Year: 1994
Type: article
Abstract: Physicians often evaluate and recommend changes in the diet of their patients.Just as the role of dietary sat- urated fat in coronary artery disease led physicians to rec- ommend moderation in red meat consumption,' the data on the physiologic effects of vegetarianism should encour- age further reductions in meat consumption.*At the end of this article is a "Page for Patients" that refutes some of the common myths about vegetarianism. Definition of VegetarianismMost epidemiologic and clinical studies of vegetarians classify them as either vegans, lactovegetarians, or lacto- ovovegetarians.Vegans eat no food of animal origin (ex- cept perhaps honey), and lactovegetarians eat dairy prod- ucts.Lacto-ovovegetarians eat both dairy products and eggs and outnumber vegans in most reports.Because the elimination or reduction of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine intake often accompanies vegetarianism,24 many studies control for this. Macronutrient and Micronutrient Composition of Vegetarian DietsVegetarians consume less total food energy (calories) than do omnivores because their diets are composed of less total fat and protein (but more total complex carbo- hydrate).7'Vegetarians' diets are also comparatively low *See also the editorial by S. Havala, MS, RD, LDN, "Vegetarian Diets- Clearing the Air," on pages 483-484 of this issue.
Source: PubMed Central
Authors: R White, E Frank
Institution: Emory University
Language: English
Topic: Nutritional Studies and Diet
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W79433707