Increasing knowledge of how the diet composition and socio-demographics of vegetarians have
changed over time can help us to understand changes in the health and nutrition status of
vegetarians. The objective of this study is to examine the shift in diet composition of self-perceived
vegetarians over the past forty years, as well as the demographic and socioeconomic
characteristics of being a self-perceived vegetarian in 1977 and in 2010. Using OLS regression,
the probability of being a vegetarian by key demographic characteristics was examined for 1977-
78 and 2007-2010. Consumption of key nutrients, including total daily kilocalories, ounces of
meat, added sugars, whole grains, servings of fruits and vegetables were compared by vegetarian
status in 1977-78 and 2007-2010. In doing so, the final goal is to compare the overarching
picture of the diet of vegetarians over the past forty years in the United States.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt
