VegPyramid Proposal for Veg Food

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Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2009) 2:

DOI: 10.1007/s12349-009-0059-y

M E D I C A L H Y P O T H E S I S

VegPyramid: a proposal for a Vegetarian Food Guide

for Italian people

Luciana Baroni

Received: 17 March 2009 / Accepted: 8 June 2009 / Published online: 21 October 2009

Springer-Verlag 2009

L. Baroni ()

Department of Neurorehabilitation

Villa Salus Hospital

via Terraglio 114

30174 Venice-Mestre, Italy

e-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

Vegetarian diets exclude any kind of meat or processed

animal food. The two main subtypes of vegetarian diets

are lacto-ovo-vegetarianism, where animal products like

eggs and dairy food are included, and veganism, where

these types of food are excluded. Nevertheless, this neg-

ative principle cannot describe the vegetarian dietetic

pattern well; it is better defined on the basis of a posi-

tive principle, inspired by the amount and variety of the

food composing the diet, and on the degree of its trans-

formation.

A well balanced plant-based diet is not only nutrition-

ally adequate namely safe regarding the risk of nutri-

tional deficiency for all stages of the lifecycle (preg-

nancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence),

but offers some health benefits in the prevention and

management of many important Western chronic dis-

eases (cardiovascular disease linked to atherosclerosis

and hypertension, overweight-obesity, diabetes, some

types of cancer). Its nutritional composition is healthy

thanks to lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, heme-

iron and animal protein, and higher levels of carbohy-

drates, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate and antioxi-

dants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals [1].

Moreover, a plant-only diet has been shown to exert the

lowest environmental impact [2].

A well balanced plant-based diet must adhere to some

basic principles, first established about ten years ago at

the Loma Linda University by an international team of

researchers with expertise in vegetarian nutrition and

later evolved thanks to new contributors: namely, the

consumption of a variety of foods belonging to the five

plant-food groups (cereals, legumes, vegetable, fruit and

nuts/seeds); the optional consumption of milk and eggs;

Abstract Vegetarian diets exclude any kind of meat. The

vegan subtype also eliminates other animal products like

eggs and dairy products. This classification, inspired by

an exclusion principle, does not precisely describe the

vegetarian dietetic pattern, better characterised by its

positive content. Factors affecting the composition and

the nutritional adequacy of a plant-based diet are, in fact,

the variety and the degree of transformation of plant food,

and the presence and the relative amount of indirect ani-

mal food. On the basis of these considerations, it can be

very useful to classify the foods consumed in the context

of a vegetarian diet into groups and transform the nutri-

tional recommendations into a Food Guide, an easy tool

to employ both for nutrition professionals and for vege-

tarian subjects. Our proposal for guidelines for Italian

vegetarians, VegPyramid, allows the simplification of the

planning of menus for vegetarian people, indicating the

kind and the relative amounts of food to consume.

Keywords Plant-food diet Vegetarian diet VegPyramid

Food guide


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respect of calorie requirements; the intake of natural,

non-processed plant foods; attention towards the intake

of the critical nutrients and discretionary calories [3, 4].

From a practical point of view, the planning of a veg-

etarian both lacto-ovo and vegan diet does not trans-

late into the removal of animal foods from a meat-baseddiet, but, on the contrary, into the composition of a well

balanced plant-food diet including, only if the

client/patient agrees, small amounts of milk and egg.

This action respects the principle of realising the nutri-

tional adequacy of the diet by using healthy foods, that

means non-processed plant foods. This principle should

be respected for the planning of every type of diet, also

for a meat-based diet, and the inclusion of any kind of

animal (direct and indirect) food, in small amounts,

should be the personal choice of the patient.

Clearly, it is necessary for nutrition professionals to

possess a deep knowledge of the large variety of plantfoods available and of the criteria inspiring the realisa-

tion not only an adequate, but also a tasty menu. On the

basis of these considerations, it can be very useful to

classify the foods consumed in the context of a vegetari-

an diet into groups, containing foods similar in their

nutritional composition. It can also be very useful to

transform the nutritional recommendations into a Food

Guide, an easy tool to employ for both nutrition profes-

sionals and vegetarian subjects. Moreover, adherence to

the guidelines of a well balanced vegetarian diet allows

the principle of nutritional adequacy to be surpassed,

conferring to food a main role in the field of preventivemedicine.

