Is it healthier to be a vegetarian?

Is it healthier to be a vegetarian? It is one of the controversies that are generated around this lifestyle. The reality is that this eating practice regularly entails a change in consumption habits and, therefore, in life.

The reasons why people lean towards a vegetarian diet are varied. From health reasons related to the intake of toxin-free food to greater social, environmental and animal awareness. Nevertheless, vegetarianism raises some questions about its health benefits.

Is it healthier to be a vegetarian than an omnivore?

We understand by traditional diet the one that includes foods of animal origin. Vegetarians are those who base their diet on all kinds of vegetables and who exclude animal meat.

However, non-meat products of animal origin are consumed by vegetarians, such as milk and its derivatives, eggs or honey. Those people who do not consume these products are known as vegans.

So, the biggest difference between vegetarian and omnivorous food is in the meat that the latter consume. For this reason, it is common to raise doubts about whether it is healthier to be a vegetarian. In this article we analyze the question.

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Vegetarian food lacks "something"

A vegetarian diet must be properly planned. Although the main premise is that this diet should consist exclusively of vegetables, fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, cereals and products derived from animals, the amounts and frequencies of consumption should be planned to prevent nutrient deficiencies that could affect the Health.

Where you have to pay special attention is in obtaining iron, Omega 3, zinc, iodine and vitamin B (especially vitamin B12). All these nutrients can be obtained in a vegetarian diet, but you have to include the right foods in the amounts necessary to avoid the risk of nutritional decompensation.

The focus should be on Vitamin B12. A person who eats a vegetarian or vegan diet must know the food sources that provide vitamin B12 or supplement their intake with pills or injections, to keep the requirements at an optimal level and not put health at risk.

For these reasons, it is often said that vegetarian food lacks nutrients and the question continually arises as to whether it is healthier to be a vegetarian. However, a vegetarian diet that is monitored, balanced and adapted to individual needs, is totally safe for all ages.

With the advice of a nutritionist specialized in vegetarian food, or with adequate knowledge about the properties of vegetables, fruits and cereals, this nutritional situation can be kept under control and continued without posing a risk of any kind.

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Omnivorous eating is no better than vegetarian

Consuming meat in excess can be harmful to health. A current omnivorous diet problem is the abuse of meat and minimal or no intake of vegetables, fruits, cereals and in general sources of plant nutrients. In addition to the increase in ultra-processed foods in recent years.

In recent decades, interest in reducing meat consumption has been on the rise. More and more people consider vegetarian, vegan or their derivatives as a viable option to have a better diet, healthier and above all more respectful with the environment.

That is, the reasons for omnivorous eating respond to ethical, health and or even religious beliefs. As this trend has grown, scientific research has determined that this was a healthy option and that, on the contrary, excess meat could harm more to the health of those who consume.

However, these same Research has not been able to conclusively demonstrate that life expectancy is significantly increased in a vegetarian person compared to an omnivore. Although there are passionate people who defend one or another diet, the truth is that for now, studies have shown that it does not affect a greater longevity.

In this sense, what can be affirmed is that a diet that simply excludes or reduces significantly consuming other foods of animal origin, in addition to meat, can be harmful to health. Instead, a diet that completely eliminates the consumption of meat but complements the obtaining of nutrients such as Vitamin B12 with supplements, does not cause health problems.

Then... Is it healthier to be a vegetarian?

Being a vegetarian can be healthy if you take care of your food balance. However, the comparison between a well-balanced omnivorous diet and a vegetarian diet that takes care of nutrient intake, results in neither is healthier than the other.

Actually, the specific recommendation is to increase the intake of vegetables in general, as well as fruits, seeds and legumes. The World Health Organization estimates that the minimum necessary intake of vegetables in general should be 400 grams per day. In addition to that we generally need to reduce or eliminate foods with trans fats, saturated and with too much sugar.

This suggestion, in addition to bringing health to those who follow it, also serves as a call to improve food production practices worldwide. If there were a greater demand for vegetables and a decrease in that of meats, it would have as a consequence on a large scale a more sustainable and efficient management of food resources.

This could help reduce the accelerated production of meat through industrial farming of animals, which to meet market demands, resort to unfriendly practices and even cruel. A reduction in the amount required could also contribute to a change in livestock husbandry systems.

Bibliographic references

• Grant J. D. (2017). Time for change: Benefits of a plant-based diet. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 63 (10), 744–746.
• Le, L. T., Sabaté, J., Singh, P. N., & Jaceldo-Siegl, K. (2018). The Design, Development and Evaluation of the Vegetarian Lifestyle Index on Dietary Patterns among Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians. Nutrients, 10 (5), 542. doi: 10.3390 / nu10050542.