VegPlate: A Mediterranean-Based Food Guide for Italian Adult, Pregnant, and Lactating Vegetarians

V EGETARIAN DIETS EXCLUDE all types of flesh foods (meat, poultry, game, seafood). They can be further classified as vegan if they exclude all animal-derived products, lacto-ovo-vegetarian if they still include dairy products and eggs, lacto-vegetarian or ovo-vegetarian if they only include dairies or eggs, respectively, as animal-derived products. Although vegetarian diets are usually defined by the foods they exclude, their most important characteristic is that they do include a variety and abundance of plant foods (grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, herbs, and spices). In December 2016, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics released its latest position paper on vegetarian diets, once more stating that wellplanned vegetarian diets are suitable for all stages of life, are healthful and nutritionally adequate, may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, and are associated with less environmental damage. Since the first pyramidshaped Vegetarian Food Guide (VFG) was presented in 1997, some other food guides for vegetarians have been developed. Information and recommendations for vegetarians are available also in the Dietary Guidelines for the general population of some Western countries. Because of their well-documented positive effects, vegetarian diets are gaining popularity worldwide. In 2017, 7.6% of the Italian population are following a vegetarian diet. Available data show a similar percentage in other European countries and a lower one in the United States, although the total number of US vegetarians is the highest in the Western World. Nevertheless, no specific recommendations have been made so far from the Italian Department of Health for vegetarian dietary planning, although dietary guidelines for the general population already encourage a daily consumption of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. We hereby propose the VegPlate, a new Mediterranean-based VFG designed according to the new Italian Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). It is suitable for Italian adult vegetarians and provides dietary planning from 1,200 to 3,200 kcal. It also offers specific adaptations for pregnant and lactating women, planning from 1,800 to 3,200 kcal plus additional servings for the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and for lactation. Its aim is to help both health professionals and vegetarian individuals to easily plan balanced vegetarian diets.