hat do you think of when you hear the word "vegetarian"? Boring, impossibly strict, fad diet followers, hippies, health fanatics, Hindus and Seventh Day Adventists may all come to mind.

There are many reasons why people practice vegetarianism, including religion, health, novelty, concern for the environment, compassion for animals, ethical principles, economics, and even personal preference. Some people incorporate vegetarianism into their lifestyle and for others it's just a way to eat. Vegetarians are not usually categorized by their motivations, but by the foods they choose to eat or choose not to eat. The word vegetarian is used broadly to describe people who avoid food from animal sources, but there are more specific terms to accurately describe the varieties of foods people may choose to include.

• Lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarians are also called partial vegetarians or semivegetarians because they include some animal products in their diets, including milk, eggs, and fish. Semivegetarians may also occasionally include beef or poultry in their diets.

• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians include milk, milk products and eggs in their diets but exclude other animal products, like fish, poultry, and meat. Zinc and iron could be low in these more restrictive diets.

• Vegans (pronounced VEE-guns) exclude all animal products from their diets and eat only plant-based foods. A vitamin B-12 supplement is mandatory to prevent deficiency in those who avoid all animal foods. Some fortified foods, like soy milk, may contain vitamin B-12. Dark-green vegetables and calcium-fortified foods need to be included daily in order to supply sufficient calcium.

• Macrobiotic vegetarians progress through a series of ten dietary stages in which they gradually reduce their intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts until they eat basically nothing but grains and restrict their fluid intake.

• Raw foodists are very strict vegans who will not eat food that has been heated above 116° Fahrenheit.

• Fruitarians eat only fruit, nuts, honey, and olive oil.

I know that these last four types of vegetarian diets seem very restrictive and, truthfully, they are very difficult to adhere to in our culture. More importantly, though, they are not nutritionally adequate and are potentially unhealthy. Careful planning is required of any vegetarian, especially for children, pregnant women and the elderly. Lacto-ovo and other semivegetarian diets can easily be nutritionally adequate, but not all foods are healthy just because they are vegetarian. French fries, for instance, can be vegetarian, but are not a part of a healthy diet. Take a look at the Vegetarian Food Guide Pyramid inside to help you plan your meals and ensure that you are getting the right balance of nutrients over the course of the day.

Health Benefits

A vegetarian lifestyle has many health benefits, including the prevention of several chronic diseases. As a group, vegetarians have lower incidence of obesity and maintain a healthier body weight than nonvegetarians. This may be due to the fact that they eat more low-calorie, high-fiber foods like vegetables in place of high-calorie meats and empty-calorie junk foods.

Vegetarians also have lower rates of heart disease and coronary artery disease. LDL cholesterol levels tend to be lower in vegetarians, probably because of the low levels of saturated fat and high levels of fiber in their diets. Since most vegetarian foods come from plants, the levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients in vegetarian and vegan diets tend to be much higher than in nonvegetarian diets. Plant nutrients may have anti-inflammatory effects that can reduce LDL cholesterol oxidation (which could otherwise lead to a heart attack) and may reduce plaque formation. Rates of hypertension are much lower among vegetarians and vegans than among meat eaters and people who occasionally eat meat. High levels of phytonutrients in the diet may be the reason for this difference.

Cancer rates are lower among vegetarians, as well. There is overwhelming evidence that fruits and vegetables help prevent cancer and vegetarians tend to include more of these healthy foods in their diets. Most notably, rates of colon and prostate cancer are lower among vegetarians.

Type 2 diabetes is also less common in vegetarian populations. This lower rate is probably due to better insulin sensitivity that results from the lower body weight (body mass index or BMI) and higher fiber intake of vegetarians. As a group, non-meat eaters may be more health-conscious and place more importance on exercise and healthy eating, which in turn leads to lower disease risk.

Complete Protein

You may have heard that vegetarian sources of protein are "incomplete" and need to be specially combined with another type of plant protein in order to be "complete." A complete protein usually comes from animal origin and supplies the body with all nine essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein) that it cannot make itself. An incomplete protein is deficient in at least one essential amino acid. But the protein-combining myth has been dispelled within the last few years and vegetarians everywhere are free, for example, to eat rice without beans and vice versa. We now know that a vegetarian simply needs to eat adequate calories and a variety of food throughout the day in order for the body to get all of the essential amino acids it needs.

You may also wonder whether non-meat eaters get enough protein in their diets. It seems like we're obsessed with protein lately, but the truth of the matter is that everyone has more than ample amounts of protein in their diets. Even growing children and teenage vegetarians can get sufficient protein if they plan their meals carefully and eat a variety of foods and adequate calories. For a list of vegetarian foods that contain protein, see the chart on this page.

Flexatarian

Maybe cutting down on your animal foods doesn't seem so strange now. If you want to try eating less meat or even try becoming a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you should do so gradually. If you eat meat three times a day, try to have one vegetarian meal each day (breakfast is an easy vegetarian meal). If you already just have cereal and milk for breakfast, how about adding a second non-meat meal? I love a big green salad filled with assorted vegetables, beans, soybeans, wheat berries, hard boiled egg, and sunflower seeds for lunch. A peanut butter and jam sandwich on whole-grain bread fits the bill, too. Next, try to designate one or two days a week as vegetarian days. Be flexible with your eating, but always remain conscious of what you're eating.

Everyone has their own philosophy about food and eating, and some people have given it more thought than others. What's important to keep in mind is that eating is personal and, though you can use your fork to make political and economic statements, it is most responsible not to impose your views on others. Food reflects the wonderful diversity that exists in this world and it is best if we can respect everyone's choices and savor their preferences.

Vegetarian Protein Sources
Complete proteins:	Incomplete proteins:
Eggs Milk Yogurt Cottage cheese Cheese Soybeans (edamame) Soy milk Soy yogurt Soy cheese Tofu Soy nuts Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) Quinoa	Lentils Garbanzo beans Black beans Kidney beans Cannellini beans Pinto and other beans Split peas Almonds Walnuts Pecans Peanuts Cashews and other nuts Sunflower seeds Pumpkin seeds Sesame seeds Tahini Corn Corn tortillas Flour tortillas Polenta Bulgur Brown rice Barley Whole-wheat pasta Whole-grain bread Vegetables, especially spinach