Your Health Online

Vegetarian Resource Group

www.vrg.org

Overview: This nonprofit group is devoted to spreading the word about vegetarianism and health. The Web site functions as a store, news source and all-purpose guide for vegetarians as well as those considering forsaking animal products.

What works: For all the evidence that a vegetarian diet protects us against disease and obesity--we’re talking about fruits, vegetables and beans, after all--there’s still the matter of nutrition. The diet needs to be nutritionally adequate, and the site spells out how that can be done. It details the best sources of important nutrients, such as calcium and iron, and includes tables listing the nutrient contents of plant-based foods. Tofu is hardly the only nondairy source of calcium, for instance; collard greens and turnip greens are good alternatives. There are recipes here plus advice for vegans and young vegetarians.

The site proselytizes as well as explains, and it could use a page or two addressing the risks of diets that are too restrictive. Yet the advice is based on science, rather than food fads or faux spirituality.