Understanding Vegetarian Diet(s)

By Sarah Daubman, R.D., Staff Dietician

In June of this year I decided to adopt a vegetarian diet. I had attempted the same a few years ago, but did not stay with it in the long run. My interest was renewed after reading T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study, which I would recommend to anyone interested in nutrition research, vegetarianism or disease prevention.

Initially, I challenged myself to stick with it for 30 days. Thirty days has turned into three months and I still remain committed. The benefits of a vegetarian diet have long been clear. In 1997, the American Dietetic Association released their position paper on vegetarian diets stating “that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

The paper goes on to describe the lower incidence rate of diseases in vegetarians than non-vegetarians. Specifically, vegetarians are less likely to have coronary artery disease, type II Diabetes Mellitus and lung and colorectal cancer. Also, vegetarians often have lower cholesterols and blood pressure and weigh less than their meat-eating counterparts.

There are different types of vegetarians. Vegans consume no animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs and honey. Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy but no meat, seafood or eggs. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy, meat or seafood. You may have heard some newer terms such as “flexitarian” or “semi-vegetarian.” These persons may limit their intake of certain types of meats or seafood, or only eat meat at limited times, for example, red meat once a week. Whether this reflects the true ideal of vegetarianism can be debated.

As noted in my earlier posting I am a lover of the culinary arts as well as nutrition. Trying new recipes is my favorite part of the new lifestyle and I hope to share some with you as this blog progresses. My goal is not to convert the reader, but rather encourage some new dishes at the dinner table. I promise they will not all be about rutabagas.


About The China Study:

http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6800051-2080043?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189043289&sr=8-1


American Dietetic Association Position Paper on Vegetarian Diets:

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/adapaper.htm