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Dear Dr. Donohue My 9-year-old granddaughter became a vegetarian more than a year ago, and she has stuck to her guns. Her mother lives a harried life and doesn't have much time to cook. My granddaughter consumes pasta and vegetarian frozen items. She eats cheese and eggs. However, I am concerned that there is not enough nutritional balance in her diet. Does she need vitamin and mineral supplements? E.D.

Answer A vegetarian diet is a healthy diet, and most of the world is on such a diet. However, those people have had generations of experience with such a diet and know that such a diet has to be varied. I believe it's too much to ask of a 9-year-old to balance a vegetarian diet. She could be shortchanging herself on protein, vitamin B-12, vitamin D and calcium.

Dairy products are the primary source of calcium. It's good that she eats cheese. How about milk? She needs more than cheese in her diet to get enough calcium. Her bones are growing, and she is at the age where she can store calcium in them. She also needs vitamin D to facilitate calcium absorption. Given that sunlight converts a skin compound into vitamin D, if she lives in a Northern climate, she's not getting enough sun year-round for this conversion to take place. Fortified dairy products also are a source of vitamin D. So is orange juice.

Eggs are a good source of protein. Beans, lentils, peas and nuts are other good sources. Meat is the only food with sufficient vitamin B-12. Some cereals and soymilk are fortified with it. This needs checking to make sure she's getting enough of this vitamin.

I understand that your daughter leads a harried life. If her daughter remains on this diet, then she has a responsibility of taking instructions from a dietitian in how best to devise a vegetarian diet for such a young, growing child.

A good source on the Internet is the Vegetarian Food Pyramid devised by Loma Linda University. You, your daughter and your granddaughter will find it at http://www.vegetariannutrition.org.

Dear Dr. Donohue I am interested in your opinion on the supplement resveratrol. D.P.

Answer Resveratrol is a natural compound found in grapes and grape skins. Cranberries, blueberries and peanuts have it, too. Some believe it is the substance in wine that give wine its healthy properties. Red wine has more than white wine. It's proposed as the material that prevents heart disease and prolongs life. No one, however, has certain proof that resveratrol is what gives these foods their healthful properties. It might be some other natural and as-yet-unidentified chemical. I'm not on the trail of resveratrol until I see more compelling evidence. I'm not against it, either.

Write Dr. Donohue at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, Fla. 32853-6475.

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Girl, 9, has diet without meat

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