“Cibi innocentes, innocent foods, are foods obtained without bloodshed.” This was said long ago by the church father Jerome of Bethlehem (331-420) – an attitude shared by most vegetarians. Respect for life is one of the main motives for not eating meat and fish. We explore how healthy a meatless diet is and how to get such important nutrients as protein and iron without meat.
Forms of vegetarianism
There are about 7.8 million people in Germany (as of January 2015) on a vegetarian diet. The cattle disease BSE, the sometimes catastrophic conditions under which animals are kept and slaughtered, fattening aids in the feed, antibiotics and other drug residues in the meat – all these are, in addition to the ethical further reasons why people reject meat. Another, increasingly important reason is that vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters, as various studies have shown. But vegetarians are not all the same. Depending on the extent to which animal foods are eliminated from the menu, a distinction is made:
- Ovo-lacto vegetarians: they eat milk, dairy products and eggs.
- Lacto-vegetarians: milk and dairy products are accepted.
- Vegan: All animal foods are rejected
How healthy is a vegetarian diet?
Back in the early 1980s, the University of Giessen, the Cancer Research Center Heidelberg and the Federal Health Office Berlin conducted three large vegetarian studies independently of each other – with surprising findings. According to these studies, vegetarians have more favorable blood pressure values, a better body weight, a higher life expectancy and a lower susceptibility to cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Comparable studies from other countries have come to similar conclusions. The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine study followed 11,000 vegetarian women for 12 years. It compared its participants with a control group that, apart from meat consumption, had a similar lifestyle and comparable social status to the vegetarians studied. The result: in all major respects, the vegetarians had better values, especially lower blood pressure, blood lipid and uric acid levels and better kidney function. The mortality rate was 20% lower and the cancer death rate as much as 40% lower than in the meat-eating control group. In summary, it can be concluded from these studies that vegetarians have no deficiency symptoms, that the general state of health is above average and that the vegetarian diet can be described as healthy. But there are some points to consider from a nutritional perspective:
Nutrients in meat and dairy products
Meat and meat products are considered important sources of nutrients such as iron, zinc and a number of B vitamins. This is especially important for children up to about age 18: If these foods are avoided, the important nutrients they contain must be supplied from other foods. For this reason, nutritionists are critical of the strict vegan diet, which completely lacks animal protein. Also calcium, vitamin B12, iron and iodine are not taken up in sufficient measure. Vegetarians, on the other hand, who eat milk, dairy products and eggs and otherwise eat a wholesome diet of grains, vegetables, legumes and nuts, get enough protein. The supply of vitamin B12 is also guaranteed, as it is contained in milk, yogurt and the like. Although plants also contain iron, animal iron is better absorbed by humans. However, a better absorption can be achieved by taking enough vitamin C, for example in the form of fruit juice. Then up to seven times the normal amount of iron is absorbed by the body. Vegetarians, on the other hand, should avoid products that inhibit iron absorption, such as black tea, coffee, cocoa, garlic and onions. Finally, iodine is found in milk and dairy products, in addition to marine products.
Vegetable protein
In principle, more and more medical professionals are advocating a balanced, whole-food diet, in which meat has a very low priority anyway. However, anyone who wants to eat a completely vegan diet should discuss this with their doctor and get thorough information. A complete renunciation of animal protein does not have to lead to deficiency symptoms.Dr. Bruker, who died at the age of 91 and advocated a vegan diet, recommended that his patients eat a varied plant-based diet, preferably raw, in order to absorb the plant proteins. According to current knowledge, about 50 grams or less (depending on body size) of protein is sufficient.
