VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE MORE ACCEPTED, MUST BE PLANNED CAREFULLY

MANHATTAN -- Being a vegetarian is a lot different than it was 20 years ago, said Karen Hudson, family nutrition program coordinator in the department of human nutrition at Kansas State University.

"People have become more accepting of individual differences and preferences in everything," she said. "And that's a credit to us."

Hudson, a registered dietitian who researched healthy vegetarian diets for the Cooperative Extension Service, said that vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice that people take seriously.

"You don't do it haphazardly," she said. "You must give a lot of thought to it. It's not to be taken lightly."

There are two main types of vegetarianism. People who choose to avoid all food of animal origin, including meat, milk and eggs are called vegans. Others who avoid all meat, but eat dairy products and eggs are called lacto-ovo-vegetarians.

Vegetarian diets, if well planned, are appropriate for any age, and vegetarians typically have lower mortality from chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, Hudson said. Also, vegetarians usually consume less saturated fat and cholesterol and have lower incidence of hypertension than nonvegetarians.

No matter what reason people choose vegetarian diets, Hudson said they must plan carefully to assure that the diet has variety and provides the necessary nutrients.

"Probably the most critical nutrient that may be missing in a vegetarian diet is B-12," Hudson said. "This vitamin comes only from animal sources. B-12 is essential for the health of our blood and nerves. If we don't have enough, we can develop anemia and even irreversible nerve damage."

Hudson said vegetarians can find vitamin B-12 in milk, fortified cereal, nutritional yeast and vitamin-mineral supplements.

If vegetarians avoid dairy products, they may not obtain sufficient amounts of calcium needed to amass strong bones. Some foods that can be fortified with calcium include soy milk, orange juice, tofu and cereal. Hudson said an individual usually needs about 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, and one glass of cow's milk has calcium approximately equivalent to that in fortified orange juice and soy milk.

Hudson said there is concern that vegetarianism can lead to eating disorders, because some people with eating disorders avoid meat. However, she said that being a vegetarian does not cause eating disorders.

While it is often thought that athletes must eat meat-based diets to perform the best, Hudson said vegetarian diets can also meet the nutritional requirements of competitive athletes.

"The increased protein needs can be met easily with a well-planned vegetarian diet that includes good sources of vegetable protein such as soy and legumes."

Hudson said people adopt vegetarian diets for many reasons including religious beliefs, environmental concerns and world hunger; however, most people in the world are vegetarians because it is the only diet they can afford.

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Prepared by Staci Hauschild. For more information contact Karen Hudson at 785-532-0177.

 

October 2000