Food categories contributions to energy and nutrient intakes among youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science, Faculty of Education, University of Gothenburg, P.O. Box 300, Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Sweden
- 2Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, Universitetsveien 25, Kristiansand, 4630 Norway
- 3Department of Health Sciences, Oslo New University College, Oslo, Norway
- 4Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
Abstract
Purpose: When adopting plant-based diets, animal-sourced foods need to be replaced with nutritionally adequate plant-based alternatives. However, limited studies have assessed which foods provide key nutrients in plant-based diets among youth. This study investigated the contribution of food categories to intakes of energy and nutrients among youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets in Sweden.
Methods: Dietary intakes of 16–24 year-olds (60 vegans, 59 lacto-ovo-vegetarians, 55 pescatarians, 61 omnivores) were assessed using four 24-h dietary recalls. The contribution of each food category (n = 24) to average intakes of energy, macro-, and micronutrients were calculated and investigated.
Results: With increasing exclusion of animal-sourced food categories from the diet, a greater proportion of youths’ intakes of protein, iron, calcium, selenium, and zinc came from meat analogs, legumes, and cereals and grain products. Similarly, a greater proportion of intakes of vitamins (D, B2, B12) and calcium came from dairy alternatives (highest among vegans). Nevertheless, average intakes of vitamin D, B12, calcium (vegans only), and selenium were lower among vegans and lacto-ovo-vegetarians than among omnivores. In contrast, replacing animal-sourced foods with plant-based alternatives led to higher intakes of fiber and lower intakes of saturated fat.
Conclusion: The more animal-sourced food categories that were excluded from the diet, the more youths’ relied on cereals and grain products, meat analogs, dairy alternatives (fortified), and legumes as sources of energy and nutrients. Particular attention to vitamin D, B12, selenium, and calcium (vegans only) and their food sources may be needed when planning vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y.
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BibTeX
@article{mulkerrins2026food,
title = {{Food categories contributions to energy and nutrient intakes among youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets}},
author = {Isabelle Mulkerrins and Anine Christine Medin and Synne Groufh-Jacobsen and Claire Margerison and Christel Larsson},
journal = {European Journal of Nutrition},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Food categories contributions to energy and nutrient intakes among youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets
AU - Isabelle Mulkerrins
AU - Anine Christine Medin
AU - Synne Groufh-Jacobsen
AU - Claire Margerison
AU - Christel Larsson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/31
JO - European Journal of Nutrition
DO - 10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y
AB - Purpose: When adopting plant-based diets, animal-sourced foods need to be replaced with nutritionally adequate plant-based alternatives. However, limited studies have assessed which foods provide key nutrients in plant-based diets among youth. This study investigated the contribution of food categories to intakes of energy and nutrients among youth adhering to vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pescatarian or omnivorous diets in Sweden. Methods: Dietary intakes of 16–24 year-olds (60 vegans, 59 lacto-ovo-vegetarians, 55 pescatarians, 61 omnivores) were assessed using four 24-h dietary recalls. The contribution of each food category (n = 24) to average intakes of energy, macro-, and micronutrients were calculated and investigated. Results: With increasing exclusion of animal-sourced food categories from the diet, a greater proportion of youths’ intakes of protein, iron, calcium, selenium, and zinc came from meat analogs, legumes, and cereals and grain products. Similarly, a greater proportion of intakes of vitamins (D, B2, B12) and calcium came from dairy alternatives (highest among vegans). Nevertheless, average intakes of vitamin D, B12, calcium (vegans only), and selenium were lower among vegans and lacto-ovo-vegetarians than among omnivores. In contrast, replacing animal-sourced foods with plant-based alternatives led to higher intakes of fiber and lower intakes of saturated fat. Conclusion: The more animal-sourced food categories that were excluded from the diet, the more youths’ relied on cereals and grain products, meat analogs, dairy alternatives (fortified), and legumes as sources of energy and nutrients. Particular attention to vitamin D, B12, selenium, and calcium (vegans only) and their food sources may be needed when planning vegan and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-026-04128-y.
SN - 1436-6207
SN - 1436-6215
ER -