Vegan Food Guide

Lots of people limit their intake of meat — maybe you, your kids, or others in your family don't eat meat. Maybe you're a vegetarian and are wondering if it's a good choice for your kids, too. Or perhaps your teen just expressed an interest in going meat-free and you're looking for information.

The term "vegetarian" can mean different things to different people:

• A true vegetarian eats no meat at all, including poultry and fish.
• A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs, but excludes meat, fish, and poultry.
• A lacto vegetarian eats dairy products but not eggs.
• An ovo vegetarian eats eggs but not dairy products.

And many people won't eat red meat or pork but do eat poultry and/or seafood.

Less commonly practiced is the form of vegetarianism known as veganism. A vegan doesn't consume any animal-derived foods or use animal products or byproducts, and eats only plant-based foods.

In addition to not eating meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or dairy, vegans avoid using products made from animal sources, such as fur, leather, and wool.

While those are obvious animal products, many animal byproducts are things we might not even realize come from animals. These include:

• gelatin (made using meat byproducts)
• lanolin (made from wool)
• rennet (an enzyme found in the stomach of calves, young goats, and lambs that's used in cheese-making)
• honey and beeswax (made by bees)
• silk (made by silkworms)
• shellac (the resinous secretion of the tiny lac insect)
• cochineal (a red dye derived from the cochineal insect)

Why Vegan?

Veganism (also known as strict vegetarianism or pure vegetarianism), as defined by the Vegan Society, is "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose."

Vegans also avoid toothpaste with calcium extracted from animal bones, if they are aware of it. Similarly, soap made from animal fat rather than vegetable fats is avoided. Vegans generally oppose the violence and cruelty involved in the meat, dairy, cosmetics, clothing, and other industries.

What About Nutrition?

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), "well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence."

Vegetarian diets offer a number of advantages, says the ADA, including lower levels of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and higher levels of fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. As a result, the health benefits of a vegetarian diet may include the prevention of certain diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

But any restrictive diet can make it more difficult to get all necessary nutrients. A vegan diet eliminates food sources of vitamin B-12, which is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs, and cheese. A vegan diet also eliminates milk products, which are good sources of calcium.