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Unit 4
ADVANTAGES OF THE VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE
Objectives
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To describe the reasons why people choose to follow a vegetarian diet
To discover the significant health benefits
To indicate the different types of vegetarians
To identify the key nutrients of challenge in vegetarian eating
To show that protein is a non-concern in a balanced vegetarian diet
DEFINITION
The Oxford Dictionary defined a vegetarian as “one who lives wholly or principally
on vegetable foods; a person who, on principle, abstains from any form of animal
food, or at least such as is obtained by the destruction of life7.”
Collins Concise English Dictionary states that a vegetarian is “a person who eats
no meat; strictly, one who believes in a diet of only vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts
as the proper one for people7.”
INTRODUCTION7
The vegetarian diet is the original diet given to man by God and has been followed by
various groups of people since the beginning of time.
Throughout the world, there are far more vegetarians than meat eaters. Most of
these people are not vegetarians by choice, but have found a diet of grains, legumes,
seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables more appropriate for living conditions without
refrigeration. Vegetable proteins are also cheaper than more perishable, expensive
animal foods. Most of these people have perfectly adequate diets, often without
many of the problems associated with high intake of fat, salt and sugar.
Within our society, an increasing number of people are becoming vegetarian. There
are a range of reasons why people choose to adopt a vegetarian diet. These include
environmental concerns, religious beliefs, animal rights issues and health reasons 2.
Many sports people follow a vegetarian diet so that the percentage of energy from
complex carbohydrates will be increased.
Environmental Concerns7
Grains can produce twelve times more protein per hectare than livestock, legumes
twenty-five times and leafy vegetables thirty-seven times more12. Animal farming is a
grossly inefficient way to use our natural resources and a completely inadequate
answer to the needs of a planet on which many people are very short of food 17.
Religious Beliefs7
Down through the years it has been thought that diets free of flesh foods allows the
follower to concentrate more readily on spiritual matters. Trapist Monks and strict
followers of the Hindu religion are but two groups who follow a vegetarian diet.
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church advocates a healthy lifestyle. The church adopts
the principle of total abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and other harmful substances,
and encourages adherence to a vegetarian diet, to enable people to enjoy their full
potential of well being through a balanced physical, mental, social, emotional and
spiritual lifestyle.
Animal Rights7
Many people do not like the thought of killing animals for food. A plant based diet
does not contribute to the exploitation and cruelty suffered by animals reared for their
flesh products.
Health Reasons20
There is plenty of evidence that eating more plant foods can offer significant health
benefits.
Protection from coronary heart disease. A recent study has shown that
vegetarians have a 24% lower risk of dying from coronary heart disease
compared to non-vegetarians16. The reduced risk of coronary heart disease is
due, in part, to lower blood cholesterol levels in vegetarians; particularly the
‘bad’ type of cholesterol (known as LDL)9. Protective plant foods for the heart
include: legumes, (particularly soybeans), wholegrain breads and cereals, nuts
and a variety of fruits and vegetables3, 10,14,15. The protection comes from the
fibre, vitamins, minerals and a range of antioxidants and other phytochemicals
that are naturally present in plant foods21.
Protection from cancer. The cancer rate in vegetarians from western
countries is lower than that of meat eaters. Scientific research has found that
vegetarians have a 40% lower death rate from cancer compared to nonvegetarians22. Generally, fruit, vegetables and fibre have a protective effect,
whereas red and processed meat is linked with an increased risk of cancer8.
The cancer protective effects of a vegetarian diet are not only related to the
foods that are not eaten (i.e. meat) but also to the foods that are eaten in
larger quantities. These foods include whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds,
fresh fruit and vegetables21.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for stroke and
coronary heart disease. Studies have shown that vegetarians generally have
lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians, and that vegetarian diets can
reduce elevated blood pressure5,9. It is still unclear why vegetarian diets are
effective in reducing blood pressure; it may be due to the relative healthy body
weight of vegetarians and the higher potassium content of their diets
compared to non-vegetarians9.
Obesity. Vegetarians are more likely to have a healthier body weight than
non-vegetarians9. This may be due to a greater emphasis on control of food
intake by vegetarians and leading a healthier lifestyle, including more physical
activity, than non-vegetarians9. It may also be due to vegetarian diets
generally being lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates and fibre 21.
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Diabetes. A vegetarian diet results in a lower risk of developing non-insulin
dependant diabetes9. This could be partly due to higher intakes of
wholegrains20. People who follow plant-based diets also generally have a
lower body mass index (which indicates that a person has a healthy body
weight), which allows the insulin in the body to work effectively and so reduces
the risk of developing diabetes9.
