California State University, Northridge Nutrition
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE OF SELECTED VEGETARIANS A. thesis s.ubmi tted, in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Home Economics by Cheryl Smith Olson January, 1982 The Thesis of Cheryl Smith Olson is approved: Lillie M. Grossman, Dr.P.H. Ann R. Stasch, Ph.D., Chairperson California State University, Northridge ii DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my parents, who encouraged me to attain my educational goals, and also to my husband, Rans, whose emotional support and under standing have helped me to complete this work. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Ann R. Stasch for her guidance and suggestions for this study. I also want to thank Dr. Marjory L. Joseph and Dr. Lillie M. Grossman for their contributions and assistance. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DEDICATION • • • iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv LIST OF TABLES . vii ABSTRACT . • • . viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Justification . 1 Objectives 2 Assumptions . 3 Limitations • 3 Definitions of Special Terms 3 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 Vegetarianism . 5 Food Faddism 8 Knowledge of Nutrition 11 III. METHODOLOGY • 15 Data Collection Device 15 Data Collection: Procedure . 15 Analysis of Data 16 IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 18 v CHAPTER Page V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 28 Recommendations for Further Research 30 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 31 APPENDIX . 34 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Demographic Data on Subjects . 19 2. Selected Characteristics of Vegetarians 21 3. Vegetarian Practices . 22 4. Weight of Vegetarians 24 vii ABSTRACT NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE OF SELECTED VEGETARIANS by Cheryl Smith Olson Master of Science in Horne Economics A sample of one hundred vegetarians was selected from persons leaving three health food stores in the San Fernando Valley. These vegetarians completed a question naire which requested demographic information and re sponses to ten nutrition questions. Based on a score of seven or more correct responses out of ten possible correct answers as adequate nutrition knowledge, 17 percent had adequate knowledge; 41 percent had a score of five or six for minimal knowl edge; and 42 percent had a score of less than five for inadequate nutrition knowledge. Using the statistical "t" test, no significant difference was found in the nutrition knowledge of men versus women. viii The education of each subject was ranked and compared to the nutrition score using Pearson's r. No significant correlation between education score and nutrition score was found. ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A vegetarian is a person who abstains from animal flesh and who may or may not omit eggs and/or dairy pro- ducts from his/her diet. Vegetarianism is becoming more popular for seVeral reasons. Many people feel that their chosen dietary habits will promote better health. Some limit or omit animal flesh for religious reasons. Some ---._ ··----~~--- vegetarians do not believe in killing animals. Some adopt this way of life because they believe the ...._____cost of produc- ing meat is too high (Williams, 1975; Jenkins, 1975). Nutritional knowledge has been reviewed and studied by several researchers (Dugdale, 1979; Fusillo, 1977; Lindamood, 1977). 'i.Vith the increased concern for better health, many people have become interested in nu- trition. Studies have shown that several groups believed they had adequate nutrition knowledge, but, in reality, their knowledge was limited. Justification Since more people are becoming vegetarians and since they need to know something about nutrition in order to plan their diets, it is important to find out what vegetarians now know about nutrition. Lindamood (1977) 1 2 studied food habits and knowledge of college students who were vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Results revealed a need to further educate both groups of students. The in formation in this study may also be useful to vegetarians and individuals contemplating a vegetarian way of life. A study on vegetarians' nutrition knowledge may also be useful to dietitians and professional nutrition ists workin~ with these individuals. In a study done by Anderson (1.979), nutrition as a subject in school was ranked by h~alth food users as "boring." Professional nutritionists oft~n do not have an interesting and effec tive method of teaching (Anderson, 1979). Also, false information is easily assimilated by enthusiastic health food faddists. The health food store was reported as the most frequently used source of nutrition information in this same study. Objectives The primary objective of this study was to measure the nutrition knowledge of vegetarians in the San Fernando Valley. Other interests included the following: 1. Is there any difference in the nutrition knowledge of vegetarian men and vegetarian women? 2. Does educational status have an influence on vegetarians' nutrition knowledge? 