Danish recommendations

On the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration’s website you can find information on vegetarian and vegan diets and also recipes, advice and support.  You can also buy a book on the subject and they advise you to contact the Danish Vegetarian Society for further information.

“Vegetarianism and health:
Scientific studies points to the fact that a vegetarian diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, some types of cancer and kidney diseases.”

Link: http://www.altomkost.dk/Fakta/Vegetarer/Vegetarmad_og_sundhed/forside.htm

“Protein deficiency:
It is a common misconception that it is difficult to get your daily protein requirements from a vegetarian diet.
It is true that vegetarian food often contains less protein and protein of a lesser quality than food that contains meat, but a varied plant-based diet can easily cover the protein needs of both lacto-ovo-vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians, though vegans must pay special attention to eating a selection of cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds.”

Link: http://www.altomkost.dk/Fakta/Vegetarer/Vegetarmad_og_sundhed/Energigivende_naeringsstoffer/forside.htm

“Food composition:
For vegans the choice of foods demands a more varied composition of cereals, legumes, nuts, almonds, potatoes, vegetables and fruits to ensure the body receives sufficient daily energy and nutrients compared with meals composed in accordance with the eight dietary recommendations.  The risk of diet-related problems is often related to how restricted and unvaried the diet is:  the more food categories are excluded, the greater the risk of malnutrition.”

“Vegan diet for toddlers:
Diets that exclude entire food categories increase the risk of malnutrition.  Vegan food, which contains no animal products, demands considerable knowledge and requires that the child eat a wide variety of foods.  The food takes up a lot of space on the plate so the child may have difficulty in eating the necessary volume of food, which could lead to the risk of malnutrition.  Nutritional concentration should therefore be assessed on an individual basis when meals are planned, based on a wide variety of foods, by someone trained in nutrition, for example a clinical dietician.  Generally we recommend that toddlers and babies not be restricted to a vegan diet.”

“Combining your food groups
No single food group contains all the nutrients that your body needs.  Therefore the diet must consist of a variety of plant-based food groups.  The body is ensured variation by combining food from the groups below:

• Whole-grain bread, cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta (without egg)
• Vegetables, legumes and fruit
• Oils, fat-containing grains, seeds, almonds and other nuts
• Beverages”

“Alternatives to milk:

• for example soya milk fortified with calcium.
• for example tofu instead of cheese.”

Link:
http://www.altomkost.dk/Fakta/Vegetarer/Planlaegning_af_veganermad/forside.htm

 

Source:
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration’s diet guidelines:
http://www.altomkost.dk/Fakta/Vegetarer/forside.htm