Although the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Ame-

ricans, published in 2005, promote a healthy diet and

include a section on vegetarian diets [5], the Italian

Dietary Guidelines [6] do not take into account the needs

of Italian vegetarians (actually about 6 million people

[7]), for whom no information, advice or recommenda-tion is available from government agencies.

Vegetarian Food Guide for Italian people: VegPyramid

Our proposal of a Food Guide for Italian vegetarians,

VegPyramid (Fig. 1 [8]), takes into account these consid-

erations and the recommendations of the previous

Dietary Guidelines for Vegetarians, General Population

and Healthy Eating proposed in the USA [3, 4, 5, 9] and

fits them into the framework of a Mediterranean diet. It

indicates the amount of different foods to consume dailyto obtain a well planned vegetarian (both lacto-ovo-vege-

tarian and vegan) Italian diet (Tables 1 and 2).

VegPyramid classifies the foods consumed in the context

of a vegetarian diet into 6 groups: (1) cereals or grains;

(2) protein-rich foods (like legumes, nuts, soy derivates

and seitan, milk and eggs); (3) vegetables; (4)fruits ; and

(5)fats. The 6th group is a cross-sectional group, encom-

passing foods belonging to the previous 5 groups that are

particularly calcium-rich. The nutritional recommenda-

tions proposed in VegPyramid also take into account the

discretionary calories and the intake ofcritical nutrients

(omega-3 fatty acids, calcium and vitamin D, vitaminB12).

2 Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2009)

Fig. 1 VegPyramid: proposal of a

Vegetarian Food Guide for Italian peo-

ple [8]


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3Mediterr J Nutr Metab (2009) 2:

Table1Numberofservingsanddietcompositionaccordingtothecaloriecontentofth

ediet[8,

17,

18]

1600

7

5

4

2

2

2

6

1468

1472

132

64

16.7

44

25.6

222

57.7

34

829

1171

1345

18

11

5483909

389

1017

2481.5

1

1.4

4

13.1

8

9.2

7

03.3

415.3

614.1

8

1800

8

5

4

3

2

2

6

1605

1633

195

68

15.9

45

23.5

259

60.6

38

962

1216

1444

19

11

6004282

408

1050

2911.6

6

1.5

1

14.5

8

9.4

8

03.3

415.3

614.1

8

2000

9

5

4

3

3

2

6

1733

1769

267

70

15.2

50

24.5

279

60.4

39

969

1224

1511

19

11

6494329

412

1052

2911.7

4

1.5

2

15.4

4

10.8

1

04.0

719.0

014.5

5

2200

10

5

4

4

3

2

6

1910

1929

290

74

14.6

51

22.8

316

62.6

42

1102

1269

1610

20

11

7014702

431

1084

3341.8

8

1.6

0

16.8

3

11.0

2

04.0

719.0

014.5

5

2400

11

5

4

4

4

2

6

2038

2065

362

76

14.1

57

23.6

336

62.2

43

1108

1277

1676

21

11

7504750

436

1086

3341.9

6

1.6

1

17.6

9

12.3

5

04.7

922.6

514.9

3

2600

12

6

4

4

4

2

6

2190

2196

410

82

14.3

60

23.4

357

62.3

44

1227

1435

1801

21

11

8394947

440

1086

3342.1

1

1.9

5

18.6

7

12.5

6

04.7

922.6

514.9

3

2800

13

6

4

4

5

2

6

2374

2332

426

85

13.9

65

24.1

378

62.0

44

1233

1442

1867

22

11

8884995

445

1088

3342.1

9

1.9

6

19.5

2

13.8

9

05.5

126.3

015.3

1

3000

14

6

4

4

6

2

6

2488

2468

512

87

13.5

71

24.7

398

61.7

45

1239

1450

1934

22

12

9375042

449

1090

3342.2

7

1.9

8

20.3

8

15.2

2

06.2

429.9

515.6

8

aThetotalnumberofservingsincludes1servingofnutsorseeds

bThenumberofservingsoftheomega-3-ric

hfoodsmustbeincludedinthetotalnumberofservingsofprotein-richfoodsorfatfo

ods

cThisnumberofservingsmustbeconsidere

dtheminimumoneandcanbeincreasedadlibitum

dThistotalnumberofservingsmustbeconsumedascalcium-richfoodsfromtheother

foodgroups

e,f,gCaloriesrespectivelyfromprotein,

fatan

dcarbohydratesexpressedaspercentoftotalcalories

hRecommendedintakesofnutrientsforItalianadults[15,

16]arealwaysbelowtheinta

kesprovidedfromthemenuplanningofVegPyramid,accordingtotheItalianDatabase

Totalcalories

Cereals

Protein-richfoodsa,b

Vegetablesc

Fruit

Fatfoodsb

Omega-3-richfoodsb

Calcium-richfoodsd

Essentialkcal(ideal)

