Total vegetarians now have a reliable food pyramid that conforms to United States nutrition guidelines
Total vegetarians now have a reliable food pyramid that conforms to United States nutrition guidelines. Created by health experts from the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the pyramid outlines a safe diet for total vegetarians whose plant-based diet excludes all animal products and sometimes excludes essential vitamins and minerals.
The “Total Plant Food Guide” is the only pyramid for total vegetarians that is based on the United States dietary guidelines, according to Stoy Proctor, chairperson of the General Conference Nutrition Council, which produced the new guide. The Council encourages total vegetarians, also known as vegans, to use the new pyramid to ensure a healthy diet.
The Council is specifically concerned that some total vegetarians are not consuming enough calcium and B12 because they exclude dairy products, a key source of both, in their daily diets. “When you take something away, you need a way to put it back in,” says Proctor.
The Total Plant Food Guide advises two to three servings of low-fat dairy fortified alternatives, including supplements, a day to make up for the lack of dairy products. Some vegetables and other foods contain a portion of the needed calcium and B12, but usually not enough, according to Proctor. New U.S. dietary guidelines in 1997 increased the recommended calcium intake to 1200 mg a day, he explained, due to growing concern about osteoporosis and other diseases.
“You are standing on shaky ground if you don’t use the USDA pyramid,” says Proctor, referring to the official United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) pyramid. The USDA has not produced a vegetarian or total vegetarian food pyramid. Information about the topic abounds, but people should be careful with their sources.
Proctor says that people with a solely plant-based diet must be cautious about all aspects of their diet. “Be sensible, be balanced, be scientific in your approach,” Proctor advises them.
The Adventist Church’s health department does not encourage a total vegetarian diet, according to Proctor. They are, however, concerned about the health of a small percentage of total vegetarians in the church, including an estimated two percent of Adventists in North America.
The Adventist Church has promoted a vegetarian lifestyle for more than 130 years. Adventists, in general, have 50 percent less risk of heart disease, certain types of cancers, strokes, and diabetes, according to data analyzed by the National Institute for Health.