Portugal’s Directorate-General for Health (DGS) has launched an online manual providing a number of guidelines for a “healthy vegetarian diet”, as studies show that vegetarianism is increasing every year.
The guide, in Portuguese only, features information on the “benefits and risks” of a veggie diet and explains how to maintain a healthy meat-free diet.
It also explains the distinctions between a vegetarian diet (which excludes meat and fish, but includes eggs and dairy products) and a vegan diet (which excludes all products of animal origin).
“We feel that there has been an increase in requests for information regarding vegetarian diets from health professionals, especially in the area of nutrition,” Pedro Graça, the coordinator of the national programme to promote healthy diets, told Lusa news agency.
He said that international studies show that vegetarianism is increasing every year, especially among “educated people and university students” who show growing “concerns about the environment and animal wellbeing”.
Graça warned that there is also a lot of “erroneous information” online, and that this guide hopes to provide trustworthy information for people who are vegetarian or are planning to stop eating meat.
It can be found online at: http://nutrimento.pt/noticias/linhas-de-orientacao-para-uma-alimentacao-vegetariana-saudavel/
