Vegetarian diets characteristics

Administration. Most children and adults do not ingest sufficient dietary calcium and require supplements (see Tables 88-5 and 88-6). Individuals with certain characteristics or conditions—such as lactose intolerance nondairy vegetarian diet malnutrition low-fat diets and glucocorticoid, antiresorptive, or parathyroid therapy—also require evaluation for calcium supplementation. To ensure adequate calcium absorption, 25(OH) vitamin D concentrations should be maintained in the normal range." ... 

Definitions are important in discussing vegetarian diets and nutritional adequacy since both of these terms cover a multitude of disparate characteristics. 

Some characteristics of sound, adequate vegetarian diet patterns include the following ... 

Diet First it is important to examine what food groups, foods, or products are avoided or de-empha-sized on vegetarian diets, and then some additional characteristics of dietary patterns, personal characteristics, and belief systems that further increase risk of dietary inadequacy and other health problems ... 

Using the characteristics above, it is usually possible to sort out those consuming vegetarian diets who are at low or no risk of inadequacy from those who may potentially have problems and need further assessment and counseling. 

It is useful to screen out those vegetarians who are likely to be at high risk of dietary inadequacy by using some simple characteristics of their diets and lifestyles to determine if further dietary assessment is likely to be needed. The entire pattern of intake (including avoidances, substitutions and additions of foods, and use of dietary supplements) describes the individual vegetarian s profile of nutrient adequacy or inadequacy. 

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