Eating behaviors of self-described vegetarian women. (Scientific update: a review of recent scientific papers related to vegetarianism).

The term "vegetarian" can mean different things to different people. Canadian researchers conducted a study of women who called themselves "vegetarian" to see what their eating behaviors were. The researchers also wanted to see how vegetarian dietary practices change over time and to evaluate how self-described vegetarians feel about meat and dairy products.

Almost 200 women between the ages of 18 and 50 participated in the study. Ninety said they were vegetarian, 35 were former vegetarians, and 68 had never been vegetarian. Of the so-called vegetarians, 6 were vegan, 11 used dairy products but not eggs, 22 used dairy products and eggs, and 51 ate fish or chicken occasionally. This suggests that less than half of the group who identified themselves as vegetarians regularly ate diets that fit the standard definition of vegetarian (no meat, fish, or fowl).

Current "vegetarians" reported eating fewer animal products than they did when they first became vegetarian (true for 63% of self-described vegetarians). They also said that they planned to eat fewer dairy products in the coming year (20% of vegetarians), less fish (5%), and more fruits and vegetables (11%).

As would be expected, more vegetarians expressed concerns about meat than did non-vegetarians. Concerns included "toxins" in animal fat, unnatural hormones and antibiotics in red meat, and the amount of fat in red meat. Self-described vegetarians were more likely than non-vegetarians to agree with the statement that dairy products are not needed by adults. They were more likely to believe that dairy products contain unnatural hormones and antibiotics, and less likely to agree that a diet with dairy is healthier than a diet without dairy products.

These results suggest that self-described vegetarians who may eat fish and/or chicken are sympathetic towards a vegetarian diet and may be interested in reducing their use of animal products.

Barr SI, Chapman GE. 2002. Perception and practices of self-defined current vegetarian, former vegetarian, and nonvegetarian women. J Am Diet Assoc 102:354-360.