VEGAN DIETS FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN

Infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women have been described as groups with special needs. Regardless of diet chosen , these groups are at higher risk for nutritional deficiencies than ad ult males. Vegan diets can be safely used by these groups if foods, an d in some instances supplements, are selected which provide a healthfu l and nutritionally adequate diet. Guidelines have been developed for those choosing to follow vegan diets. In many instances vegan diets of fer health benefits. Studies of vegans are limited by factors such as heterogeneity of diets, the size and extent of this type of study, and difficulty in subject identification. There is a scarcity of studies of ''newer'' vegetarians who are often more mainstream than the vegeta rians of the 1960s and 1970s. In some instances this has led to assump tions about today's vegans which are based on out-dated information. T horough scientific studies of today's vegetarians, especially of those in groups with special needs, are needed.