Essentialkcal(realamount)

Discretionarykcal(ideal)

Protein(g)

%Proteine

Fat(g)

%Fatf

Carbohydrate(g)

%Carbohydrateg

Fibre(g)

Water(g)

Calcium(mg)

Phosphate(mg)

Iron(mg)

Zinc(mg)

Sodium(mg)

Potassium(mg)

Magnesium(mg)

RE(mg)

VitaminC(mg)

VitaminB1(mg)

VitaminB2(mg)

VitaminB3(mEq)

Tocopherol(mg)

Cholesterol(mg)

Saturatedfats(g)

Monounsaturatedfats(g)

Polyunsaturatedfats(g)

Recommendedintakesh

536215

55%16

>2516

800100015(>80016)

800100015

101815(1516)

71015


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Cereals or grains

It is important, for the planning of vegetarian menus, to con-

sider the inclusion of every type ofgrain or cereal (not only

wheat, rice and corn but also the minor cereals like oat,

barley, kamut, millet, rye, spelt) and of buckwheat, quinoaand amaranth. In fact, the protein quality is higher for

minor cereals but it is the highest for buckwheat, quinoa

and amaranth which belong to other botanic families. This

choice is in accordance with the principle that the consump-

tion of a large variety of food belonging to the same food

group is important to assure the nutritional adequacy of the

diet. All cereals can be consumed in their natural form of

kernels (raw or cooked) or via their products (bread, pasta).

According to the international recommendation on cereals,

they should be consumed mainly as whole cereals [5].

Protein-rich food group

Protein-rich foods in vegetarian diets are legumes, nuts,

seeds, soy products, seitan and, for lacto-ovo-vegetari-

ans, small amounts of dairy foods and eggs. They provide

also good intakes of iron and the other main nutrients,

like calcium and group B vitamins. Legumes, particular-

ly, are a key component of the traditional Mediterranean

diet, and their nutritional value is very high [10]. Dairy

foods are included in the protein-rich food group of

VegPyramid, while in the Dietary Guidelines for meat-

eaters they constitute a food group apartand are consid-ered the main source of calcium in the diet. VegPyramid,

according to USA dietary recommendations for vegetari-

an diets, emphasises the intake of calcium from a large

variety of plant foods, belonging to all the food groups of

the Pyramid. Nuts and seeds, also present in the fat food

group, should be consumed on a regular basis in every

type of diet, including a meat-based diet, due to their

favourable effect on cardiovascular risk [11]. Last but not

least, they contribute to enhance the taste of preparations

and, especially walnuts and flaxseeds, are fundamental

foods, in the context of a vegetarian diet, to assure the

adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids [4].

Vegetables

The intake of all the varieties ofvegetables available on

the market should be emphasised in every type of diet,


Table 2 Serving size specific for each food group of VegPyramid (edible part)

Cereals

Bread: 30 g

Crackers (whole flour): 5 crackers

Cereal kernels (rice, barley, corn, wheat, spelt, kamut, oat, rye, millet, quinoa): cooked, 80 g; raw, 30 g

Pasta: cooked, 80 g; raw, 30 g

Bulgur, cous cous: cooked, 80 g; raw, 30 g

Popcorn: 30 g

Ready-to-eat cereals: 30 g (enriched with calciuma)

Vegetable rice-beverage: 125 ml (enriched with calciuma)

Protein-rich foods

Legumes (soybeansa): cooked, 80 g; raw, 30 g

Tofua or tempeha, other soy products: 70 g

Cow or soy milk or yogurt: 125 ml (enriched with calciuma)

Meat analoguesa (with soy or gluten): 30 g

Nut butter (almonda): 30 g

Seed butter (sesame tahina): 30 g

Nut (almonda) or seed (sesamea): 30 g

Egg: 1 (no more than 12/week)

Cheese: 20 gVegetable

Cooked or raw vegetable (rocketa, cabbagea, broccolia, artichokea, lettucea, endivea): 100 g

Vegetable juice: 125 ml

Fruit

Raw fruit: 1, medium (150 g)