3. What are their reasons for becoming vegetarian? .._ - -~------ ------ --~~-- .._ 3 Assumptions The following assumptions were made: 1. That the questionnaire was a valid tool for collecting data on the nutrition knowledge of vegetarians. 2. That the responses of the vegetarians in this sample were representative of the vegetarians in the San Fernando Valley. Limitations The following limitations were recognized: 1. The geographic area of the study was limited t9 three health food stores in the San Fernando Valley. 3. The sample size was limited to 100 people who stated that they were vegetarian. Definitions of Special Terms Food faddism: a pattern of food behavior that is unusual or different. It is expressed by extolling the virtues of a particular food, by the elimination of some foods from the diet, or by stressing the use of "natural" foods (Schafer, 1975). Persons considered health food faddists usually have misinformation regarding their food beliefs. 4 Fruitarian: a person who does not eat any red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products but will eat fruits and nuts. Health food store: a place that sells special products such as organically grown foods and products that do not contain additives. Lacto-ovo-vegetarian: a person who does not eat red meat, fish, or poultry, but will eat eggs and dairy products. Lacto-vegetarian: a person who does not eat any red meat, fish, poultry, or eggs, but will eat dairy products. Organically grown foods: foods that are grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Semi-vegetarian: a person who does not eat red meat, but will eat poultry and/or fish. Vegan: a person who does not eat any red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy products, but will eat all kinds of plant foods. Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating animal flesh and may or may not omit eggs and/or dairy products from their diet. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Vegetarianism The history of vegetarianism can be traced back to the Old Testament. It was stated that God gave man only plants to eat. After Eve defied God and ate the apple, it was recorded in the Bible that man killed ani- mals for food (Barkas, 1975). More recently in England in ·1809, the members of the Bible Christian Church promised to abstain from all animal foods. Then the vegetarian diet was promoted by Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), whose name is associated with graham crackers. An International Vegetarian Union was founded and, following that, the Vegan Society was formed in 1944 (Todhunter, 1973). Vegetarianism has been included in many religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism for thousands of years. It SeveD~h is also practiced today by some Catholicsa_______ ,_·--··-····-· and by _____.,.--..,.- Day Adventists (Todhunter, 1973). However, it is not limited to religious groups. Others involved in this lifestyle are the "hippie" groups which were prevalent in the 1960's (McBean and Speckman, 1974). 5 ---~~-~-~' ---~-- --- 6 There are several advantages to a vegetarian diet. As reported by Jenkins (1975), this type of diet is high_ in .,-------fiber. Lack of bulk or fiber in the diet has been re- lated to several health problems: ~, colonic cancer, and gall bladder disease. Since many vegetarians have been found to have lower body weights than nonvege- tarians, this diet may be U§.~:t":ti.J.Jn VJ'~!<J"ht_ co:r:_!rol. An other advantage of a meatless diet is a decreased intake of saturated fat and an increased intake of polyunsatu- rated fat. Along with the high fiber, the decreased sat- ______ ____, urated fat has been reported to lower blood cholesterol i- " '. ·~-·-·---_. .•..•. ___ -- levels (Williams, 1975). Finally a great bonus to a diet without meat is economic. This is not only true for the individual but also for the world as a whole. Jenkins (1975) reported that "beef ... requires twenty-one ~-·---"' . '--- pounds of plant protein to produce o~~--_l??Und of animal __ ____. ·-·· ...... ··-·------ --~~~~-- pro~~~ ..• Thi.s!Ileans that eight:.~~n of the twenty tons of plant protein fed to animals is made inaccessible to - ------·-·--- -~·" The vegetarian diet can be nutritionally sound and is not always considered to be a fad diet (Jenkins, 1975). This diet requires more nutrition knowledge of food composition to obtain the necessary nutrients. As more foods are restricted this becomes more difficult (\ (Williams, 1975). .. \ I v r""". I \ 7 An adequate· vegetarian diet should include four or more servings from the fruit and vegetable group, four or more servings from the bread and cereal group, two servings from the milk group and two or more servings from the protein-rich food group (Register and Sonnenberg, 1973). The protein-rich food group includes legumes, peas, beans, and nuts. Fortified soybean milk can be used if dairy products are restricted. This will supply an ( appropriate amount of vitamin B12 , which is difficult to obtain in a vegan die.t. Calcium is also hard to get, but #""...-----~- it can be supplied by including sesame seeds, greens, and almonds (Zolber, 1975). Complete protein may also be difficult to get in a vegan diet.