Ebook Vegetarian and Vegan Diets
Vegetarian diets have been around for hundreds of years, but the practice has only been adopted more widely in the last 50 years. It is estimated that in the UK, between 3 and 7% of the population are vegetarian and women are more likely to be vegetarian than men.
There are many interpretations of a 'vegetarian’ diet, ranging from avoiding red meat most of the time through to a strict vegan diet, where all foods of animal origin are excluded. In an omnivorous (meat-containing) diet, animal-derived foods like meat, fish, eggs and dairy products normally provide substantial amounts of food energy, protein, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A, D and B 12 . Nutritional status is at risk when appropriate substitutions are not made for any group of foods that is omitted from the diet, for whatever reason.
A well-planned and varied vegetarian diet will provide adequate energy and sufficient amounts of these nutrients but problems arise if those foods excluded are not replaced by suitable alternatives in terms of the nutrients they supply. The key to a healthy, balanced vegetarian diet (as with an omnivorous diet) is an understanding of the food groups that underpin a healthy diet, i.e. which foods provide which nutrients, and forward planning of meals.
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