Vegetarianism and Vegan Diet

Interest in a healthy lifestyle and different dietary practices that promote health continues at the same time as ecological and environmental concerns increase. Vegetarianism includes a wide variety of eating patterns, and today there is a widespread dissemination of information demonstrating that appropriately planned plant-rich omnivorous diets and plant-based lacto-vegetarian and semivegetarian diets are equally successful in promoting health. Plant-only diets without nutrient fortification do not promote health, because they do not necessarily supply adequate amounts of energy and essential nutrients such as vitamin B-12, vitamin D, calcium, and iron. Further studies are needed on the effects of plant-only diets on health, especially those diets given to children. The positive physiological health consequences of vegetarian diets include the high body antioxidant capacity of dietary antioxidants such as vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene, avoidance of overweight, low blood pressure and low serum glucose and cholesterol levels, and positively changed microflora in the colon. Epidemiological studies indicate vegetarians have lower morbidity and mortality rates from several chronic degenerative diseases than do nonvegetarians. Also the incidence of lung and colorectal cancer is lower in vegetarians, as is the incidence of diabetes, high blood pressure, and rheumatoid disease. In the future when more information about the health effects of different vegetarian dietary practices has been gained, more suitable dietary recommendations for vegetarians can be made.