Italian researchers have set out
the guidelines for a vegetarian diet based on the world-famous
Mediterranean diet in a study published by the Journal of the
academy of nutrition and dietetics on Tuesday.
The 'PiattoVeg' (VeggieDish) developed by Luciana Baroni,
Maurizio Battino and Silvia Goggi is potentially free of all
animal products or by products and is appropriate for adults
including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
It is based on the traditional mainstays of the Mediterranean
diet: cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruit, dried fruit and
seeds, olive oil and sunflower oil.
Animal by-products such as milk, cheese and eggs are
optional, and in any case should be consumed only in limited
amounts.
The PiattoVeg "demonstrates how it is totally possible to
follow an entirely plant-based diet even during pregnancy and
when breastfeeding, with precise indications concerning the
amount of each type of food to be consumed," the authors say.
A "low-fat diet not only meets the demands of an organism
that has greater nutritional than caloric requirements, but it
is also effective as a complement to traditional treatments for
some diseases," says Baroni, a neurologist, geriatrician and
president of the Scientific Society of Vegetarian Nutrition.
"The low-fat vegan diet has shown itself to be strong in
countering the most common cardiometabolic diseases," she adds.
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