Osteoporosis. A study that looked at the rates of osteoporosis and hip
fractures in different countries found that a high animal protein intake may
increase the risk of developing osteoporosis1. High protein intakes have been
shown to increase the loss of calcium from bones in the urine. This is most
marked in diets that are high in animal protein21.
Additional Disease Protection. Vegetarian diets have also been found to be
beneficial in preventing conditions such as gallstones, kidney stones and
bowel disorders (eg constipation and diverticular disease)9.
In many countries around the world, the interest in vegetarian eating and plant foods
is certainly growing. To date over 250 studies have been carried out on vegetarian
diets21.
Plant food such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains, provide active
substances on which human metabolism is dependent. However, only a few of these
to date have been labelled as ‘essential nutrients’. Fruits, vegetables are not only a
rich source of carotenoids, ascorbic acid, tocopherols, folate, and dietary fibre, but
also provide to the diet, indoles, thiocyanates, cumarins, phenols, flavonoids,
terpenes, protease inhibitors, plant sterols, and a host of other yet unknown and
unnamed phytochemicals and ‘non-nutrient’ compounds that may protect humans
from many types of cancer and other diseases.25
TYPES OF VEGETARIANS7
There are basically three types of vegetarian diets.
1. Lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet – a diet that is made up of fruits, vegetables,
grains, legumes, nuts, milk, dairy products and eggs, but does not include
foods that require the taking of life (red meat, poultry, fish, pig meat, shell fish).
This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.
2. Lacto-vegetarian diet – a diet that includes milk with plant foods but excludes
any other foods from animals. (as Lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet without the eggs)
3. Total vegetarian diet – a diet that is made up of fruits, vegetables, grains,
legumes and nuts, but includes no foods from any animal source (red meat,
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poultry, fish, pig meat, shell fish, dairy products, eggs). The word Vegan
describes a person who follows a total vegetarian diet but it includes more
than just diet. Vegans do not use any products made from animals such as
leather goods and avoid including such foods such as honey and gelatine.
All of these eating styles, properly planned, can provide sufficient nutrients for good
health7.
HISTORY OF THE VEGETARIAN DIET7
In the beginning God gave man “every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole
earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.”
Genesis 1:29 It was only after the flood that God allowed man to eat flesh food. He
told Noah and his family that “everything that lives and moves will be food for you.
Just as I gave you green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat
meat that has its lifeblood still in it” Genesis 9:3,4.
Ellen White says “Before this time God had given man no permission to eat animal
food, He intended that the race should subsist wholly upon the product of the earth,
but now that every green thing had been destroyed, He allowed them to eat flesh of
the clean beasts that had been preserved in the ark24.”
The story of the dietary choices of Daniel and his three friends who lived 600 BC is
recorded in Daniel chapter 1. They chose “not to defile themselves with the royal
food and wine.” Daniel asked for “nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink”
for ten days as a test period. “At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and
better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.”
At the same time Daniel was living in Babylon, Pythagoras founded a vegetarian
movement “not only to foster hygiene and kinship between humans and animals, but
also to protest the self-indulgence of ancient Roman society12.”
In the mid-19th century vegetarianism emerged as a trend in England and the United
States. At that time, three people enthusiastically advocating the vegetarian
philosophy were: Reverend Sylvester Graham, who invented Graham Crackers, Ellen
White and Dr John Harvey Kellogg.
Today the vast populations of developing countries follow a largely vegetarian diet
because their economies cannot support a flesh eating diet.
Vegetarian eating is the lifestyle choice that has been adopted by 3.7% of
Australians4 and 1% of New Zealanders19. In the United States of America, it is
thought that about 5% of the population follow a vegetarian diet 21.
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KEY NUTRIENTS TO CONSIDER FOR VEGETARIAN EATING
For those who follow, or wish to follow, a vegetarian diet, there are some key
nutrients that you need to keep in mind. These are vitamins and minerals that could
be lacking in any unbalanced diet. However, with a little planning, you can ensure
that you have a nutritious plant-based diet that supplies adequate amounts of those
nutrients and promotes good health. Following are some of these key nutrients:
Iron is an essential mineral needed by your body for use in many functions, including
oxygen transport and energy-producing chemical reactions23.
Iron deficiency is considered to be the most common nutritional deficiency18, but it is
not specific to vegetarians. Research suggests that vegetarians do not differ from
non-vegetarians in iron status13.