Cooked or sliced fruit: 150 g

Dry fruit: 2030 g

Fruit juice (enriched with calciuma): 125 ml

Fats

Oil, mayonnaise (and soft margarine): 5 g

Nut butter: 10 g

Seed butter: 10 g

Nuts and seeds: 10 g

a Calcium-rich foods [8]


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owing to their protective effect against many chronic

degenerative diseases. In vegetarian diets, the consump-

tion of large amounts of vegetables represents a rich

source of micronutrients (vitamin C, beta-carotene, vita-

min K, vitamin E, folic acid, phytochemicals, iron and

calcium) but also of protein. In fact, the mean composi-

tion of vegetables, if expressed as calorie percentage,

shows that over 30% of the total calorie amount can be

referred to its protein content: an amount comparable

with the protein content of legumes, traditionally consid-ered the best source of vegetable protein (Table 3).

Fruits

Fruits are classified in the fourth food group of

VegPyramid, distinct from the vegetable group. In fact,

although fruits and vegetables share many similar propri-

eties, fundamentally they are not equivalent foods, and in

any healthy diet it is important to consume food belong-

ing to both the groups, enhancing the intake of vegetables

over fruit.

Fats

A well-planned vegetarian diet includes small amounts of

fats (the intake of fats in VegPyramid is about 25% of the

total calorie intake). Fats in vegetarian diets are vegetable

oils, margarine and, again, nuts and seeds. Very important

is the consumption of flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, which

represent the richest sources ofomega-3 fatty acids avail-

able on the market (in the form of alpha-linolenic acid

(ALA)). Two daily servings of omega-3-rich fat foods

(flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts) provide about 46 g of

ALA, the amount recommended for subjects who do not

receive a preformed source of EPA and DHA [12].

Calcium-rich food group

Dietary sources of calcium, in a vegetarian diet, should

be obtained mainly or exclusively from plant food. Allfood groups in VegPyramid include some calcium-rich

foods, mainly legumes, nuts, soy products and some veg-

etables (cruciferous, green leafy vegetables). The calci-

um-rich food group is a cross-sectional group, encom-

passing all the calcium-rich foods belonging to the previ-

ous 5 groups. Moreover, the market offers some plant-

derived beverages similar to milk (rice, soy, oat, almond)

and supplemented with the same amount of calcium as

provided by cow milk. Water, in addition, can represent a

good source of calcium, both tap and mineral, especially

if characterised by a high calcium content. One must con-

sider that in a vegetarian diet the presence of factors neg-

atively affecting the calcium balance is limited and that

bone health can be enhanced by some particular factors

like a high potassium, vitamin K and phytoestrogen con-

tent. One serving of a calcium-rich food can provide a

mean intake of 100150 mg of calcium (Table 4) [8]. The

vitamin D status can be satisfactory, at Italys latitude,

thanks to regular exposure of the skin to sunlight. It has

been estimated that 515 minutes of sun exposure to the

face, hands and forearms can provide the endogenous

synthesis of vitamin D, a vitamin that can be deficient in

any type of diet [13].


Table 3 Nutritional composition of vegetables [17]

P (g/100) F (g/100) C (g/100) kcal/100 g g/100 kcal %kcal P %kcal F %kcalC AAlim IC

Asparagus 4.6 0.20 4.00 36.20 276.24 50.8% 5.0% 44.2% leu 69

Beet 1.3 0.10 2.80 17.30 578.03 30.1% 5.2% 64.7% lys 80

Artichoke 2.7 0.20 2.50 22.60 442.48 47.8% 8.0% 44.2% lys 52

Green cabbage 2.1 0.1 2.5 19.30 518.13 43.5% 4.7% 51.8% lys 54

Cultivated mushrooms 2.2 0.30 4.50 29.50 338.98 29.8% 9.2% 61.0% sulf 95

Porcini muschrooms 3.9 0.70 1.00 25.90 386.10 60.2% 24.3% 15.4% lys 68

Lettuce 1.8 0.40 2.20 19.60 510.20 36.7% 18.4% 44.9% lys 66

Eggplant 1.1 0.40 2.60 18.40 543.48 23.9% 19.6% 56.5% sulf 76

Potato 2.1 1.00 17.90 89.00 112.36 9.4% 10.1% 80.4% leu 88

Pepper 0.9 0.30 4.20 23.10 432.90 15.6% 11.7% 72.7% tryp 71

Tomato 1 0.20 3.50 19.80 505.05 20.2% 9.1% 70.7% leu 45

Spinach 3.4 0.70 2.90 31.50 317.46 43.2% 20.0% 36.8% lys 100

Zucchini 1.3 0.10 1.40 11.70 854.70 44.4% 7.7% 47.9% threo 77

Total 2.18 0.36 4.00 27.99 447.39 35.1% 11.8% 53.2% 72

P protein, Ffat, Ccarbohydrate, kcal/100 g amount of calories in 100 g of food (edible part), g/100 kcal grams of food providing 100 kcal, %kcal

