Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin, Socrates, Plato, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Buddha, Leo Tolstoy, Vincent Van Gogh, Albert Einstein, Queen Sophia, Paul McCartney, Chelsea Clinton, Bob Dylan, Carl Lewis, Dennis Rodman, Martina Navratilova. What do these people have in common? They are all vegetarians (Cloe and "People-List by First Name").

These days, I feel there is a huge movement toward vegetarian worship. In diet and cooking publications, there are more and more articles to recommend vegetarianism or make suggestions for having less meat and more vegetables. I think that people have a great interest in vegetarianism, especially after the spread of mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease over the world. In everyday life in the hippie town of Eugene, I can't avoid the word "vegetarian," such as vegetarian restaurants, vegetarian menus even in no vegetarian restaurants, vegetarian menus in schools, and vegetarian food on supermarket shelves. I was surprised to find a vegetarian menu in preschools when I moved to Eugene, but the more surprising fact is that I have met several children who have been vegetarian from birth, which is not for a religious reason, but for their health. Although I have been interested in vegetarian effects on my health for years, and I have been gradually affected by vegetarianism to reduce meat and eat more vegetables, I still doubt if we can get all necessary nutrition only from vegetables and wonder about the effect of vegetarianism specially on children who need rapid growth in a short time. Furthermore, if vegetarianism is so recommendable, why it is not established by an official statement yet? Is vegetarianism really the most ideal diet?

First of all, why is vegetarianism so attractive to many people and why has it become more popular now? Surprisingly, "vegetarianism is not a new phenomenon. The ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras was vegetarian, and until the mid-19th century, people who abstained from meat were known as 'Pythagoreans.' . . . The word 'vegetarian' was coined in 1847 to give a name to what was a tiny movement in England" (Motavalli). Certain people, such as Seventh-day Adventists, choose a vegetarian diet because of religious beliefs. There are other reasons to be vegetarian, which can be classified into six types, such as semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian and vegan (Farley, May 1992). According to a 1998 Vegetarian Journal survey in the U.S., "82 percent of vegetarians are motivated by health concerns, 75 percent by ethics, the environment and/or animal rights, 31 percent because of taste and 26 percent because of economics" (Motavalli). As we can see from the survey, vegetarianism has become more prevalent mostly for health benefits.

I believe that the outbreak of mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease made people more inclined to stop eating meat. The British epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease has affected cattle and beef-eating humans in the form of the always-fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease since 1986 (Motavalli). BSE spread over whole Europe in an instant, then foot-and-mouth disease also occurred in the U.K. Consequently, British stockbreeders have sustained huge damage due to the worldwide ban against importing British meat. Meanwhile, in Japan, after the first discovery of BSE, many Japanese people hesitate to eat meat and think better of the ancient Japanese meal which is mainly vegetables; as a result, now the Japanese stockbreeders have sustained great damage.

Additionally, people have been concerned about overdosing antibiotics and other drugs with animals on farms. Chickens, cows or pigs in unnatural factory farming conditions are "among the most medicated creatures on Earth today;" moreover the purpose of the use of antimicrobial drugs is "mainly to increase factory farm growth rates." The excess of drugs and antibiotics causes "growing occurrences of meat-based disease like E. coli and Salmonella," yet a high percentage of eggs, broiler chickens and pigs in drugs are displayed in shops. "Up to 60 percent of chickens sold in supermarkets are infected with Salmonella entenidis, which can pass to humans if the meat is not heated to a high enough temperature." It is a very horrible fact for humans that by eating meat to get nutrition they become sick or die. That's why some people fear eating meat and tend to be vegetarian (Motavalli).

The next question is what are the actual health benefits of a vegetarian diet? In its position paper on vegetarian diets, the American Dietetic Association states that "appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, are nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases." The health benefits are mainly "reducing risks for obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer - particularly lung cancer and colon cancer" (Cloe). Particularly, many nutritionists and dieticians praise the health benefits of heart disease and cancers in their papers. "Diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol increase blood levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, and thus the risk for coronary heart disease" (Farley, Oct. 1995). Cholesterol is contained only in animal products, so that "no one has ever died of a heart attack with a cholesterol level below 150, and the average vegan (eats only plant foods) has a cholesterol level of 128" ("The Health Consequences of Eating Meat"). This is because vegetarian diets are low in saturated fat and cholesterol which is the now a well-known fact; that various papers state that vegetarian diets reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. It is also a well-known fact that vegetarian diets are high in fiber-rich foods, vegetables and fruits, which relate to a reduction in cancer risk (Farley, Oct.1995). We should consider the intake of fiber. Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Minnesota, in 1990 in Nutrition Today, advises with respect to increasing fiber in the diet, that since we haven't understood better how fiber works, "we should recommend to American consumers only a gradual increase in dietary fiber from a variety of sources" (Farley, Oct.1995).

