Once upon a time vegetarians were regarded as really strange people. Today, vegetarianism is common place and, it turns out, pretty good medicine, too. Vegetarianism isn't a single diet. At least three basic variations exist.
1) A diet for people who don't eat meat, but do eat fish and poultry or just fish.
2) A diet for people who don't eat meat, fish, or poultry, but do eat other animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Vegetarians who follow this regimen are called ovo-lacto vegetarians (ovo = egg, lacto = milk).
3) A diet for people who eat absolutely no foods of animal origin. These vegetarians, who eat only plant foods, are called vegans.
The first two kinds of vegetarianism - no meat, but some poultry or fish, no meat, but lots of dairy products - are completely safe from a nutritional standpoint because they contain enough different kinds of food to supply every nutrient your body needs.
A totally vegetarian diet - no meat, no poultry, no dairy foods - can be a bit dicey. It has no vitamin B12, a nutrient found only in foods from animals. Without some animal foods, it may be difficult to get enough calcium and iron. True, many plants have both minerals, but in forms your body may find hard to absorb. And unless you combine foods correctly, your proteins won't be "complete". Of course, these "problems" are not insurmountable obstacles to good nutrition. With a little care and juggling, it is possible to get all the nutrients you need from a vegetarian diet. Juggle your foods intelligently, and you can definitely end up with a well balanced diet that:
1) Makes losing weight easy without feeling deprived (plants are low-fat, which means low-calorie)
2) Reduces your risk of some kinds of cancer (those wonderful antioxidant chemicals in plants)
3) Lowers your risk of heart disease (plants have absolutely no cholesterol)
So bring on the carrots! Stir up the rice and beans! ~Aunt Millie
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