A diet that excludes meat is a vegetarian diet if you eliminate all animal foods, or a semi-vegetarian diet if you still include dairy products, poultry, seafood or eggs. A meatless diet is generally lower in unhealthy fats and cholesterol than a diet that includes meat, but it may also be low in essential minerals found in meat, such as iron and zinc. A diet that excludes meat requires a little extra planning to make sure you get all the nutrients you need in the amounts needed to stay healthy.
Rationale
You may follow a diet that excludes meat for religious, economic, ethical, health or other personal reasons. You may simply dislike the taste of meat or be unable to afford meat in your diet. If you exclude meat from your diet because you are against killing animals for any reason, or because you want to lower your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, you may still include dairy products such as low-fat milk and yogurt in your diet.
Nutritional Balance
Some of the nutritional concerns of a diet that excludes meat include getting enough protein, vitamin B-12, iron, zinc and calcium in the diet. Although meat is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals, it is not necessary to eat meat to get these nutrients in your diet. All foods contain some protein as well as other nutrients, so if you eat a wide variety of grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits, it is easy to get an appropriate balance of protein and other nutrients in a diet that excludes meat. Some grains, such as quinoa, and some legumes, such as soybeans, are excellent sources of high-quality protein and other nutrients found in meat. If you include dairy products in a meatless diet, these foods will also provide a good supply of protein as well as calcium.
Benefits
In some cases, depending on where you shop for food and your other food choices, a diet that excludes meat may be less expensive than a diet that includes meat. Additionally, a well-planned, well-balanced vegetarian diet may be beneficial in preventing and treating some medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease and dementia, according to a review of the scientific literature performed by researchers at the University of Glesson, Germany, and published in "Forum of Nutrition" in 2005.
Features
The American Dietetic Association points out that the healthful features of a vegetarian diet include more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy foods, fiber and phytochemicals, or disease-fighting plant chemicals, in the diet and fewer sources of saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. In a 1999 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," Tufts University dietitian and senior scientist, Johanna Dwyer, pointed out that both plant-only and plant-rich diets that are well-planned are safe and healthy and provide essentially the same nutritional benefits.
References
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System: Vegetarian Diets
- "Forum of Nutrition"; Vegetarian Diets: What are the Advantages?; C Leitzmann; 2005
- "Journal of the American Dietetic Association"; Position of The American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets; WJ Craig, et al.; 2009
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Convergence of Plant-Rich and Plant-Only Diets; J Dwyer; 1999
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