Vegetarian Diet

Summary

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

Teenagers

• Being a Vegetarian Nemours Foundation
• Protein Foods for Your Vegetarian Child Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Related Issues

• Building a Healthy Vegetarian Diet: Myths and Facts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Cuisine National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
• Renal Diet for Vegetarians: What about Protein? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Vegetarian Diet: Can It Help Me Control My Diabetes? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Vitamin B12 American Academy of Family Physicians

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diet, Vegan National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diet, Vegetarian National Institutes of Health

Specifics

• Eat Healthy: Beans, Peas, and Lentils Department of Agriculture
• Enjoy Vegetarian Meals Department of Agriculture
• Healthy Recipes: Vegetarian National Library of Medicine

Find an Expert

• Find a Nutrition Expert Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Food and Nutrition Information Center Food and Nutrition Information Center

Start Here

• Food Sources of 5 Important Nutrients for Vegetarians Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
• Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Journal Articles

• Vegetarian Diet

Women

• Staying Healthy on a Vegetarian Diet during Pregnancy American College of Nurse-Midwives

Patient Handouts

• Vegetarian diet Medical Encyclopedia