A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. There is no single type of vegetarian diet. Instead, vegetarian eating patterns usually fall into the following groups:
- The vegan diet, which excludes all meat and animal products
- The lacto vegetarian diet, which includes plant foods plus dairy products
- The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes both dairy products and eggs
People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Nutrients vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.
United States Department of Agriculture
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Vegetarian Diets(Dept. of Agriculture) - http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/vegetarian_diets.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/sp-vegetarian_diets.html
- Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596/METHOD=print
- Beans and Other Legumes: Types and Tasty Tips(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/legumes/NU00260/METHOD=print
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Cuisine(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/lacto_ov.htm
- Vegetarian Nutrition Resource List(National Agricultural Library) - Large PDF file - http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/gen/vegetarian.pdf
- Renal Diet for Vegetarians: Choosing the Right Proteins(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/renal-diet/AN01465/METHOD=print
- Vegetarian Diet: Can It Help Me Control My Diabetes?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/diabetes/AN00845/METHOD=print
- Dentist Should Advise Vegetarians on Good Oral Health(Academy of General Dentistry) - http://www.agd.org/support/articles/?ArtID=1273
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Vitamin B-12(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/765.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/765.printerview.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Alteration of cardiovascular autonomic functions by vegetarian diets in postmenopausal... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18666713&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Vegging out. 5 things you should know about giving up... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18604892&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Nutritional characteristics of middle-aged Japanese vegetarians. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18603818&tool=MedlinePlus
- Vegetarian Diet -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=diet,vegetarian[majr]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4874_ENU_HTML.htm
- Food and Nutrition Information Center - http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
- Death Highlights Importance of Proper Nutrition for Babies Raised as Vegetarians(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/research/vegan_baby.html
- Vegetarianism(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/vegetarianism.html
- Becoming a Vegetarian(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vegetarian.html
- Soy Foods and Health(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/soy.html
- Nutrition during Pregnancy for Vegetarians(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/pregnancy/hic_nutrition_during_pregnancy_for_vegetarians.aspx
- Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nutrition.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html