There are two types of iron found in our foods.
HAEM IRON is found in foods such as red meats, seafood, poultry and offal
(eg liver and kidney). Haem iron is well absorbed by the body.
NON-HAEM IRON is found in legumes, wholegrains breads and cereals,
green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and eggs. Non-haem iron is not as well
absorbed by the body.
The absorption of non-haem iron in your body is influenced by factors in food that
can either inhibit or enhance its absorption. Some plant foods have elements in
them, including tea and coffee, which can inhibit non-haem iron absorption18.
Vitamin C on the other hand, can enhance the absorption of non-haem iron.
Tips to increase iron intake and absorption
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Include some plant-based sources of iron, such as wholegrains and
iron-fortified cereals, soy foods, other legumes, nuts and seeds at each
meal.
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Include a good source of vitamin C (such as citrus fruits, berries,
tomatoes, capsicum, bean sprouts, broccoli and cabbage) with each
meal to help increase the amount of iron your body absorbs.
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If you choose to drink tea and coffee, do not have these drinks with
meals, as caffeine and tannin contained in these drinks reduces the
absorption rate of iron considerably.
More detailed information on the subject ‘Iron’ will be given in Unit 13.
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Calcium is an important nutrient for healthy bones and teeth. In addition, it plays a
role in the clotting of blood and the functioning of nerves and muscles23.
Dairy products are good sources of calcium, so for lacto-ovo vegetarians and nonvegetarians, gaining enough calcium from the diet can be easily achieved through
eating these foods. However, for those who eat only plant foods or wish to avoid
dairy products, a little more planning may be required to achieve calcium
requirements.
Consuming a plant-based milk alternative that contains added calcium (such as
Sanitarium So Good soy drink) is a good way of helping to ensure an adequate
calcium intake. Some calcium is also present in foods such as almonds, brazil nuts,
sesame seeds, dried figs, dried apricots, soybeans, tofu, parsley and Asian greens
(such as bok choy). It is important to eat a variety of calcium-containing foods,
including low-fat dairy products or calcium enriched alternatives.
Tips to increase calcium intake
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Include dairy milk or a calcium-enriched soy drink regularly in your
meals (such as on your breakfast cereal), in snacks (such as a
smoothie) or in desserts (such as custards).
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Include other plant-based sources of calcium, such as almonds,
dried figs, tofu and Asian green vegetables regularly.
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Look for recipes that contain dairy milk or calcium-enriched soy
drink.
More detailed information on the subject ‘Calcium’ will be given in Unit 13.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin required by the body to make red blood cells and
DNA. It is also needed to make a protective layer around nerve cells in the nervous
system23.
This vitamin is found naturally in animal products, such as meat, dairy products and
eggs. There are some plant food sources of B12, however the form of the vitamin
found in these foods in inactive and not useful to the body.
People who only eat plant foods (that is, those following a vegan diet) should include
adequate amounts of plant foods that contain added vitamin B12, such as Sanitarium
So Good soy drink and Sanitarium Marmite, or take a vitamin B12 supplement.
Tips to increase vitamin B12 intake
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Regularly consume dairy milk or a vitamin B12-enriched alternative,
such as So Good.
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Look for other plant-based foods that have added vitamin B12.
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If you follow a vegan diet and don’t regularly consume B 12-enriched
foods, consult your doctor or dietitian regarding vitamin B12
supplements.
More detailed information on the subject ‘Vitamin B12’ will be given in Unit 13.
Proteins
Proteins perform many vital tasks in your body, including the growth and
maintenance of all of your body cells. All the enzymes in your body, as well as many
hormones are proteins. In addition, proteins help transport oxygen and form part of
DNA23.
Proteins are made from combinations of smaller units called amino acids. There are
about 20 common amino acids that make up most proteins23. Some of these amino
acids must be obtained from the diet and are therefore known as “essential amino
acids”.
While foods from animal sources contain proteins that have sufficient levels of all of
the essential amino acids, most plant proteins contain limited amounts of one or
more of these essential amino acids6. One exception to this is soy protein, which is
now known to contain adequate levels of all essential amino acids 6.
It was thought, in the past, that specific combinations of plant foods had to be eaten
at the same meal to ensure enough of each essential amino acid was present in the
meal. This practice of “protein combining” is no longer believed to be necessary11.
Not all amino acids need to be present in adequate quantities in the one meal 6.
