A vegetarian diet is healthy if it is carefully planned.
If a vegetarian diet is too restricted, it may be unhealthy.
Certain essential nutrients are harder for vegetarians to
find in plant foods. Vegetarians may need to make a special
effort to get enough calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D, and
vitamin B-12. It also can be difficult to get an adequate
amount of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids. This is
especially true if NO animal products (not even dairy
products or eggs) are included in the diet.
Amounts of Some Essential Nutrients Needed Each Day
Calcium
MG CALCIUM/DAY
Adults 19 to 50 1000
Adults over 50 1200
Iron
MG IRON/DAY
Men over 18 years old 8
Premenopausal females over 13 years old 15
Pregnant women 27
Breast-feeding women 9 to 10
Postmenopausal women 8
Zinc
MG ZINC/DAY
Men 19 and over 11
Women 19 and over 8
Vitamin B-12
MCG VITAMIN B-12/DAY
Pregnant and breast-feeding women 2.6 to 2.8
All other adults 2.4
Vitamin D
MCG OR IU VITAMIN D/DAY
Adults up to 50 years old 5 mcg or 200 IU
Adults 51 to 70 10 mcg or 400 IU
Adults 71 and over 15 mcg or 600 IU
Sources of Some Nutrients for Vegetarians
CALCIUM mg per serving
------------------------------------------------------
Legumes (1/2 cup cooked)
Navy beans 60
Black beans 46
Vegetarian baked beans 64
Soy foods (1/2 cup)
Cultured soy yogurt, fortified 367
Tofu 120 to 430
Soy milk, calcium fortified 100 to 159
Soy nuts 120
Nuts and seeds
Almonds, 1/4 cup 88
Almond butter, 2 tablespoons 86
Vegetables (1 cup cooked)
Broccoli 79
Collard greens 239
Turnip greens 208
Fruits
Dried figs, 5 137
Calcium-fortified orange juice, 1 cup 300
Dairy
Cow's milk, 1/2 cup 137 to 158
Cheddar cheese, 1/4 oz 153
Yogurt, plain 1/2 cup 137 to 230
IRON mg per serving
------------------------------------------------------
Breads, cereals, and grains
Whole wheat bread, 1 slice 0.9
Cereal, fortified, 1 cup 2.1 to 18
Oatmeal, instant, 1/2 cup 1.6
Vegetables (1/2 cup)
Broccoli 0.9
Bok choy 0.7
Tomato juice, 1 cup 0.7
Turnip greens 0.6
Legumes (1/2 cup cooked)
Baked beans, vegetarian 1.7
Black beans 1.8
Navy beans 2.3
Soy foods (1/2 cup)
Soybeans, cooked 4.4
Tofu 6.6
Soy milk 0.4 to 1.0
Nuts/seeds (1/4 cup)
Cashews 1.5
Pumpkin seeds 5.2
Sunflower seeds 2.3
Other foods
Blackstrap molasses, 1 tablespoon 3.5
ZINC mg per serving
------------------------------------------------------
Breads, grains, and cereals
Cereal, fortified 1 oz 0.7 to 15
Wheat germ, 2 tablespoons 1.8
Legumes (1/2 cup cooked)
Adzuki beans 2.0
Baked beans, canned 1.8
Lima beans 0.9
Lentils 1.2
Soy foods (1/2 cup cooked)
Soybeans 1.0
Tofu 1.0
Veggie meats, 1 oz 1.2 to 2.3
Vegetables (1/2 cup cooked)
Peas 1.0
Mushrooms 0.7
VITAMIN D mcg per serving
--------------------------------------------------------
Cereals, fortified, 1 oz 0.5 to 1
Egg yolk, large, 1 0.6
Cow's milk, fortified 1.2 to 1.3
Soy milk, fortified, 1/2 cup 0.5 to 1.5
RIBOFLAVIN mg per serving
--------------------------------------------------------
Almonds, 1/4 cup 0.3
Cereal, fortified, 1 oz 0.2 to 1.7
Cow's milk, 1/2 cup 0.2
Yogurt, 1/2 cup 0.3
Egg, large, 1 0.6
Mushrooms, cooked, 1/2 cup 0.2
Nutritional yeast miniflakes, 1 tablespoon 1.9
Soy milk, fortified, 1/2 cup 0.2
VITAMIN B-12 mcg per serving
---------------------------------------------------------
Cereals, fortified, 1 oz 0.6 to 6.0
Cow's milk, 1/2 cup 0.4 to 0.5
Egg, large, 1 0.5
Nutritional yeast miniflakes, 1 tablespoon 1.5
Soy milk, fortified, 1/2 cup 0.4 to 1.6
Veggie "meats," fortified, 1 oz 0.5 to 1.2
LINOLENIC ACID (OMEGA-3 FATTY-ACIDS) grams per serving
-----------------------------------------------------------
Canola oil, 1 tablespoon 1.3 to 1.6
Flaxseed, ground, 1 tablespoon 1.9 to 2.2
Flaxseed oil, 1 teaspoon 2.7
Soybean oil, 1 tablespoon 0.9
Soybeans, cooked, 1/2 cup 1.0
Tofu, 1/2 cup 0.7
Walnuts, 1/4 cup 2.7
Walnut oil, 1 tablespoon 1.4 to 1.7
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2007 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
