Many people think that a vegetarian diet is low in protein and unhealthy, particularly for the athletic person. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many kinds of vegetarians:

• Vegans: Strict vegetarians, they eat no animal products at all, often including honey.
• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians: Eat diary products and eggs but no animal flesh.
• Semi-vegetarians: Not really a form of vegetarianism, semi-vegetarians usually eat fish and sometimes chicken but do not eat red meat or pork.

Any diet can be healthy or unhealthy. What makes a diet healthy is the food choices you make, not the foods that are included or excluded. A person who eats meat wisely and makes healthy choices can have a healthier diet than a vegetarian who isn't careful to eat properly, though on the whole, it is more common for vegetarians to have a healthier diet.

There are several reasons for this:

• Vegetarianism is usually a chosen lifestyle, and those who choose it tend to be more conscious of their food choices.
• Saturated fats are found only in animal fats. Vegans get no animal fats in their diet and lacto-ovo-vegetarians only need to choose skim milk products and watch their intake of eggs.
• Vegetarian diets are naturally high in carbohydrates. A healthy diet receives 60% of the calories from carbohydrates. By choosing healthy whole grain and high fiber carbohydrates, a vegetarian (or a meat eater) lowers their risk of numerous cancers, heart disease and stroke.
• A vegetarian diet is naturally high in vitamin C, an important immune system booster.

The naturally high levels of vitamin C consumed by vegetarians is part of the reason that they are not prone to anemia. A common myth about vegetarianism is that a vegetarian diet is low in iron. While the iron found in non-animal foods (non-heme iron) is less easily absorbed than the heme iron found in animal products, vitamin C aids in the absorption of non-heme iron. Many vegetarian women even make it through pregnancy (the time when iron needs are highest) without needing additional iron supplements.

A big worry many people have about becoming vegetarian is getting enough protein. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians need not worry about protein consumption, as they generally get enough. The additional protein requirements of athletes means that active vegans need to watch their diet to make sure they are consuming enough protein. Luckily, this is easy. Most foods, except for fruits, contribute some protein to the diet. An active person needs 1.5-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) of body weight. For example, if you weigh 135 lbs., you need 61.4 (kg body weight) x 1.5 grams = 92 grams of protein per day.

Vegetarian protein combinations are not hard to find either. Look in your grandmother's recipe book. Ethnic dishes tend to be good vegetarian protein sources, like beans and rice, baked beans and black bread, and peanut butter and bread. Soy is another excellent source of vegetarian protein. To raise the protein intake of a vegetarian diet, just add a few fruit smoothies made with soy milk.

There are two types of carbohydrates. The first are simple carbohydrates. These are sugars and tend to cause spikes and valleys in the blood sugar. Complex carbohydrates are starches or sugars that are linked in chains. They are found in legumes, vegetables and whole grains. Since complex carbohydrates are harder for your body to break down, they tend to enter the bloodstream over a longer period of time, keeping blood sugar levels more even. By choosing whole grains and whole fruits and vegetables you will find meals more filling and satisfying.

With all of the food contamination scares -- E. coli and salmonella (both of which are more likely to grow on animal products than plant products) and mad cow disease -- you might just find yourself enjoying the lighter lifestyle of vegetarian eating.

For more information on preventing food contamination in your kitchen, read, "Food Safety Made Easy" from the February 2001 issue of NB News.

For more information on carbohydrates and diet, read, "Lose More Fat: By Eating Carbohydrates" from the January 2001 issue of NB News.

Sue Long has been a vegetarian for more than 10 years. Her interest in nutrition started when she was in nursing school.