P percent of total calories provided from protei, %kcal Fpercent of total calories provided from fat, %kcal Cpercent of total calories provided

from carbohydrate,AAlim the limiting amino acid of the food, ICchemical index of the protein calculated from the limiting amino acid of the

food and the same amino acid of the pattern proposed from FAO/WHO/UNU (1991) [17]


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Intake of other critical nutrients

The dietary intake of iron is commonly considered a

critical issue in a vegetarian diet, although iron deficien-

cy anaemia rates are similar in vegetarians and non-veg-

etarians [14]. Nevertheless, iron deficiency anaemia isthe most common nutrition disease in women of fertile

age and a well planned vegetarian diet must provide an

adequate iron intake. Although the iron content in many

common plant foods is high, they contain only non-heme

iron, which is more sensitive than heme iron to both

inhibitors and enhancers of iron absorption. The main

inhibitor of iron absorption in vegetarian diets is phy-

tate, while fibre appears to have a minor effect on iron

absorption. As iron intake increases with increasing

intake of phytate, effects on iron status are somewhat

less than might be expected. Anyway, vitamin C and

other organic acids found in fruits and vegetables can

enhance iron absorption and can help to reduce the

effects of phytate [1]. The consumption of 6 servings of

calcium-rich foods recommended in VegPyramid (with

the exclusion of dairy foods), provides a notable intakeof iron (Table 4), which can be increased with the con-

sumption of other common iron-rich foods listed in

Table 5, allowing adequate iron content in the diet, as

shown in Tables 1,6-9.

Small amounts of foods that can be considered exot-

ic, like seaweeds, a rich source of iodine, containing

also small amounts of DHA and taurine, can help to

enhance the nutritional quality of a plant-based diet. A

convenient alternative is to use 1 teaspoon of iodised salt,

providing the daily LARN of 150 g [15].


Table 4 Calcium and iron content in 1 serving of calcium-rich foods of VegPyramid (and in water for calcium) [17, 18]

Serving size Calcium content (mg/serving) Iron content (mg/serving)

Grains

Ricemilk, plus calcium* 125 ml 150 nd

Legumes, nuts and other protein-rich foods

Legumes

Soymilk, plus calciuma 125 ml 150 0.50

Tofu 70 g 111 1.86

Soybeans, dried 30 g (80 g cooked) 77 2.07

Tempeh 70 g 70 1.89

Average content per serving 102 2

Nuts

Tahina 30 g 245 2.64

Almond buttera 30 g 83 nd

Almonds, dried 30 g 72 0.9

Average content per serving 133 1.8

Other protein-rich foods

Yogurt 125 ml 156 0.13

Cow milk 125 ml 150 0.25

Cheese (average) 20 g 111 0.05

Average content per serving 139 0.14

Vegetables

Raw

Rocket 100 g 309 5.2

Green radicchio 100 g 115 7.8

Endive 100 g 93 1.7

Cabbage 100 g 60 1.1

Cooked

Turnip greens 100 g 222 3.2

Chicory 100 g 188 1.9

Thistle 100 g 160 0.3

Artichoke 100 g 116 1.4

Broccoli 100 g 102 1.6

Cabbage 100 g 61 1.1

Bruxelles cabbage 100 g 57 1.2

Average content per serving 135 2

Fruits

Dried figs 5 figs 149 2.4

Water

Calcium-rich watera (300 mg/l) 1500 ml 450 nd

Tap water (average)a (100 mg/l) 1500 ml 150 nd

aNutritional label

ndmissing value


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Supplementation with vitamin B12, recommended in

some situations regardless of the presence of animal

food in the diet allows the completion of nutrient intake

needed for a well balanced diet [4].

Table 6-9 shows a 2000 kcal weekly vegan

sample menu, and its nutritional content, according to

Italian RDAs [15] and the European Nutritional objec-

tives [16].


