who exclude meat, poultry, fish, or other animal-derived foods from their diets.

• Vegetarians exhibit a wide diversity of dietary practices.

History of Vegetarian• “Vegetarian” was coined in 1847 by

Vegetarian Society of United Kingdom.• The word “vegetarian” was derived

from the Latin word “vegetari” which means enliven.enliven.

• Vegetarianism dates to ancient history where philosophers and religious gurus asked followers to avoid a flesh diet to acknowledge the sacredness of life.

www.fda.gov

Why Vegetarianism?• Ecology – animal proteins require

more land, energy, and water– Enough grain/soybean to feed 1.3 billion– 2500 gal of water/# vs. 25 gal/# of

wheat

• Economics – plant foods less expensive

• Ethics – killing/confinement of animals

• Religious Beliefs

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Will discuss only nutrition.

Types of Vegetarians

• Loacto-ovo: vegetarians who consume eggs, milk, and milk products

• Pesco: vegetarians who eat fish

• Vegans: vegetarians who rely exclusively on plant foods

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Other Definitions

• Omnivores: people who have no formal restriction on the eating of any foods

• Macrobiotic diet: extremely restrictive diet limited to a few grains (brown rice, miso soup) and vegetables based on metaphysical beliefs

More Definitions

• Meat replacements: products made to look and taste like meat, fish, poultry

• Textured vegetable protein: processed soybeans used to make soy burgers, etc

• Tempeh: a fermented soybean food• Tofu: a curd made from

soybean; used in Asian & vegetarian dishes

Benefits of Vegetarianism

• Obesity• Hypertension• Heart

Disease• Cancer• Diabetes

• Osteoporosis• Diverticular

Disease• Gallstones• Rheumatoid

Arthritis

Sabate, Forum of Nutrition, 56:218; 2003

Winston, Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25:613; 2010

Benefits of Vegetarianism

• Obesity– Vegetarians maintain lower, healthier

body weight than non-vegetarians– Lower weight correlates with high

intakes of fiber and low intakes of fatAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 81:1267;2005

• Hypertension– Vegetarians have lower blood

pressure and lower rates of hypertension

– Other factors impact hypertensionNutrition Reviews, 63:1;2005

Benefits of Vegetarianism

• Heart Disease – Incidence of heart disease much

lower– Higher intakes of fiber, antioxidants,

vitamins, phytochemicals, and fatsPublic Health Nutrition, 87:871;2004

• Cancer – Significantly lower rates of cancer– Ratio of vegetables to meat may be

most relevant dietary factor in prevention

Forum of Nutrition, 59:130;2006

Other Possible Benefits

• Vegetarianism may help in the prevention of the following:

• Diabetes• Osteoporosis• Diverticular Disease• Gallstones• Rheumatoid Arthritis

Leitzmann, Forum of Nutrition, 57:147; 2005

Nutrition Concerns

• Vitamin B12

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids• Vitamin D• Calcium• Iron• Zinc• Protein

Nutrition Concerns• Vitamin B12

– Found only in animal-derived foods– Need fortified sources (soy milk, cereal)– Small amount in tempeh but inactive

form– Small amount in seaweeds (nori,

chlorella) but possible iodine toxicity

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids– Found in fatty fish– Need flaxseed, walnuts

Nutrition Concerns• Vitamin D

– Need fortified foods if inadequate exposure to sunlight

– Important for infants, children, elderly

• Calcium– Lacto-ovo vegetarians similar to

omnivores– Vegans need fortified juices, soy milk,

and breakfast cereals– Important for children

Nutrition Concerns• Iron

– RDA for iron higher for vegetarians because plant iron (non-heme iron) is not as well absorbed

– Body adjusts to absorb more plant iron– No more iron deficiency than

omnivores?

• Zinc– Plant zinc not well absorbed– Soy interferes with absorption

Nutrition Concerns• Protein

– Vegetarian diets are low in high quality proteins (those containing all of the essential amino acids)

– Use fortified meat replacements and textured vegetable proteins

– Use complementary proteins

Complementary Proteins• Definition: The combination of

plant protein foods which when eaten together provide all the essential amino acids.

Vegetarian Diet Planning• The more restricted the vegetarian

diet is the greater the challenge is to achieve a nutritionally adequate diet.

• The goal for the vegetarian in diet planning is the same as the omnivore: consume a variety of foods to obtain all of the needed nutrients.

• Use the same diet planning principles.

Use a Vegetarian Pyramid

Visit Vegetarian Resource Group

www.vrg.org

www.oldwayspt.org

Summary• Vegetarians described by what is

omitted from the diet.• Wide diversity of dietary practices.• Several benefits to vegetarianism.• Some nutrient concerns.• Adequate dietary intake requires

diet planning.• Same diet planning principles as

omnivores used.

VegetarianismVegetarianism

THE END!THE END!