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 Vegetarian and vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of life,
including during infancy, pregnancy, childhood, adolescence and old
age, the authors write in a position statement from the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics.
That's because people who adopt a plant-based diet tend to consume
more fruits and vegetables, fewer sweets and salty snacks, and
smaller amounts of total and saturated fats, the statement,
published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
asserts.
The trick is to make sure these diets are well planned out and well
balanced, said Vandana Sheth, a registered dietitian nutritionist
and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
"Any diet that is not well planned and balanced can have negative
side effects," Sheth said by email.
"Just because foods are plant based doesn't automatically make them
healthy," Sheth added. "For instance, pastries, cookies, fried and
salty foods may be vegan but don't really provide much in terms of
nutritional value."
For younger vegetarians and vegans in particular, it's important to
plan meals that include enough iron, zinc, vitamin B-12, and for
some, calcium and vitamin D, Sheth said.
"Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets containing vegetables,
fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds can be nutritionally
adequate and may provide health benefits for the prevention and
treatment of some chronic diseases," Sheth noted.
Approximately 3.3 percent of American adults are vegetarian or
vegan, meaning they never eat meat, poultry or fish, according to
the guidelines. This way of eating is much more common among younger
adults than elderly people.
Among the health benefits noted in the guidelines, people who eat a
plant-based diet are less likely to be overweight or obese than
adults who consume meat.
Vegan diets in particular, which exclude meats as well as animal
products like milk, eggs and honey, are associated with a lower risk
of heart disease than other ways of eating, the statement also
points out.
According to the authors, people who adopt a vegan diet reduce the
risk of diabetes by 62 percent, the risk of prostate cancer by 35
percent, the chance of being hospitalized for a heart attack by 33
percent, the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and the risk of all
forms of cancer by 18 percent.
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"People who adopt vegetarian diets have a lower body mass index,
better control of blood pressure and blood glucose, less
inflammation and lower cholesterol levels compared with
non-vegetarians," Sheth said.
Just because a diet is vegetarian or vegan, however, doesn't
necessarily mean it's healthy, cautioned Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian,
dean of the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in
Boston.
"For instance, fries and a coke are vegan," Mozaffarian, who wasn't
involved in the position statement, said by email.
"Indeed, much of the harmful stuff in the food supply is vegetarian
or vegan: refined grains, starches, added sugars, sweets, trans
fats, salt, etc," Mozaffarian added. "People can have a vegetarian
or vegan diet that is healthy or terrible; and a non-vegetarian or
non-vegan diet that is healthy or terrible."
A healthy diet is rich in minimally processed foods, especially from
plants, but also from animals, Mozaffarian said.
"I recommend a high-fat Mediterranean-style diet, rich in fruits,
non-starchy veggies, nuts, beans, fish, whole grains, and vegetable
oils; and including yogurt, cheese, poultry, and occasional half
serving a week of fresh, unprocessed red meat," Mozaffarian said.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2gcxQyM Journal of the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics, December 2016.
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