Vegetarian Diet Pyramid is a nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

 guide that represents a traditional healthy vegetarian diet. Variations of this traditional healthy vegetarian diet exist throughout the world, particularly in parts of North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, and most notably, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

. Given these carefully defined parameters, the phrase "Traditional Vegetarian Diet" is used here to represent the healthy traditional ovo-lacto vegetarian diets of these regions and peoples. A pyramid was created by Oldways Preservation Trust in 1998 with scientific research from Cornell and Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 and specific reference to the healthy patterns of eating demonstrated by the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid is a nutrition guide that was developed by Oldways, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the World Health Organization in 1993...

.

This Vegetarian Diet Pyramid suggests the types and frequencies of foods that should be enjoyed for health. The pyramid is divided into daily, weekly, and monthly frequencies, but does not recommend serving sizes. The pyramid also has recommendations for daily physical activity and hydration.

Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition

Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition

The Department of Nutrition is one of six departments at the School of Public Health. While nutrition was always part of the curriculum at the university, the department was initiated when the School of Public Health was begun in 1963.- Nut Studies:...

developed The Vegetarian Food Pyramid in 1997 for presentation at the 3rd International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. The 5 major plant-based food groups (whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds) form the trapezoid-shaped lower portion of the pyramid. Optional food groups (vegetable oils, dairy and sweets) form the triangle-shaped top portion of the pyramid. This version of the pyramid includes a table with recommended number of daily servings per daily calorie intake.

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthful diets contain the amounts of essential nutrients and energy needed to prevent nutritional deficiencies and excesses. Healthful diets also provide the right balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein to reduce risks for chronic diseases, and they are obtained from a variety of foods that are available, affordable, and enjoyable.

The healthfulness of this pattern has been corroborated by epidemiological and experimental nutrition.

Sources

• The Mayo Clinic
• International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition
• American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2006, Chicago, Nov. 12-15, 2006.
• "The Cornell-China-Oxford Research Project on Nutrition, Health and Environment." SCN News. U.N. Administrative Committee on Coordination—Sub Committee on Nutrition. Vol. 4:20-21, 1989.
• International Conference on the Vegetarian Diet
• Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition