Many people start vegetarian and vegan diets without

devoting an adequate amount of time to nutritional

research and meal planning. As a result, a considerable

amount of people who start vegetarian diets do not last

for more than 1-2 months.



Many dieters who fail to carefully research and plan

complain that they lack energy - and often experience

a significant loss in muscle mass. Others observe a

number of other more peripheral problems that come with a

poorly-planned vegetarian diet.



The first group--the group that most failed dieters fall

into--is actually experiencing a form of protein-energy

malnutrition (PEM). PEM emerges when a person fails to

consume enough protein, leading to muscle loss - and

subsequently feelings of weakness that are often

accompanied by head and muscle aches.



This problem can be circumvented by dietary alterations.

A vegetarian who is experiencing PEM should either a) find

out what foods contain what amino chains, so they can

combine them to form proteins; or b) start consuming

larger amounts and more diversified sources of protein,

such as nuts, soy milk, and yogurt.



The first group is often iron-deficient as well. Because

vegetarians can only consume nonheme iron, which

is more sensitive to iron inhibitors, they often do

not consume enough to maintain healthy blood-iron

levels. This can cause pervasive weakness and

even anemia.



Most nutritionists suggest that vegetarian and vegan

dieters consume roughly twice the recommended amount

of iron while greatly reducing their consumption of iron

inhibitors.



People in the second group--the smaller one--who suffer

from a range of other peripheral, diet-related problems are

often not consuming enough of the nutrients that they would

normally take in unknowingly on a diet that includes meat

and dairy products. These nutrients include, for example,

zinc, calcium, vitamin b, and riboflavin.



Some recent studies have suggested that vegetarians

also process certain types of foods with less

efficiency because they consume different amounts

and varieties of absorption inhibitors and enhancers.



Recent studies also suggest, however, that

a vegetarian or vegan diet, when done right, is

not only as healthful as a non-vegetarian diet, but it

is also much more heart-healthy - and usually

contains higher amounts of antioxidants.



What does this all mean for you as a prospective

vegetarian? It means that eating a healthful vegetarian

diet is not only a good alternative to your current diet,

but it can also lower your chances of getting heart

disease and cancer.



However, in order to eat a HEALTHFUL vegetarian diet,

you must actually put in the time to research and plan;

if you don’t, you most certainly will end up in one of the

two groups discussed above.

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