As far as these health benefits are concerned, vegetarianism sounds like a perfect diet, yet it isn't established properly by an official statement. Why? According to Suzanne Havala, author of the American Dietetic Association's 1988 position paper on vegetarian eating, in the case of Americans, "vegetarianism is too foreign to Americans. Ours is a meat-based culture, and vegetarian diets are just un-American. Don't underestimate the meat industry either. It has political clout" (McCarthy). According to another theory, "scientists have been unable to prove a definitive link to the health advantage." It is because the scientists think that "other lifestyle factors such as abstaining from smoking, coffee and alcohol, may cause or contribute to the health advantage" ("Vegetarian Risk and Reward"). In short, the reasons are culture and scientifically obscure evidence.

Moreover, there are nutritional considerations. "The more you restrict your diet, the more difficult it is to get all the nutrients you need," says Marilyn Stephenson, R.D., of the Food and Drug Administration's Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Vegetarians face a risk of several nutritional deficiencies, such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, calcium, iron, and zinc by the limited selection of foods (Farley, Oct.1995). Thus vegetarian diets require very careful, proper planning to meet all the nutritional needs; especially, children on a vegetarian diet need to be given enough calories and nutrients to grow normally. However, the American Dietetic Association states if following well-planned diets, "they satisfy nutrient needs of infants, children, and adolescents and promote normal growth."

Dietary guidelines for infancy (birth to age 12 months) suggest that all children spend most of their infancy on a vegetarian diet, and meat is the last food group to be introduced (Coughlin). At the beginning of this stage, infants are mainly breastfed or drink formula, then they are gradually fed very soft solid foods, such as rice, cereals, fruits, and vegetables to get to know a variety of tastes. For instance, in Japan, people feed solid foods to infants at six months, but feeding meat is at least after 12 months, just as the suggestion of dietary guidelines, and in Indonesia, people start feeding meat much later sometimes around two years. It is not a matter of being vegetarian; the diet of infants tends to be vegetarian. According to the American Dietetic Association, a nutritional consideration for infancy is that "breast-fed vegan infants should have vitamin B12 supplement if the mother's diet is not fortified, and a source of vitamin D if sun exposure is limited."

At toddler (age 1 to 5) stage, strict vegetarian diets may not provide enough vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and zinc. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements is recommended. Therefore, it is important for vegetarian parents to be aware of the nutritional balance of their young children ("Vegetarianism."). For school-age children (ages 5 to 12) around 7 or 8 years old, choosing vegetarian diets for themselves is getting more common (Coughlin), and many schools offer vegetarian menus. Vegetarian parents also need to make sure their children get enough calories and nutrients at this stage. Among adolescents (ages 13 to 19) vegetarian diets are somewhat more common with eating disorders than in the general adolescent population (Coughlin). It is recommended "to ensure adequate intakes of calories, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc at school-age and adolescent stages" (Farley, Oct.1995).

However, many nutritionists do not advise a vegetarian diet for young children and teenagers, as well as pregnant women, nursing mothers or the frail elderly ("Vegetarian Risk and Reward"). Gretchen Hill, Ph.D., associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Missouri, Columbia, says that ". . . those kids who eat no red meat will have health problems when they reach 40, 50 or 60 years of age, mostly because of imbalances with micronutrients. . . , particularly iron, zinc and copper. . . . A lot of Americans are marginal in these micronutrients, and as a result, are more susceptible to disease. Children can't meet their zinc needs without eating meat" (Farley, May 1992). Laura Brydges Szabo, in "The Health Risks of New-Wave Vegetarianism," makes the same point. According to Szabo, many young vegetarians have health risks of imbalanced diets. She reveals that the diet of young people who call themselves vegetarians is arbitrary and ignores the nutritional value. Instead of eating meat, they eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, breads and cereals, but nothing else. Lack of nutrients can cause various health problems. It is very dangerous to be vegetarian with no knowledge of nutritional needs. Those young vegetarians easily yield to eating disorders. Many researchers advise that "to consult a registered dietitian or other qualified nutrition professional, especially during period of growth, breast-feeding, pregnancy, or recovery from illness" (Farley, Oct.1995).

Vegetarianism isn't the most ideal diet after all. It is maintained in several papers that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are effective against several chronic degenerative disease and conditions in prevention and treatment, and can provide all nutritional needs and health benefits. However, the fact is that for all stages of the life cycle, there are some deficiencies of required nutrients, so that it is necessary to take supplements or fortified foods of vitamins and minerals which are mainly found in animal products. Particularly, vitamin B12 is found only in animal products. I'm just wondering if vegetarian people still can be called vegetarian, even taking the supplement or fortified foods of vitamin B12.

Although it isn't the best, vegetarianism can be considered an almost ideal diet, if the diet contains dairy products, eggs, fish, or chicken to meet some deficiencies of nutrients. I disagree that healthy people take supplements and fortified foods just because they are vegetarian. It isn't a natural process of human growth.

As David Snowdon of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Sanders-Brown Centre on Aging at the University of Kentucky says, "it's a slow process, but little by little many people will approximate a vegetarian diet." If we expect that more people become vegetarians, then those people should have the appropriate nutritional knowledge. According to Farley, for vegetarianism, "as with any diet, it's important for the vegetarian diet to include many different foods, since no one food contains all the nutrients required for good health" (Farley, May 1992).

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