by Jessica Knorr

Created on: January 22, 2011

The vegetarian diet in all its complexities can be a very fun and rewarding life style change if done correctly.  When a person is making the decision to go the route of a vegetarian life style there are several things to consider.  As with any diet, too much or too little of one thing can lead to some disastrous consequences.  It is always best to sit down and come up with a plan and do some research before just jumping into such a drastic life style change.  Even with all the proven health benefits of eating a vegetarian diet there are some risks and pitfalls that need to be evaluated and taken seriously when planning a vegetarian meal plan. 

 Many studies have been done and most studies agree that a diet made up of predominately plant based foods including fruits, vegetables legumes and minimally processed foods if any at all can have some very great health benefits.  Some of those health benefits include lowering cancer risks, lowering heart disease risks, increasing the longevity of life, weight loss and lowering the risk of diabetes and other major health problems.  A report published by the World Cancer Research Fund states that a regular consumption of fruits and vegetables provides significant protection against cancer and heart disease.  A recent survey of 47,000 people showed that the people that followed a vegetarian based diet with very little meat if any at all had a 21% reduced risk of heart attacks versus the non vegetarian people.  A glance around the world will show that some of the longest living populations in the world have diets consisting of very little meat and high contents of fruits, vegetables and grains.  With all of the great health benefits associated with a vegetarian life style it seems hard to believe that there could be any negative risk factors to consider but as with all diets that omit any particular food group there are always going to be risk factors.

One of the biggest pitfalls of a vegetarian diet is poor menu planning which can lead to nutritional deficiencies.  Some of the most common nutrient deficiencies in a vegetarian diet are Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and some basic proteins.  The lack of some of these key nutrients in a person’s diet can cause anemia.  Anemia is a condition where the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells.  Red blood cells are what get oxygen around in the body.  Without enough healthy red

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>