Vegetarian Diets: Nutritional Adequacy
The days of thinking of a vegetarian diet as a diet that few
people adhere to are behind us. It is vastly becoming a popular way
of life. Most airlines and restaurants now offer vegetarian meals.
More and more people are turning towards vegetarian diets as a way of
life. Some people choose a vegetarian diet as a way to eat healthy
and achieve their health goals. For others the choice to become a
vegetarian is a selective choice to avoid consuming food and food
products from animal origin. There are three common types of
vegetarian diets:
- Vegan or Total Vegetarian-only foods of plant origin
are included in this diet plan.
- Lacto-Vegetarian-includes all plant products and dairy
products but no meat or eggs.
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian-includes all plant products, dairy
products and eggs.
When comparing the Recommended Dietary Allowances with the lacto
and lacto-ovo vegetarian diets these diets are nutritionally adequate
with some exceptions. You can get enough protein from a total
vegetarian diet as long as the variety and amounts of food consumed
are adequate. Concerns are:
- A potential deficiency of the total vegetarian diet
is calcium especially for females at all ages, teenagers and
young adult males. A viable option for ensuring adequate
calcium intake is a calcium-fortified milk alternate
available in supermarkets.
- Other nutrients of concern
in the total vegetarian diet are B12, riboflavin, iron,
vitamin A, vitamin D, high quality protein and total
caloric intake.
- It is difficult for the total vegetarian
diet to provide the energy needs for children due to the
volume of food required. Ideally all vegetarians should be
seen by a registered dietian to assess the adequacy of their
diet and determine the need for further vitamin and or
mineral supplementation needs.
Food Groups and Serving Sizes for Vegetarian Diets
| Food Group |
Daily Servings |
Serving Size |
Breads, grains, cereals
(50% whole grain) |
6-11 |
- 1 slice bread
- 1 oz ready to eat cereal
- 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta
- 6-in tortilla
- 1 small roll or muffin
- 1/2 bagel or English muffin
|
| Legumes |
1-2 |
- 1/2 cup cooked dry beans, lentils, peas, limas
etc.
- 1/2 cup tofu, soy products or meat analogs
|
| Vegetables, dark-green and green leafy vegetables |
3-5 |
- 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
- 1 cup raw leafy vegetable or salad
- 3/4 cup vegetable juice
|
| Fruits |
2-4 |
- 1 medium piece of fruit
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit
- 1/4 cup dried fruit
- 3/4 cup fruit juice
|
| Nuts and Seeds |
1-2 |
- 1 oz almonds, walnuts, seeds etc.
- 2 Tbs. peanut butter, almond butter, tahini
|
| Milk, yogurt and/or cheese |
2-3 |
- 1 cup lowfat milk or yogurt
- 1.5 oz lowfat cheese
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
|
| Milk alternatives (soy milk) and tofu |
See patterns in Lacto-Ovo Diet |
- 1 cup soy milk fortified with calcium/vitamin D and
vitamin B12
- 1 cup tofu
|
| Fats and Oils |
See patterns in Lacto-Ovo Diet |
- 1 tsp. oil, margarine, or mayonnaise
- 2 tsp salad dressing
- 1/8 Avocado
- 5 olives
|
| Sugar |
See patterns in Lacto-Ovo Diet |
- 1 tsp. sugar, jam, jelly, honey, syrup etc.
|
