Perfil alimentar dos alunos vegetarianos da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - Campus Londrina

Abstract

Vegetarianism is an eating behavior of abstaining from eating meat and classified according to animals’ foods exceptions: lacto-ovo-vegetarian, lacto-vegetarian, ovo-vegetarian, strict vegetarian, vegan. There are several reasons that people choose the vegetarianism, the eating behavior has been standing out in the new generations. Thus, this research aimed to identify the profile of vegetarian students, verify what types of vegetarianism they adhere to, determine the reason they adopted vegetarianism and evaluate the eating habits of this college students. The present study had voluntary participation of 45 students enrolled at UTFPR, campus Londrina. The results demonstrated that the most students were lacto-ovo-vegetarian and adhered to this diet for environmental, ethical, nutritional or political reasons. There was a regular consumption frequency of nutrient rich foods as fruits, vegetables and dairy foods. It has been verified a low consumption frequency of ultra-processed as sweets, fried foods and alcoholic beverages. Finally, it is considered advantageous to encourage vegetarian eating habits at universities, due to the benefits of vegetarianism, however, there is a need for guidance on increasing the consumption of healthy plant foods, as fruits and vegetables.