Some may be supplied at one meal, while others can be supplied at the next. To
help gain adequate protein from a vegetarian diet it is recommended to eat a variety
of plant foods at each of your meals.
A healthy vegetarian diet is based on the following guidelines21.
Choose mostly from:
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Wholegrains, such as wheat, rice, barley, corn and other grain foods such as
wholegrain breads, breakfast cereals and pasta.
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A variety of vegetables and legumes (dried beans, lentils and peas).
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Fruits, including fresh, dried and canned in natural juice.
Choose moderate amounts of:
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Dairy foods, (preferably low or reduced-fat varieties), such as milk, cheese
(fresh cheese in preference, like cottage and ricotta cheese) and yoghurt, or
calcium-enriched soy alternatives, such as Sanitarium So Good soy drink.
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Eggs.
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Nuts and seeds.
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Vegetarian protein foods, such as tofu, soy burgers and other vegetable
protein products.
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If you follow a vegan or strict vegetarian diet, remember to include vitamin B 12
enriched foods regularly.
Eat small amounts of:
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Added fats, preferably polyunsaturated or monounsaturated margarines and
cooking oils (eg olive, canola and sunflower).
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Fatty snack foods.
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Sugary sweets and drinks.
A vegetarian diet can readily supply all the nutrients necessary to support good
health and quality living. Advantages of longevity, reduced financial cost and less
disease make it a very attractive alternative to a diet that includes meat.
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1. Abelow B, Holford T, Insogna K;
CROSS-CULTURAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DIETARY ANIMAL
PROTEIN AND HIP FRACTURE: A HYPOTHESIS
Calcif Tissue Int 1992;50:14-18
2. American Dietetic Association;
POSITION OF THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOICATION:
VEGETARIAN DIETS
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1997;11:1317-21
3. Anderson J, Johnstone B, Cook-Newell M;
META-ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF SOY PROTEIN INTAKE ON
SERUM LIPIDS
New England Journal of Medicine 1995;333:276-82
4. Australian Bureau of Statistics;
NATIONAL NUTRITION SURVERY - SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS
Australia 1995
5. Berlin, L
VEGETARIAN AND OTHER COMPLEX DIETS,
FAT FIBRE AND HYPERTENSION
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6. British Dietetics Association;
VEGETARIAN DIET POSITION PAPER (UK)
Vegetarian Nutrition International Journal 1997;1(3):106-7
7. Butler T, Butler D, Stanton H;
VEGETARIAN COOKING DEMONSTRATOR’S MANUAL –
2nd EDITION
Adventist Health Department &
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Sanitarium Nutrition Education Service, 1995:E49-E61
8. Cummings, J, Bingham S;
DIET AND THE PREVENTION OF CANCER
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HEALTH ASPECTS OF VEGETARIAN DIETS
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10. Dwyer J;
OVERVIEW: DIETARY APPROACHES FOR
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Journal of Nutrition 1995; 125:656S-665S
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THE NUTRITIONAL DEBATE: SORTING OUT SOME ANSWERS.
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13. Harmon S, Parnell W;
THE NUTRITIONAL HEALTH OF NEW ZEALAND VEGETARIAN
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New Zealand Medical Journal 1998;111:91-94
14. Hu F, Stampfer M, Manson J, Rimm E, Colditz G, Rosner B, Speizer F,
Hennekens C, Willet W;
FREQUENT NUT CONSUMPTION AND RISK OF SORONARY
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British Medical Journal 1998;317:1341-1345
15. Jacobs D, Meyer K, Kushi L, Folsom A;
WHOLEGRAIN INTAKE MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF ISCHAEMIC
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THE IOWA WOMEN’S HEALTH STUDY
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998;68:248-257
16. Key T, Thorogood M, Appleby P, Burr M;
DIETARY HABITS AND MORTALITY IN 11,000 VEGETARIAN AND
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RESULTS OF A 17-YEAR FOLLOW UP
British Medical Journal 1996;313:775-779
17. Lappe F;
DIET FOR A SMALL PLANET
Ballantine Books, New York 1971.
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18. Messina M, Messina V;
THE GUIDE TO VEGETARIAN DIETS:
ISSUES AND APPLICATIONS
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19. Russel D, Parnell W, Wilson N et al, NZ;
NZ PEOPLE. KEY RESULTS OF THE
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DIETARY FIBRE, GLYCEMIC LOAD AND RISK OF
NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS IN WOMEN
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RISK OF DEATH FROM CANCER AND ISCHAEMIC HEART
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VEGETARIAN NUTRITION
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