Nutritional implications of a meatless diet

Abstract

A study commissioned by the Vegetarian Society claimed that there were as many as 3-5 million vegetarians in the UK (The Realeat Survey Office, 1990). While this may well be an overestimate, as some people who call themselves vegetarians do eat meat and fish occasionally, it is apparent that many people are now claiming to avoid 'red meat' ostensibly because they believe it to be healthier (Cathro, 1991). The trend towards vegetarianism is strongest in the younger age-groups and particularly in women. The present paper considers the nutritional adequacy of diets devoid of meat and the health of vegetarians, and questions whether avoidance of meat offers advantages to health. TYPES OF VEGETARIAN DIET A vegetarian is usually defined as someone who does not eat animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish) but whose diet includes eggs and dairy products. Usually the first stage in becoming a vegetarian is to give up consuming red meat, this is followed by the exclusion of poultry and fish. Many vegetarians aspire to being pure vegetarians or vegans who exclude all food of animal origin. Veganism is a way of life that avoids the exploitation of animals. Besides avoiding food of animal origin, vegans will not use products that have been derived from animals, such as leather and wool. Fruitarians restrict their diet to raw fruits, nuts and berries because they believe that this was the natural diet of man. Macrobiotic diets which originate from the teachings of George Ohsawa (1971) consist of relatively large amounts of brown rice, accompanied by smaller amounts of fruits, vegetables and pulses; processed foods and Solanaceae species (tomatoes, aubergines and potatoes) are avoided; meat and fish are permitted if they are hunted or wild. In practice, however, most macrobiotic diets are vegetarian and contain only small amounts, if any, of milk products. Pythagoras was one of the earlier advocates of a meatless diet in the West, and abstinence from meat (flesh) has been associated with asceticism throughout the world for thousands of years. Vegetarianism is advocated by the Hindu religion and the Seventh-Day Adventists' Church. The Rastafarian cult advocates a vegan-fruitarian diet. In the UK, many vegetarians and vegans follow their diets for ethical reasons. They claim that it is cruel to eat animals and that it is environmentally more economical to live on foods of plant origin than foods of animal origin. Vegetarianism in the UK has a long history of association with radical and often altruistic causes ranging from teetotalism and food reform in the 19th century, to feminism, nuclear disarmament, environmental issues and animal rights in the 20th century. Many radical figures such as George Bernard Shaw and Beatrice Webb have openly promoted vegetarianism. In more recent times, pop idols such as Madonna have espoused the vegetarian cause. It is, perhaps, not surprising that vegetarianism appeals to the younger age-groups. In the Netherlands and the USA, many of the 'new vegetarians' are followers of the

Health benefits of a vegetarian diet

“…Studies have consistently reported that vegetarians have lower mean plasma total cholesterol concentrations than comparable non-vegetarians (Dwyer, 1988(Dwyer, , 1991Sanders & Reddy, 1994;Thorogood, 1995). In an analysis of data from 3000 men and women, Thorogood et al (1987) reported that mean total cholesterol concentrations (mmol/l), adjusted for age and sex, were 4·29 in vegans, 4·88 in vegetarians, 5·01 in fish eaters and 5·31 in meat eaters (Table 1).…”

“…The present paper concentrates on major findings from studies of Caucasian Western vegetarians. More extensive reviews have been published by Dwyer (1988Dwyer ( , 1991, Sanders & Reddy (1994) and Thorogood (1995).…”

Influences on meat consumption in Australia

“…Many studies have been conducted on the health of people who choose not to eat meat (American Dietetic Association, 1997; Appleby et al, 1999;Beilin, 1994;Bingham, 1999;Dwyer, 1988Dwyer, , 1991Janelle & Barr, 1995;Key et al, 1996Key et al, , 1998Key et al, , 1999aKnutsen, 1994;Sanders & Reddy, 1994;Thorogood et al, 1994;White & Frank, 1994). Vegetarians have a lower mean bodymass index and plasma total cholesterol concentration, and mortality from ischaemic heart disease is decreased by 24% (Key et al, 1999a,b).…”

Vegetarian nutrition

“…religious teachings such as Buddhism or membership of the Seventh‐Day Adventists); cost; family influences; or as a reaction to food safety scares, such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), E. coli , salmonella or the use of antibiotics or growth hormones in meat production (Richardson et al . 1993; Cathro 1994; Sanders & Reddy 1994; Sabate et al . 2001).…”