ABSTRACT
In the most recent version of the U.S. food pyramid, beans and nuts, which are plant products, are grouped with animal products such as meat and fish. This echoes an earlier classification by the United Kingdom’s healthy plate dietary guidelines for planning a meal, for losing weight, or maintaining weight, and gives recommended pro portions of each group (Diabetes UK 2007), which put beans and other pulses in the protein group together with meat and fish. This sends a clear message that proteins from plant sources can be as good as proteins from animal sources. It also reflects the stand taken by the American Dietetic Association about vegetarianism that “appropri ately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of some diseases” (Messina and Burke 1997).
