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Is it being vegetarian actually better for you?
Q: A lot of my friends have started becoming vegetarians. Some of them say it’s healthier to not eat meat - is this true?
A: People are vegetarians for all sorts of different reasons. Some people choose not to eat meat for ethical or health reasons, or because of their religious beliefs or environmental concerns. However, no matter what the reason, it is important to realise that being a healthy vegetarian is not as simple as cutting out meat from your diet.
A vegetarian diet is not necessarily healthier than a diet containing meat. A vegetarian diet doesn’t rule out chips, lollies, fizzy drinks and other junk foods - in fact, you actually need to make more of an effort to make sure you’re getting the right amounts of vitamins and minerals! Making sure you have enough iron in your diet is a common challenge for vegetarians. Without enough iron you can feel tired and irritable, not to mention be at risk of anaemia. Even if you only cut out red meat you are significantly reducing the amount of iron in your diet and it’s important to make sure you start to include vegetarian sources of iron rich food such as beans, oats and broccoli.
All and all, if you are thinking about giving vegetarianism a try make sure you make your decisions based on what you believe in and want to do - not just because your friends are doing it. A great place to start if your not to sure is by having something like ‘Meat-free Monday’. It can be fun to get your family in on it too, thinking of different recipe ideas for lunch and dinner even having turns at who can cook the best vegetarian meals!
By Kate Wilson. Click here to meet Kate and find out more about her nutrition practice.
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I’ve been a vegetarian my whole life, I hardly ever get sick and I’ve never been anemic. It is a very healthy lifestyle, way less fat and chemicals in vegetarian food and it tastes good! Posted by Gabrielle Jacqueline "on" 02/24 "at"04:17 PM |
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I hate to eat meat, but i know i need to as i suffer from anemia and i find eating meat every now and then truly does help. Posted by DeenaH "on" 02/07 "at"06:09 PM |
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It’s a life decision. People are vegetarians for different reasons, I guess if your going to be one and cutting meat out of your diet you’ll just have to find alternatives to replace that lost iron or vitamins in your body. Posted by whetu -xx- "on" 02/06 "at"10:34 AM |
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I could never be a vegetarian. i love meaaaat alot! you can eat meat, you’ve just gotta have some greenery in there aswell. im a meaty, not a sweetie! LOL. Posted by MEZMRYZx "on" 02/03 "at"09:10 PM |
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Being a vegetarian isn’t only better for you, it’s better for the planet. It takes fewer resources than raising animals for the slaughter. And it’s not difficult. Posted by 16716 "on" 02/03 "at"01:14 PM |
Best of the rest
