Neal Barnard (1993) has asserted that a vegetarian diet could result in improved health and fitness as well as enhanced longevity and resistance to disease. Noting that for centuries, food choices were considered to be a relatively modest force in medicine, Barnard (1993) stated that a vegetarian diet that is structured around grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits is increasingly associated with positive and long-lasting health benefits. Additionally, vegetarian diets that eliminate animal flesh are seen by this author as ecologically and environmentally responsible.
It is this general background within which this report is positioned. This report will first, identify the constituent elements in a vegetarian diet and then discuss the capacity of a vegetarian diet to meet the nutritional daily requirements of an individual. Next, it will analyze the health and medical benefits of a vegetarian diet. Finally, the report will identify support for vegetarian diets emanating from various reputable health care organizations or associations. It will be argued that properly handled and structured, a vegetarian diet offers positive benefits and such a diet can be enjoyed by people of all ages (Rynk, 2002).
According to the American heart Association (2004, p. 1),
Some people follow a "vegetarian" diet, but there's no single vegetarian eating pattern. The vegan or total vegetarian diet includes only foods from plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. The lactovegetarian diet includes plant foods plus cheese and other dairy products. The ovo-lactovegetarian (or lacto-ovovegetarian) diet also includes eggs. Semi-vegetarians don't eat red meat but include chicken and fish with plant foods, dairy products and eggs.
A vegetarian diet as described by Carol Gelles (1992), consists of a diet from which meat and poultry have been removed and from which fish and possibly eggs and other dair...