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Summary

A vegetarian diet focuses on plants for food. These include fruits, vegetables, dried beans and peas, grains, seeds and nuts. There is no single type of vegetarian diet. Instead, vegetarian eating patterns usually fall into the following groups:

• The vegan diet, which excludes all meat and animal products
• The lacto vegetarian diet, which includes plant foods plus dairy products
• The lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, which includes both dairy products and eggs

People who follow vegetarian diets can get all the nutrients they need. However, they must be careful to eat a wide variety of foods to meet their nutritional needs. Nutrients vegetarians may need to focus on include protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B12.

United States Department of Agriculture

Start Here

• Food Sources of Important Nutrients (for Vegetarians) (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Beans and Other Legumes: Types and Cooking Tips (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Building a Healthy Vegetarian Meal: Myths and Facts (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Could Switching to a Vegetarian Diet Cure My Diabetes? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Dentist Should Advise Vegetarians on Good Oral Health (Academy of General Dentistry)
• Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Cuisine (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
• Renal Diet for Vegetarians: What about Protein? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Vegetarian Diet: Will It Help Me Lose Weight? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Vitamin B-12 (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Eat Healthy: Beans, Peas, and Lentils (Department of Agriculture)
• Enjoy Vegetarian and Vegan Meals (Department of Agriculture)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diet, Vegan (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diet, Vegetarian (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Dietary Quality in Vegetarian and Omnivorous Female Students in Germany: A...
• Article: Vegetarian diet in dialysis patients: A significant gap between actual intake...
• Article: The Impact of Diet on Urinary Risk Factors for Cystine Stone...
• Vegetarian Diet -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Food and Nutrition Information Center

Children

• Feeding Vegetarian and Vegan Infants and Toddlers (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Teenagers

• Becoming a Vegetarian (Nemours Foundation)
• Menu Ideas for Vegetarian Teens (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)

Women

• Staying Healthy on a Vegetarian Diet during Pregnancy (American College of Nurse-Midwives) - PDF

Patient Handouts

• Vegetarian diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish