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Vegetarian Diet

Whether for ethical, religious, or health reasons (fear of "mad cow disease", obsession with eating well), vegetarian dietitians shun meat, fish, and sometimes even eggs and dairy products (vegan diet). Here is an overview of the vegetarian diet.

Vegetarian Diet

There is not one but several vegetarian diets, more or less restrictive.

The ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet consists of excluding all animal flesh (meat, fish) from the diet, but allows foods of animal origin such as eggs and dairy products. As it is the most widespread, it is called the "vegetarian diet".

The Lacto-vegetarian diet excludes animal products, including eggs, but allows dairy products.

The ovo-vegetarian diet excludes all animal products, except eggs.

Pesco-vegetarian only excludes meat. It allows fish, eggs, and dairy products.

Whatever the specificity of their diet, vegetarians eat mainly vegetables and fruits, raw or cooked, legumes, whole grains, seeds, oleaginous fruits (almonds, nuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts...), vegetable oils, and seaweed.

Are there any risks in following a vegetarian diet?

A vegetarian diet can be a good match for a balanced and healthy Western diet. It follows, even more, the official recommendations in terms of nutrition than our classic industrial food modes which are too rich in proteins, saturated fats, and cholesterol.

If the diet is well managed, there is no risk of deficiencies. For proteins, there are eggs, dairy products, cereals, legumes, and oleaginous fruits. For iron, there are eggs, cereals, and pulses. For calcium, there are dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. For vitamins of the B group, there are cereals...


Tips for balancing a vegetarian diet

With a diet containing neither meat nor fish, it is essential to compensate for the absence of animal proteins (of good quality because they contain all the amino acids essential to the body), by combining vegetable protein sources (of average quality because they contain insufficient quantities of essential amino acids).

For example :

  • cereal product + egg (Cantonese rice, cake) ;
  • cereal product + dairy (rice in bed, cheese pizza) ;
  • pulses + dairy (lentil salad with cheese cubes) ;
  • cereal product + pulses (semolina with chickpeas);
  • cereal product + oilseeds (pasta salad with nuts).

To best cover their needs, vegetarians must consume relatively large proportions of each permitted food group. This means grain foods or pulses at every meal, and at least 5 fruits and vegetables and 3 dairy products per day.

The special case of the vegan diet

Vegetarians pushed to the extreme, vegans ban all animal products, including eggs and dairy products. Therefore, they only eat vegetables, grains, legumes, fruits, seeds, and oils.

Unlike the vegetarian diet, vegans are at high risk of deficiencies, particularly in protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.

Thus, the vegan diet can cause growth retardation, anemia, and calcification defects. As such, it is formally not recommended for children, adolescents, and pregnant or lactating women.

For others, it is essential to take food supplements to compensate for the lack of many nutrients essential to the body.

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