Table 5 Iron content in plant food and in some kinds ofmeat[17]

Food (100 g of edible part) Iron (mg)

Bitter cocoa 14.3

Bran 12.9

Wheat germ 10.0

Borlotti, canellini and black eye beans, lentils 9.08.0

Green chicory, pistachios 7.87.3

Soybeans, garbanzo beans, dried peaches, cashews 6.96.0

Muesli, italian lupini, dried apricots, rocket, broad beans, dark chocolate 5.65.0

Peas, oatflour, buckwheat 4.54.0

Horse meat 3.9

Prune, wheat 3.93.6

Olives, peanuts, millet, hazelnuts, raisins 3.53.3

Cooked lamb 3.2

Whole wheat flour, almonds, dried figs, parboiled rice, spinaches 3.02.9

Deer, guinea-fowl 2.8

Dates, walnuts, whole wheat bread, corn 2.72.4

Veal meat 2.3

Pig, turkey and hen meat 1.91.6

Table 6 Weekly vegan sample menu and its nutritional content (2000 kcal) [8, 17, 18]. Section 1: number of total daily servings

Food Servings (n)

Cereals 9

Protein-rich foods 5Vegetables 4

Fruit 3

Fat foods 3

Omega-3-rich foods 2

Calcium-rich foods 6

Total calories: 2000; Essential kcal (ideal): 1733; Discretionary kcal (ideal): 267

Table 7 Weekly vegan sample menu and its nutritional content (2000 kcal) [8, 17, 18]. Section 2: composition of daily breakfast, snacks and dinner

Amount (g/ml) Servings (n)

Breakfast

Soymilk, fortified with calcium 125 1 (P)Cornflakes 30 1 (C)

Whole grain toasted bread 30 1 (C)

Pear or other fruit 150 1 (F)

Morning snack

Apple or other fruit 150 1 (F)

Afternoon snack

Banana 150 1 (F)

Almonds or other nuts 30 1 (P)

Beverages

Calcium-rich water 1000

Tap water 1000

P protein-rich foods, Ccereals or grains, Ffruits


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Discretionary calories

The consumption of food with a high density of nutrients,

like natural plant food, can allow the intake of a small

amount ofdiscretionary calories in the diet. These calo-

ries can be provided as empty calories, but it is safer to

consume healthy food, like vegetables and fruits, or use

this amount of calories to implement the intake of oil and

fats suggested in VegPyramid [5, 8].

Conclusions

An abundant consumption of vegetables, fruits, cereals,

nuts and legumes has been related to a lower risk for sev-

eral chronic western diseases. Although vegetarian diets,

as any other diet pattern, may have potential health risks

(related to marginal intake of a few essential nutrients),

from a public health viewpoint, the health benefits of a

vegetarian diet far outweigh its potential risks [3]. This


Table 8 Weekly vegan sample menu and its nutritional content (2000 kcal) [8, 17, 18]. Section 3: daily composition of lunch and dinner

Lunch Amount (g/ml) Servings (n) Dinner Amount (g/ml) Servings (n)

Whole grain bread 30 1 (C) Whole grain bread 60 2 (C)

Olive oil 0 0 Olive oil, 1 tsp 5 1 (Fat)

Flaxseed oil, 1 tsp 5 1 (Fat/ 3) Flaxseed oil, 1 tsp 5 1 (Fat/ 3)

Day 1

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) Garbanzo beans soup with 60 2 (P)

fresh tomato 50 0.5 (V) spelt 30 1 (C)

Tofu with 70 1 (P) Roasted carrots and 150 1.5 (V)

rocket salad 150 1.5 (V) onions with spices 50 0.5 (V)

Day 2

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) Boiled lentils with 60 2 (P)

broccoli 150 1.5 (V) whole rice 30 1 (C)

Seitan with 70 1 (P) Onions with 50 0.5 (V)

lettuce salad 100 1 (V) cooked chicory 100 1 (V)

Day 3

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) boiled canellini beans with 60 2 (P)

Bruxelles cabbages 100 1 (V) barley 30 1 (C)

Tofu with 70 1 (P) Boiled green cabbage with 150 1.5 (V)green salad 100 1 (V) raw leeks 50 0.5 (V)

Day 4

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) Whole rice cooked with 30 1 (C)

cabbage 100 1 (V) spinach 150 1.5 (V)

Seitan with 70 1 (P) Boiled soybeans with 60 2 (P)

endive salad 100 1 (V) raw celery 50 0.5 (V)

Day 5

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) Boiled Borlotti beans with 60 2 (P)

frozen peas 100 1 (V) Corn and spices 30 1 (C)

