Plant Based Diet - is it safe to be Vegetarian?

I have never been much of carnivore: I could do without meat for days on end. But I do enjoy good meat or poultry dishes like Peking duck or roast lamb when I have it every now and then. That is probably why I never considered becoming a vegetarian myself and didn't even know there were actually a few variations of plant based diets:

			TYPE OF	FOOD
TYPE OF DIET	Plant-based	Dairy	Eggs	Fish	Polutry	Red meat
Vegans
Lacto vegetarians
Lacto-ovo vegetarians
Quasivegetarians (pescatarians)
"Far" vegetarians					occasionally
Semi vegetarians (flexitarians)					occasionally	occasionally

When my daughter announced she wanted to become a vegetarian, firstly I wanted to change her mind as I didn’t think it was safe for a teenager not to eat meat at all. But when I did not succeed in convincing her, I simply had to learn more about it as it is better the devil you know.

Proteins were my major concern at the beginning as they contain nine essential amino acids necessary for our body tissue to function properly and all animal products (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and diary) are their obvious source. However I have learnt there are luckily some plant foods that also include all the essential amino acids: soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh, soy milk), quinoa and spirulina. Additionally, if you combine plant food that doesn’t contain the complete proteins with other (complimentary) foods, you can supply your body with the essential amino acids. Such combinations include amongst others: beans & rice, hummus & pita bread, tofu & rice, beans & corn, beans & tortilla, lentils & bulgur, peas & bread etc.

Even though getting enough proteins doesn’t seem to be a problem when you don’t eat meat, there are some nutrients that should be especially considered by vegetarians as not eating animal products may make it more difficult to obtain the required amounts. Here are the nutrients and also tips how to make sure a vegetarian gets enough of them:

Iron – although it exists in plant food, it is not as easily absorbed as iron found in animal food. So vegetarians should consume about 80% more iron than non-vegetarians. Soybeans, beans, legumes and fortified grains are good sources of iron. It is worth noting that Vitamin C intensifies absorption of iron.

Zinc – similarly to iron its plant “version” is less bio-available than the animal one. It is found in whole grains, legumes, soy products and nuts.

Calcium – vegetarians consuming dairy products are likely to get enough calcium but vegans may experience some deficiencies. Calcium fortified products as well as soy milk, tofu, leafy greens and broccoli may be a solution.

Vitamin D is mainly found in animal products, that is why vegans should consume Vitamin D fortified foods and expose themselves to sun (obviously without taking a risk of skin cancer!), otherwise tablet supplements might be required.

Vitamin B2 is found mainly in milk (so lactovegetarians should not have a problem with providing their bodies with sufficient amounts). If vegans’ diet is varied and they eat enough green vegetables, whole grains and fortified foods, they probably will get enough.

Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products so solution for vegans is either fortified food, or tablet supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids are mainly found in fish products. Vegetarians not consuming fish may get some of omega 3 fatty acids from walnuts, soy, algae and flax-seed and fortified food.

Iodine typically is present in dairy products and seafood so vegans and some vegetarians may not get enough of it. That is why they should opt for iodized salt as a solution.

As it can be seen, people who completely eliminate animal products from their diet (vegans) may suffer some deficiencies of vitamin B-12 and D as well as of calcium, iron, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore taking tablet supplements may be necessary. For other types of plant-based diets, if meals are well balanced and some fortified food is consumed, this problem may not appear at all.

So far I have only mentioned possible areas of concern of plant based diets but are there any health benefits? If a vegetarian diet is mainly based on nutrient dense food (whole products), it will result in lots of health benefits like lowering BMI, blood pressure and bad cholesterol as well as lowering risk of many chronic diseases e.g. type 2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension and some types of cancer.

So the answer to the question from the title is yes, it is safe to be vegetarian. In truth it may even be advisable to be vegetarian. But if you are still not ready to completely eliminate meat from your diet to take advantage from all the health benefits, please note that even reducing intake of red meat to less than 42g per day could reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cancer diseases and mortality by 8-9%. I think this small change could make a huge difference and certainly is worth making.