Holy Name Convent, P.O.

S
Food & Nutrition

Vegetarians
& Religious
Diets

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher,

Holy Name Convent, P.O.S
Objectives:
What is a vegetarian diet?
Different types of vegetarians.
Why do people choose this diet?
Health advantages
Healthy food choices
Best choices
Key nutrients
Meeting protein needs

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
A Vegetarian
A general term used to describe people who exclude
meat, poultry, fish, or other animal-derived foods
from their diets.
Includes: fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, cereal
grains, nuts, and seeds, with or without dairy
products and eggs

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Types of Vegetarians
Vegan-excludes all animal products e.g. meat, dairy,
eggs and fish
Lacto – excludes meat, eggs, includes dairy products
Ovo – excludes meat, dairy products, but includes
eggs
Lacto-Ovo – exclude meat, fish, but includes eggs
and dairy products.
Pesco - vegetarians who eat fish

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
⚫A vegetarian diet may be chosen
for:
⚫ Ethical
⚫ Health
⚫ Environmental
⚫ Religious
⚫ Political
⚫ Cultural
⚫ Economic

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Health Benefits of Vegetarianism
Obesity
Vegetarians maintain lower, healthier body
weight than non-vegetarians
Lower weight correlates with high intakes of
fiber and low intakes of fat
Hypertension
Vegetarians have lower blood pressure and
lower rates of hypertension
Heart Disease
Incidence of heart disease much lower
Higher intakes of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins.
Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy
Name Convent, P.O.S
 Cancer
Significantly lower rates of cancer
Ratio of vegetables to meat may be most
relevant dietary factor in prevention
Vegetarianism may also help in the prevention of the
following:
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Diverticular Disease
Gallstones
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy
Name Convent, P.O.S
Nutrition Concerns
Vitamin B12
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Vitamin D
Calcium
Iron
Zinc
Protein

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Vitamin B12
Found only in animal-derived foods
Need fortified sources (soy milk, cereal)
Small amount in tempeh
Small amount in seaweeds (nori, chlorella)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Found in fatty fish
Need flaxseed, walnuts
Vitamin D
Need fortified foods if inadequate exposure to sunlight
Important for infants, children, elderly

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Calcium
Lacto-ovo vegetarians similar to omnivores
Vegans need fortified juices, soy milk, and breakfast
cereals
Important for children
Iron
RDA for iron higher for vegetarians because plant iron
(non-heme iron) is not as well absorbed
Body adjusts to absorb more plant iron
Zinc
Plant zinc not well absorbed
Soy interferes with absorption

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
 Protein
Vegetarian diets are low in high quality proteins
(those containing all of the essential amino acids)
Use fortified meat replacements and textured
vegetable proteins
Beans, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Dairy products( Milk
Yogurt and Cheese)
❖ Meat replacements: products made to look and taste
like meat, fish, poultry
❖ Textured vegetable protein: processed soybeans
used to make soy burgers, etc
❖ Tempeh: a fermented soybean food
❖ Tofu: a curd made from soybean; used in Asian &
vegetarian dishes
Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy
Name Convent, P.O.S
Vegetarian Diet Planning
The more restricted the vegetarian diet is the
greater the challenge is to achieve a
nutritionally adequate diet.
The goal for the vegetarian in diet planning is
the same as the omnivore: consume a variety of
foods to obtain all of the needed nutrients.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Religious Diets
Around the world, people choose to eat
or avoid certain foods depending on their
religious belief.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Muslims
Muslims do not eat pork and shellfish or drink
alcohol. Meats that are eaten should be
slaughtered under Halal guidance.
The Arabic word halal means “allowed” and
commonly refers to how animals are
slaughtered (by a ritual slaughter and then
drained of blood) and prepared to make
meat products.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Hindus
Hindus do not eat beef as the cow is considered
sacred. A lacto-vegetarian diet is followed by
many Hindus; however, their diet varies by
region; some strict vegetarian diet, while others
may eat meat hunted locally.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Jews
Jews do not eat pork or shellfish and food that is
eaten must be kosher.
Kosher is a Hebrew word that means “proper’, and
when a food is kosher it means that it meets the
dietary requirements of Jewish law, including: not
eating any non-kosher animals (such as pigs and
birds of prey), avoiding eating meat and dairy
together at the same time, and only eating meat
that was slaughtered in a certain way and then
drained of blood.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S
Rastafarians
Rastafarians believe that living things should not be
harmed, so most are vegans.
A Rastafarian’s diet, called ital. (which means
“natural”), does not include preservatives, such as
salt, or chemicals. Rastafarians generally do not eat
processed foods or drink alcohol or smoke
cigarettes.

Prepared by: Ms Pang, F&N Teacher, Holy

Name Convent, P.O.S