Tempeh with 70 1 (P) Roasted eggplants 150 1.5 (V)

roasted onions 50 0.5 (V) with rocket 100 1 (V)

Day 6

Whole grain pasta with 90 3 (C) Boiled garbanzo beans with 60 2 (P)red peppers 100 1 (V) turnip green, 150 1.5 (V)

Seitan with 70 1 (P) Leeks with 50 0.5 (V)

green salad 100 1 (V) Boiled spelt and spices 30 1 (C)

Day 7

Whole grain pasta with garlic, 90 3 (C) Roasted lentils with 60 2 (P)

oil and chili pepper and

onions 50 0.5 (V) broccoli and 150 1.5 (V)

Tofu with 70 1 (P) boiled barley 30 1 (C)

boiled french beans 100 1 (V) Lettuce salad 100 1 (V)

Ccereals or grains, P protein-rich foods, Vvegetables, Ffruits, Fatfat foods, 3 omega-3-rich foods


9/10


Table9Weeklyvegansamplemenuandits

nutritionalcontent(2000kcal)[8,

17,

18].

Section4:totaldailyandweeklyaveragen

utritionalcontent

1

1798.4

9

70.8

7

5

1.6

2

278.9

2

51.2

1

2952.3

0

1829.0

41139.2

1

21.6

8

8.3

2

223.1

2

3353.0

6

230.26

2945.1

4221.1

4

0.7

4

0.9

5

5.9

9

8.9

2

0

4.2

719.4

8

15.4

5

2

1714.4

9

71.4

9

4

2.8

2

274.6

2

48.1

7

2906.2

4

1064.6

4

961.1

1

16.1

0

6.1

8

84.1

0

2421.7

6

188.46

769.6

4169.0

0

1.0

0

1.4

5

9.1

4

9.1

3

0

3.0

917.1

8

10.2

1

3

1749.4

9

74.6

1

4

8.7

7

268.6

5

57.6

8

2941.6

1

1549.8

41116.4

1

24.8

2

4.1

8

109.5

2

3168.0

6

237.76

872.1

4239.1

4

0.9

4

1.6

3

7.7

2

8.9

2

0

3.8

718.4

7

13.6

1

4

1801.5

9

81.7

6

5

4.3

3

259.0

8

48.1

8

2899.1

7

1138.6

41120.1

1

18.2

4

4.3

8

298.7

0

4052.7

6

221.16

1175.6

4228.0

0

1.3

8

2.1

0

7.8

9

9.1

3

0

3.0

117.0

8

9.9

3

5

1838.6

9

74.1

1

5

1.2

4

287.3

3

48.6

8

2935.5

2

1211.2

41223.1

1

22.3

8

4.0

9

246.9

2

3504.8

6

285.66

911.7

4196.0

0

1.2

8

1.3

3

9.2

6

8.9

2

0

4.6

119.4

4

13.0

9

6

1732.7

2

70.4

6

4

6.2

0

272.1

6

48.9

6

2918.3

2

1077.5

21019.1

0

21.1

8

4.0

1

81.6

0

2444.1

6

230.16

1163.1

4276.9

3

0.7

4

1.7

3

7.9

6

8.9

2

0

3.4

918.1

3

12.0

1

7

1748.6

9

73.3

9

4

8.2

1

271.4

1

54.4

5

2950.6

8

1422.3

41106.5

1

17.0

9

7.2

8

86.8

2

2659.4

6

229.06

543.6

4167.1

4

1.0

3

1.6

0

9.4

2

8.9

2

0

3.9

518.5

7

13.8

9

Weeklyaverage

1769.1

7

73.8

1

4

9.0

3

273.1

7

51.0

5

2929.1

2

1327.6

11097.9

4

20.2

15.4

9b

161.5

4

3086.3

0

231.79

1197.3

0213.9

11.0

2b

1.5

4b

8.2

0b

8.9

8

0

3.7

618.3

4

12.6

0

Calculatedcalories

1828

295.2

5

44

1.2

3

1092.6

7

33.8

4165.0

6

113.4

Discretionarycalories

267

Totalcalories

2036

%totalkcala

16

24

60

0.2

6.2

a

aMissingvalueformorelistedfoods

bRecommendedintakesofnutrientsforItalianadults[15,

16]arealwaysbelowtheinta

kesprovidedfromthemenu,accordingtotheItalianDatabase,exceptforsomeofthenutrientsmissingin

somefoodsofItalianDatabase[17]

Day

Essentialkcal(realamount)

Protein(g)

