What are the medical disadvantages? | Vegetarianism

What are the medical disadvantages?

In addition to the above-mentioned positive health aspects, which for many people are the reason to become vegetarian in the first place, the vegetarian diet also has some medical disadvantages. It should be mentioned however that these disadvantages occur with vegetarian nutrition (which does without meat and fish only) clearly more rarely and in weaker development than with Veganern. Besides often also a more pronounced consciousness for the composition of the food accompanies with the decision for a vegetarian nourishing way, so that the medical disadvantages specified in the following are to be observed only with a relatively small portion of the vegetarians.

Vegetarian diets contain a greater proportion of natural foods than the diet of non-vegetarians. This increases the risk of food intolerances. The proportion of proteins in the diet of vegetarians is on average significantly lower.

A deficiency in this respect can lead to a wide range of consequences. These include hair loss, brittle nails, increased susceptibility to infections or impaired wound healing. Since proteins play a major role in keeping fluid within the vascular system, a protein deficiency can lead to an increased transfer of fluid into the tissue and thus to edema or ascites (dropsy).

In order to prevent a protein deficiency as a vegetarian, the consumption of soybeans and nuts is recommended, as these have a particularly high protein content. The vegetarian diet also carries the risk of a deficiency in minerals and trace elements. Most relevant in this context are iron (see below), calcium, vitamin B12 and iodine.

A calcium deficiency can lead to brittle bones, while a vitamin B12 deficiency hinders the production of blood cells. Too little iodine, on the other hand, can lead to an underfunction of the thyroid gland. Iron deficiency is probably the physical consequence most often associated with vegetarian diets.

According to various studies, the iron intake of vegetarians is higher than that of non-vegetarians. But due to the poorer bioavailability of plant iron compared to animal iron, the average iron intake of vegetarians is still below the desired minimum value.In plain language: Vegetarians consume more iron, but the vegetable iron is less usable, so that despite the increased iron intake an iron deficiency can occur. Since only the strictly vegetarian (vegane) nourishing way excludes all animal food, an iron deficiency emerges with Veganern clearly more frequently than with vegetarians.

In order to prevent iron deficiency in a vegetarian diet, you should make sure that you eat enough food with a high iron content. These include beans, whole grain products, nuts, spinach and peaches. Other plant-based foods do not contain a lot of iron, but they promote the bioavailability of iron from other foods and can also prevent iron deficiency. Oranges (vitamin C) or soya products, for example, belong to this category.