How/Where do people get the idea that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy?

Thats one of the most common things I hear. Where do people get that idea? The way I see it, a vegetarian diet would right off the bat look like a healthier diet than a diet that includes meat.How/Where do people get the idea that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy?
Not all vegetarians know how to eat a well balanced diet. They don't get all the protein and vitamins they would normally get from meat, and when they don't try to obtain them some other way, it is very unhealthy. Whether you are a vegetarian, vegan, meat eater, etc. as long as you are getting all the nutrients your body needs, you are ok. If you aren't, any diet can be unhealthy.
Some people who try to go vegetarian forget about the loss of protein that comes from not eating meat. Getting a balanced diet without meat might mean having to take supplemental vitamins.How/Where do people get the idea that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy?
Because a vegetarian diet lacks iron because most iron that we get is from meats. But, if you are thinking of becoming a vegetarian or if you already are, make sure take iron tablets and eat a lot of beans because beans have some iron in them. :):):) good luck
Their stomach tells themHow/Where do people get the idea that a vegetarian diet is unhealthy?
is this a serious question or is this a rhetorical question/preaching?
Because as early as 20 years ago, food choice and nutrition information was not as diverse or available as it is today. Vegetarianism as a lifestyle was not "mainstream" and very few companies made products for vegetarians.As a result, many vegetarians were unhealthy. Stereotypes have a basis in truth even if it is no longer generally applicable. That's why people with eating disorders tend to claim " I am a vegetarian" because people tend to accept that vegetarians are thin and unhealthy looking as some of them did years ago.



Also many new vegetarians cut out meat period without bothering to replace the nutrients/calories meat provided. If they ate 2000 calories a day with meat, they end up eating just 1200.
Cultural stereotypes, plain and simple.



exsft's info is pure nonsense; look for something to back up his statements and you will find nothing. I've been vegetarian for more than 20 years, there isn't any more information than there was at that time. You can get information faster now, but you still have to sort the good information from the bad information. Vegetarianism has been around since antiquity, although the English word "vegetarian" wasn't invented until the 1800s.
Read this board for a few days and you'll see where that idea comes from. Virtually every day, sometimes two or three times a day, someone will post how they're trying to veg*an and are sick. Or they have tried in the past and couldn't make it because they got sick.



Right off the bat, it's not necessarily healthier. In spite of what you might think, meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods available. Humans started eating it as soon as they were fast enough or smart enough to catch it. As we ate more meat, our brains got larger (it requires lots of calories to run our big brains) and our stomachs got smaller (don't need as many guts to process all that cellulose). Virtually every year, as meat consumption goes up per person, so does our average life span here in the US.



Sure you can be healthy as a vegetarian. Especially if you eat eggs and dairy products. Otherwise, you will need to supplement for at least B12 and calcium and........You get the idea????



From VeganHealth:



--"By lowering homocysteine levels, B12 reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other diseases. Vegans and near-vegans who do not supplement with vitamin B12 have consistently shown elevated homocysteine levels.



From 1999 to 2003, there were many studies comparing the homocysteine levels of vegans and vegetarians who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 to those of non-vegetarians. In every study, the vegans or vegetarians had higher homocysteine levels than the meat-eaters and in the range associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke."--



Calcium:



--"After adjusting for age alone, the vegans had a 37% higher fracture rate than meat-eaters. After adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass, physical activity, marital status, births, and hormone replacement, the vegans still had a 30% higher fracture rate. Meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and lacto-ovo fracture rates did not differ in any of the analyses performed."--
No, the vegan ''diet'' is unhealthy. Nutrients that vegans mostly likely may be lacking in a diet include:

Vitamin B12- found only in animal products like meats, shellfish, eggs, milk, and other dairy products.

Vitamin D- Not found in any plant foods. Is found in animal products like meats, eggs, milk, and other dairy products.

Riboflavin

Zinc-Fruits and vegetables are not good sources, because zinc in plant proteins is not as available for use by the body as the zinc from animal proteins. Therefore, low-protein diets and vegan and vegetarian diets tend to be low in zinc. Good sources of zinc are peanuts, peanut butter, and legumes



Iron-from vegetables, fruits, grains, and supplements is harder for the body to absorb. These sources include: dried fruits, legumes, seeds, vegetables, whole grains, etc.If you mix some lean meat, fish, or poultry with beans or dark leafy greens at a meal, you can improve absorption of vegetable sources of iron up to three times. Foods rich in vitamin C also increase iron absorption.

Some foods reduce iron absorption. For example, commercial black or pekoe teas contain substances that bind to iron so it cannot be used by the body.



Protein- Protein-containing foods are grouped as either complete or incomplete proteins. Complete proteins contain all nine essential amino acids. Complete proteins are found in animal foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products such as yogurt and cheese.



Cholesterol-Your body makes some cholesterol and the rest that you need comes from animal products you eat such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, and whole and 2% milk. Cholesterol is not found in foods from plants. Healthy levels of cholesterol are an important part of a healthy body. Your body needs cholesterol to produce cell membranes and certain hormones. Cholesterol plays an important role in other bodily functions as well.
A lot of people are simply misinformed..And many others (for reasons I have yet to figure out) seem to relish spreading this misinformation.



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"Your body makes some cholesterol and the rest that you need comes from animal products "

Source please John? For all of what you post, sure, but particularly this nonsense about needing additional cholesterol.





"Virtually every year, as meat consumption goes up per person, so does our average life span here in the US."

Source for that one, Daisy??



And well done on the just happening to omit parts of BOTH of the articles. Allow me to post the rest for you:

B12:

"In contrast, one study compared vegans who supplemented their diets with vitamin B12 (an average of 5.6 mcg/day) with non-vegetarians. Their homocysteine levels were the same, and well within the healthy range." (Good thing it's Incredibly easy for us to get B12 fortified foods and supplements!)

Calcium:

"Yet, there was some good news from this study. When the results were adjusted for calcium intake, the vegans no longer had a higher fracture rate. And among the subjects who got 525 mg of calcium a day (only 55% of the vegans compared to about 95% of the other diet groups), vegans had the same fracture rates as the other diet groups. "
@Daisy: There's always plenty to take issue with in what you post here, but your claim concerning the relationship between lifespan and meat consumption takes the cake.



Ever heard of spurious relationships? In the summer, as ice cream sales increase, the homicide rate rises. Therefore, by your logic, ice cream is a major causative factor in homicides.



Correlation by itself never implies a causative relationship.