Is A Vegetarian Diet Really Healthy? Three Vegetarian Diet Myths Exposed

Closely tied to the cholesterol and saturated fat scare comes the notion that vegetarianism, or the strict avoidance of meat products, leads to improved health and vitality. Pick up any so-called health and fitness magazine or medical journal and you’ll find quite a few articles promoting the benefits of decreasing your meat consumption and increasing your consumption of grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. Where vegetables are tied to health, vitality and energy, meat products are tied to heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer and ultimately, death.

While I don’t believe that one-size fits all when it comes to nutrition (as many of us have varying macronutrient needs), I strongly believe that a vegetarian or vegan diet is one of the unhealthiest diets one can follow. Here are just a few vegetarian myths that most people wrongly believe to be true.

Myth #1: Vegetarian diets are healthier than diets that include animal proteins

Fact: Vegetarian diets cause nutrient depletion

Because there are a number of vital nutrients that you can only get from eating meat, vegetarians are often deficient in nutrients that are critical for overall health and vitality, including:

B12: Vegetarians who do not take B12 supplements often develop anemia and digestive disorders. Additionally, because B12 is also responsible for maintaining nerve health (including the optic nerve), a severe B12 deficiency can lead to blindness.

Omega 3: An essential fatty acid that is found primarily in animal products, Omega-3 promotes a strong immune system, protects from chronic disease (such as heart disease and cancer), lowers overall body inflammation and even triggers weight loss. Without supplementation, most vegetarians will develop an imbalance of Omega-6 to Omega-3, causing an increased risk of disease.

Vitamin A: Also known as the anti-infective vitamin, Vitamin A is found only in animal fats (such as butter and cod liver oil) and organ meats. Vitamin A is hugely important for the repair of bodily tissue (especially the skin), maintenance of the thyroid gland and maintenance of healthy vision.

Myth #2: Vegetarianism promotes mental acuity and increased energy

Fact: Vegetarianism is linked to depression and fatigue

High quality, grass-fed, organic red meat contains various amino acids that are essential for brain health, such as cysteine, carnitine and taurine. Over time, people who refrain from eating meat become deficient in these vital amino acids, and report experiencing depression, weight gain and chronic fatigue syndrome. Additionally, because these amino acids are so important for cognitive function, recent studies prove that a deficiency leads to decreased attention span, learning capacity and memory.

Myth #3: Vegetarianism improves athletic ability

Fact: Vegetarianism decreases lean muscle mass and does not generate adequate energy for athletic competitions

This one is pretty simple. You need to eat complete proteins in order to help your body create lean muscle mass. Complete proteins are found almost exclusively in animal products, such as eggs, red meat, chicken, etc. Because a vegetarian diet consists largely of carbohydrates, grains and sugars, those on a vegetarian diet have a much harder time creating muscle than those on an organic, balanced diet.

There’s also been a lot of hype lately regarding the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet for athletes. Many of these athletes report feeling less lethargic and more energetic upon eliminating the meat from their diets. However, if you read closely, the proteins these athletes often refer to is actually protein powder--most likely a cheap, synthetic, highly processed, hard-to-digest form of protein. Anyone would feel better upon giving that up! You also have to wonder about the quality of the animal proteins these athletes eliminated. There’s a huge difference between eating the protein from sick, antibiotic-fed animals, and eating the protein from certified humane, high-quality, organic sources.

In addition, a recent study proved that when athletes carb-loaded for events (which would be the only option for a vegan or vegetarian) they reported having significantly less energy than athletes who fat loaded. Why? Because for most, proteins and fats are a much better source of energy than carbohydrates (which are metabolized simply as sugar).

There is no question that organic vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. But I urge you all to make your own educated decisions when it comes to eliminating animal protein from your diet. For more information, check out Mary Enig’s research, which can be found with a simple google search, or do a search on Mercola.com for his clinical vegetarian and vegan findings.