6. Special nutritional considerations: vegetarianism

Vegetarian diet

• No meat, poultry, fish or other seafood is consumed
• Animal products like milk and eggs can be consumed
• Not all plant products contain all essential nutrients. Thus, a vegetarian diet must be well-planned to meet the daily recommended intake of all nutrients
• The vegetarian diet contains more than enough of
  • Vitamins B, E, C
  • Minerals
  • Dietary fibre
  • Unsaturated fatty acids
  • Carbohydrates
  • Plant sterols
• The vegetarian diet often brings other health benefits with it
  • Vegetarians are usually generally health conscious
    • Have decreased consumption of tobacco, alcohol, drugs
    • Live a physically active life
  • Have decreased intake of sugar
  • Have decreased intake of calories
  • Consume more potassium than sodium -> decreased risk for hypertension

Special types of vegetarianism

• Lacto vegetarian – allows consumption of milk
• Ovo vegetarian – allows consumption of eggs
• Lacto-ovo vegeterian – allows consumption of milk and eggs
• Pesciterian – allows consumption of fish
• Vegan – no consumption or use of any animal product

Special nutritional considerations

• Protein
  • Many plant foods are poor sources of protein or are incomplete proteins
  • Thus, multiple plant sources of protein should be consumed to ensure all essential amino acids are consumed
  • Protein deficiency is usually not a problem though, as vegetarians consume different protein sources
  • Soy itself is almost as complete as animal protein
  • Sources of protein for vegetarians
    • Soy
    • Legumes
    • Grains
• Iron
  • Vegetarians tend to have smaller iron stores than meat eaters
    • But they don’t appear to have more iron deficiency anaemia
  • Plant foods contain iron in ion form and not in heme form (which is found in meat)
    • The heme form has higher bioavailability
  • Vitamin C enhances iron absorption
  • Calcium and dairy decrease iron absorption
  • Sources for vegetarians
    • Eggs
    • Pulses (beans, chickpeas)
    • Dark green vegetables
• B12
  • Unless fortified, no plant foods contain significant B12
  • B12-containing foods should be consumed regularly
  • Sources for vegetarians
    • Milk
    • Cheese
    • Eggs
  • Sources for vegans
    • Supplements
    • Fortified cereals, plant milk
    • Nutritional yeast
• Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Are mostly found in oily fish and fortified eggs
  • Sources for vegetarians
    • Flaxseed oil
    • Rapeseed oil
    • Soya oil
    • Walnuts
    • Fortified eggs
• Vitamin A
  • Preformed Vitamin A is only found in animal foods
  • Vegans only get vitamin A from converting beta-carotene, which is less efficient
  • High amounts of beta-carotene should be ingested daily
  • Found in most orange/yellow fruits and vegetables
• Iodine
  • Iodine is mostly found in dairy and seafood
  • Iodized salt should be consumed by vegans

Well-planned vegetarian diet contains

• Dark green vegetables
• Red and orange vegetables
• Legumes (beans and peas)
• Starchy vegetables (potatoes)
• Whole grains
• Fruits
• Eggs
• Soy products
• Nuts
• Seeds