NSC 170C1 1st Edition Lecture 15 Outline of Last Lecture I Proteins in the Diet Outline of Current Lecture I What is a vegetarian II Reasons for vegetarian lifestyle III Health concerns and health benefits Current Lecture I II What is vegetarian A A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat fish poultry or sometimes food products made from these B 3 of American follow the vegetarian life style C However the vegetarian food market is a 1 5 billion industry D Types i Semi vegetarians flexitarians take a flexible approach to eating meat ii Lacto ovo vegetarians eat dairy products and eggs but avoid meat poultry and fish iii Lacto vegetarians consume dairy products but not eggs iv Ovo vegetarians consume eggs but not dairy products v Vegans eat no foods of animal origin some even avoid honey Reasons for choosing a vegetarian diet A Health Concerns i Helps you maintain a healthy weight and reduce risk for certain chronic diseases ii Concern that hormones and antibiotics fed to animals may cause health risks B Environmental concerns i Fertilizers used on feed crops transportation of animal feed and the energy required to maintain process and transport animals and animal products contribute a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions ii Farm animal production contributes nearly a fifth of the world s greenhouse gases C Compassion for animals i Many people deplore the treatment of farm animals D Religious convictions i Sects within many major religions including Christianity Buddhism and Hinduism forbid or discourage consumption of animal based foods E Financial constraints i Meat poultry and fish are relatively expensive foods and consumption of them is associated with affluence III Health Benefits of being vegetarian A May reduce the risk of the following diseases B Heart disease i Soy nuts and soluble fiber rich beans and oats are shown to reduce blood cholesterol ii Deaths from heart disease are 25 percent lower among vegetarians C High blood pressure i The incidence of high blood pressure is over two times higher in non vegetarians D Type 2 diabetes i Vegetarians have a lower risk of diabetes E Certain types of cancer i Shown to reduce risk of prostate and colon cancer ii The American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research advocate a plant based diet to reduce risk of cancer iii A plant based diet of fiber rich whole grains and lowcalorie nutrient dense fruits and vegetables is filling and helps you to eat fewer calories IV Health risks of a vegetarian diet A The biggest risk is not consuming enough of certain nutrients found in animal foods such as Protein Vitamin D Iron Vitamin B12 Zinc Vitamin A Calcium Omega 3 fatty acids B Meal planning is essential to make sure you are meeting all of your nutrient needs i Concerns about Consuming Adequate Amounts of Vitamin B12 a Vitamin B12 is derived only from food of animal origin b Deficiency is less of a risk for lacto ovovegetarians c The ADA recommends that vegetarians and vegans consume at least three good food sources of vitamin B12 daily such as Eggs Cow s milk yogurt or cheese Vitamin B12 fortified soy milk breakfast cereal or nutritional yeast d Those not consuming at least three sources per day should take a vitamin B12 supplement V How can one be a healthy vegetarian A Vegetarians must eat a wide variety of foods to consume adequate amounts of all nutrients B A vitamin and mineral supplement may be necessary to help balance nutrients C The Vegetarian Food Guide Pyramid can help you incorporate all nutrients in a vegetarian diet D A plant based diet can meet all your nutrient needs E Protein rich meat alternatives such as soy dried beans and other legumes and nuts can help vegetarians meet protein needs i The Joy of Soy a Soy is a high quality protein source derived from soybeans b It is low in saturated fat provides iron and contains isoflavones naturally occurring phytoestrogens c Isoflavones found in soy may reduce the risk of certain chronic disease such as heart disease and breast cancer d Soy The perfect protein