The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans devote more attention to vegetarian and vegan diets than any previous version of the guidelines. The new guidelines devote two full pages to vegetarian and vegan nutrition and point out that these eating patterns provide nutritional advantages and reduce obesity, heart disease, and overall mortality.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010. Available at: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines.htm. Accessed January 31, 2011.

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