Teachers Toolkit

This page endeavours to provide you with some additional resources on vegetarianism that you may like to view. If you are aware of a good vegetarian resource, please contact us so we can add it to this page for other teachers to view. This page was last updated November 2009.

Scientific Background Information

  • Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets found in Journal of American Dietetic Association 2009:109:1266-1282. This is a comprehensive review on vegetarianism using current scientific literature.

The abstract of the paper says 'It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs.' Source www.adajournal.org/

A PDF version of the whole document can be purchased from the above site or from www.infotrieve.com.au/ at a cheaper cost.

  • You can search the medical journal articles at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ for additional papers on vegetarianism.
  • If you are looking for scientific-based books on vegetarianism, the following may appeal to you. They are written by dietitians and researchers.
    • The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications by Virginia Messina, Reed Mangels and Mark Messina (2004)
    • The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family by Virginia Messina and Mark Messina (1996)
    • Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina (2000)
    • The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet by Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis (2003)
    • The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook by Prof Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Kate Marsh with Philippa Sandall (2006) (The beginning of this book explores vegetarianism from a practical perspective in Australia.)

 

General Vegetarian Information