Passengers requested 35,000 vegetarian meals on Untied Airlines in 1976. By 1996 the number had risen to more than 2,000,000 meals. Vegetarian diets are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and can meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients. You can get enough protein from a vegetarian diet so long as the variety and amount of foods consumed are adequate. Meat, fish and poultry are major contributors of iron, zinc, and B vitamins in most American diets, and vegetarians should pay special attention to these nutrients.
Vegans eat only food of plant origin.
Because animal products are the only food sources of vitamin B12, vegans must supplement their diets with sources of this vitamin. In addition, vegan diets, particularly those of children, require care to ensure adequacy of vitamin D and calcium, which most Americans obtain from milk products. Though vastly important for the long-term health of Americans, this new dietary guidance policy endorsing vegetarian eating is only half the battle. The other half rests in a badly-needed revision of the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid. Worse still, the government has announced no plans to issue a revision of the Pyramid.