The Vegetarian Diet Pyramid is the fourth diet pyramid released by Oldways and the Harvard School of Public Health. It was presented at the 1997 International Conference on Vegetarian Diets held in Austin, Texas. This pyramid is a guide to a healthy, traditional vegetarian eating pattern, which includes dairy and eggs. Many variations of vegetarian diets have existed in different cultures throughout history, and the Traditional Vegetarian Diet illustrated in this pyramid reflects the vast variety of delicious, healthy foods that fit into this eating pattern.

A plant-based diet can be an excellent source of all the necessary nutrients (protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and all nine essential amino acidshistidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine (and/or cysteine), phenylalanine (and/or tyrosine), threonine, tryptophan, and valine.) for optimal health, particularly when a wide variety of foods are eaten each day. Some vegetarians (especially vegans) may need to add supplements to ensure that they are getting all the essential nutrients they require.

Agricultural sustainability is a positive aspect of vegetarian diets. The industrial food production system, heavily focused on meat production (beef, pork, sheep, and poultry, etc.), is not sustainable. Plant crops (including grains, beans, vegetables) require fewer natural resources such as fuel, water, and land area than do livestock and poultry, making them more sustainable.

Some Common and Uncommon Foods and Flavors of The Vegetarian Diet Pyramid
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Licensing

Oldways welcomes requests for use of its Mediterranean, Vegetarian, Asian and Latin American Diet Pyramids,  EATWISE®, as well as other copyrighted material in publications, on packaging material and on websites.

Licensing Opportunities
It is Oldways' policy to require a Licensing Agreement and a small royalty fee for any commercial use of any of its copyrighted material. We will be pleased to discuss this kind of opportunity with you in greater detail.

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Permission to use any of Oldways copyrighted material may be granted on a case-by-case basis only after approval of a written request. Permissions for use in educational and non-commercial publications are usually granted free of charge. Oldways may require a small fee, and possibly a Licensing Agreement, for use in commercial publications, depending on the nature of the publication.

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Please direct requests and inquiries to Birthe Creutz.