Vegetarian Diet Info
Vegetarian Diet Nutrition & Dietary Guidelines
Information on Vegetarian Diet Nutrition, Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines, Vitamins, Minerals, Food Pyramid

Vegetarian Diet
More Vegetarian Nutrition Information
Calcium in Vegetarian Diet - Iron in Vegetarian Diet - Protein in Vegetarian Diet - Vitamin B12 in Diet - Zinc in Vegetarian Diet
Potassium, Iodine in Diet - Vegetarian Diet Carbs - Fiber in Diet Plan - Fat in Vegetarian Diet - Cholesterol - Essential Fatty Acids
Vitamin A for Vegetarians - Vitamin D for Vegetarians - Vegetarian Foods - Vegetarian Diet Nutrition

Vegetarian Diet Nutrition

According to the American Dietetic Association's position paper on vegetarian eating, properly balanced vegetarian diets are healthy, nutritionally adequate, and offer significant health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.

Balanced, Varied Diet is Key to Healthy Vegetarianism

Meat contains 'complete' protein, fat, some B-complex vitamins, iron, zinc, potassium and phosphorous. Fish also provides vitamins A, D, and E, and iodine. Thus meat/fish is a useful one-stop source of nutrients and good nutrition.

Plant foods are less nutrient-dense than meat, which is why you need to eat a balanced variety of them to get your full nutritional requirements.

General Nutritional Advice for Vegetarians

• Eat a variety of foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds.
• Minimize intake of highly sweetened, fatty, and heavily refined foods.
• Vegans should include a regular source of vitamin B-12 in their diets along with a fortified source of vitamin D if sun exposure is limited.
• Solely breast-fed infants should have supplements of iron after the age of 4 to 6 months and, if sun exposure is limited, a fortified source of vitamin D.
• Breast-fed vegan infants should have vitamin B-12 supplements if the mother's diet is not fortified.
• Dietary fat should not be restricted in children younger than 2 years. For older children, include some foods higher in unsaturated fats (eg, nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters, avocado, and vegetable oils) to help meet nutrient and energy needs.
• Plant sources of protein alone are adequate if a variety of plant foods are consumed and energy needs are met. Research suggests that complementary ('combined') proteins do not need to be consumed at the same time and that consumption of various sources of amino acids over the course of the day should ensure adequate nitrogen retention and use in healthy persons.
• Calcium is well absorbed from many plant foods, and vegan diets can provide adequate calcium if the diet regularly includes foods rich in calcium.

Related Topics on Vegetarian Nutrition

Protein - Essential Fatty acids - Carbohydrates - Calcium - Iron - Zinc - Vitamin A - Vitamin B12 - Vitamin D - Vegan Diet Nutrition
Vegetarian Dietary Guidelines - Vegetarian Food Pyramid
Vegetarian Foods Servings - Vegetarian Diets ADA Position

Sources include:
- American Dietetic Association, Vegetarian Diets - Position of ADA J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97:1317-1321.
- Young VR, Pellett PL. Plant Proteins in Relation to Human Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994; 59 (suppl 5):1203S-1212S.
- Weaver CM, Plawecki KL. Dietary calcium: Adequacy of Vegetarian Diet. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;59(suppl): 1238S-1241S.

Vegetarian Diet