THURSDAY, March 27, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- If you're considering rooting yourself in a vegetarian diet, here's some useful information from the March issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
The term "vegetarian" refers to diets that differ based on the types and amounts -- if any -- of animal-based foods that a person eats.
There are no animal products included in a vegan diet. The pollo-vegetarian includes chicken, and the semi-vegetarian diet includes occasional servings of meat.
All vegetarian diets emphasize plant-based foods. These foods are associated with lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, decreased weight, less heart disease and lower risk of some cancers.
The clinic recommends that anyone who's considering a vegetarian diet get information from a doctor or dietitian first.
It adds that people eating vegetarian diets need to:
More information
Here's where you can learn more about vegetarianism.