%Protein

Fat(g)

%Fat

Carbohydrate(g)

%Carbohydrate

Fibre(g)

Water(g)

Calcium(mg)a

Phosphate(mg)a

Iron(mg)a

Zinc(mg)a

Sodium(mg)a

Potassium(mg)a

Magnesium(mg)a

RE(mg)a

VitaminC(mg)a

VitaminB1(mg)a

VitaminB2(mg)a

VitaminB3(mEq)a

Tocopherol(mg)a

Cholesterolo(mg)

Saturatedfats(g)a

Monounsaturatedfats(g)a

Polyunsaturatedfats(g)a

Recommendedintakesb

536215

55%16

>2516

800100015(>80016)

800100015

101815(1516)

71015


10/10

is the reason why not only should vegetarian subjects

receive information on how to achieve a well balanced

vegetarian diet, but also a diet very rich in vegetables,

vegetarian or quasi-vegetarian, should be promoted to the

general population. This dietetic choice can help sustain

the health of the environment as well.Our Mediterranean tradition can make it easier for the

Italian population to adhere to a well balanced, plant-

based dietary pattern. This proposal of Guidelines for

Italian vegetarians, VegPyramid, allows simplification of

the planning of menus for vegetarian people, and offers

information on the kind and the relative amounts (serv-

ings) of food to consume.

Conflict of interest The author has no conflict of interest.

References

1. ADA & DoC (2003) ADA Report. Position of the American

Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: vegetarian diets. J

Am Diet Assoc 103:748765

2. Baroni L, Cenci L, Tettamanti M, Berati M (2007) Evaluating the

environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with

different food production systems. Eur J Clin Nutr 61:279286

3. Sabat J (2001) Vegetarian nutrition. CRC Series in Modern

Nutrition, New York

4. Messina V, Mangels R, Messina M (2004) The dietitians guide

to vegetarian diets. Issues and applications, 2nd Edn. Johnes and

Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA

5. USDA (2005) Dietary guidelines for Americans 2005. Available at

www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines; www.mypyramid.gov/-

tips_resources/vegetarian_diets_print.html. (Accessed 3 March)

6. INRAN (Italian National Institute for the Research on Foods and

Nutrition) (updated 2003) Dietary Guidelines for a Healthy Diet.

Available at www.inran.it/servizi_cittadino/stare_bene/guida_

corretta_alimentazione/Linee%20Guida.pdf. (Accessed 3 March

2009)

7. Eurispes (2006) Rapporto Italia 2006

8. Baroni L (2009) VegPyramid, la dieta vegetariana degli italiani,

2nd Edn. Sonda, Casale Monferrato (AL)

9. Harvard School of Public Health (2007) The Nutrition Source.

Healthy Eating Pyramid. Available at www.hsph.harvard.edu-

/nutritionsource/pyramids.html. (Accessed 3 March 2009)

10. Dilis V, Trichopoulou A (2009) Nutritional and health properties

of pulses. Mediterr J Nutr Metab 1:149157

11. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ (1999) Nut consumption and risk of coro-

nary heart disease: a review of epidemiologic evidence. Curr

Atheroscler Rep 1:204209

12. WHO/FAO (2003) Diet, nutrition, and the prevention of chronic

disease. Report of the Joint WHO/FAO expert consultation.

WHO, Geneva. Available at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/who_-

TRS_916.pdf. (Accessed 3 March 2009)

13. Holick MF (1996) Vitamin D and bone health. J Nutr

126:1159S1164S

14. Craig WJ (1994) Iron status of vegetarians. Am J Clin Nutr

59[Suppl]:1233S1237S

15. SINU (Italian Society of Human Nutrition) (updated 1996)

LARN (Daily Recommended Levels of Intake of Nutrients for

Italian Population). Available at www.sinu.it/larn/tab_rias.asp.

(Accessed 3 March 2009)

16. Eurodiet Core Report (2001) Nutrition and Diet for Healthy

Lifestyles in Europe. Science and Policy Implications. Public

Health Nutr 4.2:19

17. INRAN (Italian National Institute for the Research on Foods and

Nutrition) (2000, updated) Tables of Composition of Foods.

Italian Database. INRAN 2000, EDRA. www.inran.it/servizi_-

cittadino/per_saperne_di_piu/tabelle_composizione_alimenti

18. USDA Nutrient Database. Available at http://www.nal.usda.gov-

/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl. (Accessed 3 March 2009)


Documents

VegPyramid Proposal for Veg Food