Diet sustainability; Vegetarian diet
General premise and nutritional intake patterns
The vegetarian diet is based on plants as the primary source of food. Some of the most common types of plants associated with the vegetarian diet include vegetables, fruits, dried grains, nuts and seeds. However, the vegetarian is divided into different categories depending on the types of eating patterns of the groups. The vegan type of vegetarian diet is associated with excluding all kinds of animal and meat foods. The second group of the vegetarian diet is known as the Lacto-vegetarian diet, which includes plants, grains and dairy products (Burns-Whitmore et al., 2019). The third group of the vegetarian diet consists of the Lacto-Ovo vegetarian type of diet which includes both dairy products and eggs. One of the most outstanding things about vegetarian diets is that vegetarians have to be keen about what they eat, and most significantly, widen their consumption coverage to meet their nutritional demands and needs. According to Nebl and colleagues (2015), one of the most significant general premises of vegetarian diets is that it is increasingly becoming popular in the western world. One of the most significant aspects of the nutritional intake patterns of the vegetarian diet is that it is characterized by below-average levels of proteins and fats intakes and considerable higher and above-average levels of carbohydrates intake. Additionally, according to Liu and colleagues (2019), energy intake levels of the vegetarian diet are considered average as they are associated with the standards of carbohydrates intake. The vegetarian schoolis also associated with high levels of fibre intake.
The primary documented health outcomes of the vegetarian diet
The vegetarian diet is best described by what is omitted from the diet. Meat and fish are the main omissions from the vegetarian diet, although vegetarians also use eggs and dairy products. The exclusions and the whole pattern of vegetarian diets often have several impacts on the health outcomes of vegetarians. Several authors and scholars have, therefore documented both the positive and negative health outcomes of the vegetarian diet. Among the authors that addressed and documented the health outcomes of vegetarianism include Craig (2010), who argued that there are nutritional concerns associated with the vegetarian diet. According to Craig (2010), although the vegetarian diet might be a useful type of diet for both adults and children, primarily due to its role in preventing cardiovascular diseases and maintain the health of the heart, there are several nutrients of concern when it comes to vegetarianism. Such nutrients include Vitamin B(12), Vitamin D and some types of fatty acids. Calcium, Iron and Zinc are also nutrients of concern in the vegetarian diet. Craig (2010) argues that vegetarians consume these nutrients in lower quantities and often associates them with adverse health outcomes such as lower body mass index, serum total and low density of lipoprotein levels. However, according to the documentation of systemic observational studies by Dinu and colleagues (2017), vegetarian and vegan diets have multiple health outcomes that are more positive than they are harmful. According to the author, vegetarian diets mitigate the risk of health outcomes such as cardiovascular diseases and the reduction of mortality from total cancer and specific types of cancer. Kahleova and colleagues (2019), also argue that the vegetarian diet is an effective diet for improving health outcomes and reducing the risks of heart disease. According to the author, the vegetarian diet can also help in improving body weight and controlling body cholesterol levels.
Sustainability of the vegetarian diet
Sustainability is one of the most trending and essential topics in the 21st century and the attention of how to keep a sustainable world has shifted in the recent past towards focusing on sustainable diet choices. The vegetarian diet is considered as the most sustainable diet choice because of its low levels of greenhouse gas omission, the low energy consumptions in the production of vegetarian foods, and smaller environmental footprints compared to diets that involve the use of meat. According to the French Environmental and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), vegetarian diets contributes to 49.6 % fewer emissions of greenhouse gases and need 26.9 % energy to produce (ADEME, 2018). Additionally, the agency also argues that vegetarianism contributes to 41.5 % smaller direct impacts on the environment compared to the diets that include meat. The study report by ADEME shows that the vegetarian diet is a more sustainable diet that the other forms of nutrition.
According to an article by Chai and colleagues (2019), different foods that people consumer have significant but divergent impacts on the environment. The report, which addressed the difference in environmental effects of different diets compared the impact of the vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets on the environment. The study found that vegan and vegetarian diets are more significant sustainable diets because they caused the least impacts on the environment. According to the authors, vegan and vegetarian diets are least impacting to the environment because of their lower levels of GHG emissions. Additionally, according to Arto and Tuula (2012), the vegetarian diet is one of the most significant ways towards sustainability. In their study that attempted to find out the ability of university students who have finished their education to adopt the vegetarian diet, the authors found that students also consider the vegetarian diet as one of the most considerable and practical ways towards sustainability. According to the authors, although most students do not favour joining and adapting to the vegetarian diet, they consider the diet a very very practical approach towards global sustainability.
The content of the article by Arto and Tuula (2012) do reflect not only the opinion of the students but also an opinion shared by scholars, professors and learners of nutrition and nutritional value. The vegetarian diet has been favourable diet to not only animals but also the air that we breathe. Many youths mostly join the vegetarian diet do conserve animals and to promote a sustainable and environmentally protective world.
References
ADEME. (2018). New Study Confirms Veggie Diets Are More Sustainable than Non-Veggie Diets. Down to Earth: Organic & Natural, https://www.downtoearth.org/articles/2018-04/12051/new-study-confirms-veggie-diets-are-more-sustainable-non-veggie-diets.
Burns-Whitmore, B., Froyen, E., Heskey, C., Parker, T., & San Pablo, G. (2019). Alpha-Linolenic and Linoleic Fatty Acids in the Vegan Diet: Do They Require Dietary Reference Intake/Adequate Intake Special Consideration?. Nutrients, 11(10), 2365.
Chai, B. C., van der Voort, J. R., Grofelnik, K., Eliasdottir, H. G., Klöss, I., & Perez-Cueto, F. J. (2019). Which diet has the least environmental impact on our planet? A systematic review of vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets. Sustainability, 11(15), 4110.
Craig, W. J. (2010). Nutrition concerns and health effects of vegetarian diets. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25(6), 613-620.
Dinu, M., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F., Casini, A., & Sofi, F. (2017). Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 57(17), 3640-3649.
Kahleova, H., Salas-Salvadó, J., Rahelić, D., Kendall, C. W., Rembert, E., & Sievenpiper, J. L. (2019). Dietary Patterns and Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Diabetes: A Summary of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Nutrients, 11(9), 2209.
Liu, Y., Gao, X., Ding, Y., Zhou, Y., Liu, X., Wang, H., … & Yao, S. (2019). Effectiveness and safety of light vegetarian diet on functional constipation with the gastrointestinal damp-heat pattern: An exploratory study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Medicine, 98(50), e18325.
Nebl, J., Schuchardt, J. P., Wasserfurth, P., Haufe, S., Eigendorf, J., Tegtbur, U., & Hahn, A. (2019). Characterization, dietary habits and nutritional intake of omnivorous, Lacto-Ovo vegetarian and vegan runners–a pilot study. BMC Nutrition, 5(1), 51.
Salonen, A. O., & Helne, T. T. (2012). Vegetarian diets: A way towards a sustainable society. Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(6), 10.