Unit 14
Vegetarian Diets, Alcohol, and Caffeine

Throughout this course we have touched on vegetarian diets and considered the health effects of alcohol and caffeine. This unit explores vegetarian diets more thoroughly and summarizes the current knowledge and wisdom about caffeine and alcohol.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. identify appropriate food choices to include or exclude from both lacto-ovo-vegetarian and vegan diets.
2. discuss health benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets.
3. discuss nutrients which may be inadequate in lacto-ovo-vegetarian or vegan diets, and suggest solutions to address these inadequacies.
4. discuss life cycle stages where a vegetarian or vegan diet may not meet nutrient needs.
5. list the health consequences associated with excess alcohol consumption, and discuss health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption.
6. identify significant dietary sources of caffeine, and discuss the effect of caffeine on concentration, calcium absorption, bone density, hydration, and sleep.