Are vegetarian diets nutritionally adequate?
Analysis of US NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) dietary intake data reveals that with the exception of zinc and vitamin B12; vegetarians’ intakes of ‘nutrients of concern’ including calcium, vitamin D, C, A, E , magnesium and iron, are typically no lower than those of their meat-eating counterparts, said Bonnie Farmer, MS, RD, professor of family and consumer sciences at Western Michigan University and a regulatory scientist at Kellogg.
While some foods such as Marmite (a yeast extract spread popular in the UK) and fortified breakfast cereals can provide vitamin B12, many vegetarians - particularly vegans - are deficient in the vitamin, which is found in animal products such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs, said successive speakers.