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Vegetarian Diets: Nutrition & Health Fact Sheet
Vegetarian Diets: Nutrition & Health Fact Sheet
VEGETARIAN DIETS
Produced by: Contributors:
Terence Woo, BS Rachel Evtuch, BS What is a vegetarian diet?
Michelle Chellino Aneeta Vedula, BS
Gina Plessas Solveig Adalsteindottir, BS What are some potential health benefits of a
Rachel Scherr Ph.D.
Anna Jones Ph.D. Center for Nutrition in Schools vegetarian diet?
Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr Ph.D. Department of Nutrition
University of California, Davis Can a vegetarian diet meet all my nutrient needs?
(2016)
1
What are some potential 5 Tips for Planning
health benefits of a Healthful Vegetarian
vegetarian diet? Meals. 3
more fiber and lower saturated fat compared to diets with Use calcium-fortified, soy-based
beverages such as soy milk: These
meat.9 This is possible because vegetarian diets have more can provide calcium in amounts
similar to milk, and also be lower
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. in saturated fat.
2
Can a vegetarian diet
meet all my nutrient
needs?
Like all diets, a vegetarian diet should be nutritionally
different amounts of essential nutrients. Nutrients that Salad table for lunch or dinner
3, 4, 5, 6
What Are Some Nutrients I Need and Where Can I Get Them?
Protein: Beans, nuts, quinoa, tofu and other soy- Vitamin B12: Vitamin supplements, fortified
based protein foods. foods (commercial breakfast cereals, soy
beverages, nutritional yeast)
Iron: Dried or fortified beans and cereals,
spinach, chard, dried fruit Vitamin D: Fortified dairy products, egg yolks,
liver, and fatty fish. Also consider breakfast
Calcium: Collard greens, spinach, almonds, cereals, soymilk, and supplementation.
soybeans. Calcium-fortified orange juice,
fortified cereal, fortified soymilk, and tofu Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Fish, walnuts, and ground
flaxseeds.
Zinc: Whole grains, nuts, legumes
3
Table 1: Vegetarian Food Guide for Adults Following a 2000 7, 13
Calorie Diet.
Note: The information in this table is adapted from Appendix 5 – Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern of the 2015-2020 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans
*Foods in this column are in 1 serving size equivalents. For those following vegan or ovo-vegetarian diets, the dairy group, except for soymilk, will be omitted.
†Ounce Equivalents (oz eq): Cup and ounce equivalents identify the amounts of foods from each food group with similar nutritional content
4
References:
1. Dinu M, et al. Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of
observational studies. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Feb 6:0. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2016.1138447
2. Mangels, R. “Protein in the vegan diet.” Simply Vegan. 5th Edition. The Vegetarian Resource Group, Nutrition. (1999).
3. Karabudak E, et al. A comparison of some of the cardiovascular risk factors in vegetarian and omnivorous Turkish females.
J Hum Nutr Diet. 2008 Feb;21(1):13-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2007.00831.x.
4. National Institute of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B12 Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet. https://ods.
od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/. Accessed Aug. 13, 2016
5. Holick MF, et al. Vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Mar;93(3):677-81. Epub 2007 Dec 18.
6. Lane K, et al. Bioavailability and potential uses of vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids: a review of the literature. Crit
Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2014;54(5):572-9. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2011.596292
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Appendix 5, 2015 – 2020 Dietary
Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/
appendix-5/. Accessed Aug. 13, 2016.
8. Chang-Claude J, et. al. Lifestyle determinants and mortality in German vegetarians and health-conscious persons: Results
of a 21-year follow-up. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2005 Apr;14(4):963-8.
9. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/. Accessed Aug. 13, 2016.
10. American Heart Association Nutrition Committee, et al. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: A scientific
statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006 Jul 4;114(1):82-96.
11. Chobanian AV, et al. Seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of
High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003 Dec;42(6):1206-52.
12. American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada. Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of
Canada: Vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2003 Jun;103(6):748-65.
13. “Calcium Content of Common Foods.” International Osteoporosis Foundation. International Osteoporosis Foundation, n.d.
Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
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