Does a vegetarian diet provide all the nutrients needed by the human body?

No

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by Erick Bertin

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Oh boy, now that's a pickle: every single day, new researches add more fuel to the debate, and while doing a little search of my own in the Internet for this article, I've found that the two positions ("yes" and "no") have extremely vocal advocates, support groups and associations, some of which actually fund research on this topic in order to present evidence to sustain their stance. And let me tell you, some of them, in both camps, present very compelling points, too.

So let me start by the basic point: I am NOT a vegetarian. At least not a self-professed one: see, I never made a conscious decision to stop eating meat; I ate meat all my early life and did so until I was something like eighteen or nineteen, I honestly don't remember. The fundamental reason why I ate meat was because both my parents bought it and cooked it at home. But I personally was born with a natural preference for vegetables, eating tons of fruits and salads from an early age, sometimes going as far as to eat salad for breakfast (something I did only when I was very little). I just loved them, I didn't learn that conduct from anyone in my family, as no one else in my household ever did anything like that.

But then a fortuitous combination of factors came together as I was exiting my teen years to make me gradually turn away from eating meat: first, as my brothers and I grew up and started to spend less and less time at home, there were less and less family meals, so my parents started to cook less and less until they pretty much quit, so the need to buy and cook tons of meat at home decreased considerably. Second, one of my older brothers actually became vegetarian after attending some college course or something and learning about the "unethical" treatment of animals; personally I couldn't have cared less about that at the time, but that fact meant that unless we wanted our appetite to be spoiled by an endless diatribe about animal rights, whatever family meals that were still to be had would be required to include vegetarian options, which was fine with me. And finally around that same time when I was finishing high school and entering college I decided that after years of being overweight I wanted to be fit, so I started to exercise and to choose better the food I consumed. Just so happened that fruits and vegetables were very cheap in comparison with meat and they also made it easier for me to lose weight, and since no one at home was cooking anymore and therefore no one was buying meat, I just went along with it. That being said, I would eat meat if offered while being away from home, if I felt like it (I still do). No pressures, no hassle.

So lo and behold, there I was having become a kind of "pragmatic vegetarian" as opposed to a "ideological vegetarian": I wasn't looking for a higher balance with the cosmos or any of those pretty things that vegans and vegetarians love to say (I have nothing against them, but I truly think that the so called "balance with the cosmos", if there even is such a thing, goes a little further than just what food I choose to eat), I was just trying to save money, time and effort (cause I hate to cook, too) and to stay fit and healthy. Over ten years later, I can proudly say that I've succeeded in all fronts. Was it easy? No, but I honestly feel that the hardest part is the discipline with the exercise, not so much the vegetarian diet. Do I miss meat? Not really. I go for months at a time without eating any, so I could very well become a full time, full fledged vegetarian, but I just don't see the point, I have nothing against it and I'm not trying to convince anyone about anything.
Having disclosed my position on the matter fully so I can't be accused of having ulterior motives, it is time to sink out teeth into the cold, hard facts: a vegetarian diet has been determined to have many beneficial effects such as weight loss (I can attest to it), increased longevity, reduced risk of heart disease, and lower incidence of several different types of cancer to name but some of the most commonly known. However, even some of the most ardent proponents of such a lifestyle admit that there are some limitations to it, and that those limitations oftentimes have to be addressed with resources other than "food".

This is especially true for practitioners of the vegan diet, since they forsake all animal products and byproducts. This much is a fact: studies have shown that vegan and poorly planned vegetarian diets are prone to present deficiencies of important nutrients such as vitamins A, D, K and B12, iron, zinc, iodine, riboflavin, calcium and Omega 3 acids, as well as protein. Now, these deficiencies have been pointed in some studies (far less numerous, though) as being related with ailments such as adrenal exhaustion and hypothyroidism, artery damage and anemia among others, and while there still isn't conclusive data to support such claims, the fact remains that those deficiencies must be dealt with somehow.

Most of the aforementioned elements can be found in vegetarian products: iodized salt (iodine); walnuts, olive oil, avocado (Omega 3 acids); peas, beans, lentils, soy (Iron), beans, oranges, figs (Calcium). But others such as riboflavin and the aforementioned vitamins (although present in several vegetarian foods) either exist in lower quantities or are less efficiently absorbed by the human organism than their animal-origin counterparts, hence the need of supplements. To answer the original question: if by "vegetarian diet" you understand a diet that is strictly based on vegetables (such as the vegan diet), then the answer is no. But if your definition is a little broader so as to include diary products or at least dietary supplements, then the answer is plain and simple: Yes. A well planned vegetarian diet CAN provide you with all the nutrients the organism needs. Will it be as easy as with an omnivore diet? I'll let you decide for yourselves, but it can certainly be done.

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