An increased intake of complex carbohydrates and fibre and a decreased intake of sugar and salt were also recommended. Increased consumption of fruit, vegetables, cereals and pulses is also recommended. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in total fat. Vegetarians also tend to eat proportionally more polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat compared with non-vegetarians. Animal products are the major sources of dietary saturated fat.
Animal products contain no fibre or complex carbohydrate.
Recent research has demonstrated the importance of protective antioxidant nutrients in the diet found in fresh fruit and vegetables. These antioxidant nutrients include the beta-carotene form of vitamin A, vitamin C and E. Many researchers now believe that these nutrients play a major role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A high consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables is a benefit of vegetarian diets. All these factors contribute to the proven health of vegetarians although it is difficult to account for the exact contribution of each nutrient. All vegetarian diets are not necessarily healthy, for example if too high a proportion of high fat dairy products are consumed.