In a vegetarian eating pattern the macro targets do not change; what changes is the distribution of sources. According to Türkiye Beslenme Rehberi (TÜBER), Türkiye's national dietary guideline, the daily protein requirement of vegetarian individuals is also 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, as it is in healthy adults. The example the guideline gives is this: in a person whose ideal weight is 58 kilograms the daily need is 58 grams.
Are the energy shares the same?
Yes. About 10-20 percent of the energy taken in daily should be met from proteins; this is the same as the general adult range. On the carbohydrate side there is no difference either: vegetarian individuals too should meet about 45-60 percent of the energy they take in daily from carbohydrates.
In the choice of grains the guideline brings whole grain products forward: whole wheat bread, bulgur, breakfast cereals, pasta, brown rice and other whole wheat products. So it is not the macro frame that differs but the foods that fill that frame. It is asked that care be taken that the grain portions are suitable in amount as well; because the frame stays the same, the portion discipline stays the same too.
The real issue on the protein side
The guideline states that the most important problem in the eating of many vegetarians is that the diet does not contain protein in sufficient amount or of sufficient quality. Vegetarians who consume milk, milk products and eggs do not have an important problem with protein intake; the problem can arise in those who consume no animal product at all.
The solution is variety. While the essential amino acids are found in animal-based foods in amounts suited to the requirement, in some plant sources they are found in limited amounts. Consuming plant foods in combination makes up this shortfall; the guideline's example is bulgur or rice pilaf beside a dish of dried beans cooked without meat. When vegetarian individuals, alongside taking in enough energy through the day, consume enough from dried legumes, oilseeds, seeds, grains, vegetables and fruits, they can synthesize body proteins.
The portion pattern
The daily portion distribution the guideline gives for vegetarians is this: 3-6 portions from the grain group, 3-5 from the vegetable group, 2-4 from the fruit group, 0-3 from the milk and milk products group, and 2-3 portions from the egg and dried legume group. Solid and liquid fats and sugars are left to preference. The lower limit of the milk group being zero is so that those who consume no animal product can use this table as well; in that case the protein load shifts to the egg and dried legume group.
The portion equivalents are defined as well: 50 grams of bread, 30 grams of breakfast cereal, 90 grams of cooked rice or bulgur, 75 grams of boiled pasta, 130 grams of cooked dried legumes, one egg of 50 grams, 240 milliliters of milk, 200 milliliters of yogurt, 60 grams of white cheese.
The gap on the fat side
Here the guideline gives a concrete warning. In the diets of vegetarian individuals, and above all of those who consume no animal product, omega-3 fatty acids are found in smaller amounts. These diets are insufficient in fish, which contains omega-3, and high in plant liquid oils, which contain omega-6.
Against this, dried legumes and oilseeds contain no cholesterol; their total fat and saturated fat content is fairly low as well. So on the fat side the problem is not in the amount but in the balance between the types. The guideline also notes that this balance being broken matters for brain development in the growth period.
Which sources come forward?
The guideline states that for those who consume no animal product, quality protein intake can be raised by eating soybeans in place of meat. How dried legumes and oilseeds are paired in place of meat is described in the plant and animal protein article.
In the vegetarian types that consume milk, eggs or fish the picture changes. Meat equivalent foods, that is poultry, fish, milk and milk products and eggs, are a good source of protein, fat, cholesterol, iron, zinc and the B group vitamins. Vegetarians who eat lean meat and skinless chicken are eating foods that are low in fat and cholesterol.
A choice criterion is given for vegetarians who eat fish as well: fish such as salmon, mackerel, whiting and catfish, whose omega-3 content is higher and whose saturated fat and cholesterol are lower, should be preferred over shellfish.
Where does it turn into a mistake?
The first mistake is lowering the protein target; the target is the same, only the sources change. The second mistake is building the pattern with a single kind of legume; the way to meet the essential amino acids passes through variety. The third mistake is assuming that the omega-3 gap is closed with plant sources alone; in those who do not eat fish, foods such as flaxseed, chia seed, soybean oil, canola oil and walnut provide alpha linolenic acid, but the conversion of this fatty acid into EPA and DHA in the body can remain insufficient. You can follow the daily calculation with the macro distribution calculator, and the source comparison from the plant and animal protein sources article.