Vegetarians among us: Implications for health professionals

Increasing numbers of people are adopting vegetarian diets. Information about the varied dietary practices that may be followed and their nutrition implications forms an important base of understanding for successful counseling. Successful dietary counseling also depends on knowing acceptable and unacceptable foods for a particular vegetarian. Knowledge of the rationale and underlying philosophy that motivate the dietary practices will help the health professional understand and treat the vegetarian patient or client.