Is a vegetarian diet healthy enough to stick to for life?

I am seriously thinking about becoming vegetarian for life because although I feel strongly about animal cruelty issue, my reasons for considering this are more to do with the fact that I don't particularly like meat anyway and I much prefer the taste of Quorn and soya substitute products. In a restaurant, I nearly always go for the vegetarian option and my mum even calls me a closet vegetarian!



The only thing that worries me though, is whether I am still going to get all the nutrients and health benefits that meat supposedly gives as such a staple of a normal diet. Is it safe to cut it out completely forever?Is a vegetarian diet healthy enough to stick to for life?
Absolutely. Just make sure it a balanced diet, but sounds like you do that by eating meat substitutes. My 4 kids were raised from birth as vegetarians, and are all fit and healthy. All above average height, and intelligence. Go for it.
I think so.

You need to make sure that you eat enough protein, and that you keep your iron levels up, but you should be fine.

I was a veggie for years, and now don't eat too much meat, maybe only once or twice a week.



take care.Is a vegetarian diet healthy enough to stick to for life?
yes yes yes
yes.. Of course.

Even I am a non vegeterian, but I know that vegeterian diet is really healthy enough to stick to for life.Is a vegetarian diet healthy enough to stick to for life?
Yes. You don't miss anything you can not get from other food.
You may need to carefully select the diet, to make sure you get all the complex amino-acids - but with the number of people who survive quite well on a vegetarian diet for an extended period of life, I would say it can be. As any diet, you need to make sure it's balanced, so your body gets all that it needs.
not in my book.
Sure it is. Millions of people of this planet are vegetarians for life (born and raised). A healthy well balanced vegetarian diet is healthier then the average omnivores diet.



Protein is the easiest thing to get..it's in everything.
I know several people who are healthy vegetarians. I would suggest going to your local health food store and maybe talking with a knowledgeable staff person. They may be able to point you in the right direction as far as supplements. Also, go to the library and read a few books that could give you a little more direction as to rounding out your diet.
You can live a very healthy life as a vegetarian, you have to make sure you are getting all your nutrients. Make sure you do your research and take a vitamin.
I do not beleive we should muck about with our diets, humans are omnivore, we eat a mixture of meat and veg matter, and thats the way we have developed for a healthy body, moderation in all things. With regards to the animal side of thinsg, there are such stringent laws in place, that the animals do not suffer cruelty that they did years ago, they are bred for us to eat, thats the way it is, whether you decide to be a veggie won;t make any difference to the industry will it? I do sometimes have the veggie option in a restuarant, but only because thats what I fancy at the time, I think veg pizza's for example, are far better tasting than meat ones. For veggie to make a difference, we'd all ahve to turn veggie and that will never happen. As for the health aspect, I have rarely seen a healthy looking veggie, we need the proteins and fats that meat provides us with, many end up having to take supplements, thats not normal at all, where do the vitamin tablets come from, a factory, nothing natural about that. Why not just eat the organic meat, then you know its been out in the feilds etc before being used for what it was grown for
It's as healthy as any other diet - as long as you make sure you get a balance of all the essentials. I've been a veggie for 20 years and have never suffered from any major illness (apart from chicken pox, ironically!), look good and feel great.
Yes. You just have to make sure you get a book or talk to someone so you get eveything you need.
All the nutrients found in meat can be found in other sources. So, yes, a vegetarian diet is healthy and it can be something you do for life. I'm 13 weeks pregnant and I went back on meat because the craving was too much and I'm limited on food choices because of where I live. But even pregnant women can have a healthy vegetarian diet and get all the nutrients they need.
food for life. don't think much about ur diet, what ever u like have it.
yes , but remember to take vitamins and iron tablets.
yes, vegetarian diet is completely healthy. you can get more information on the vegetarian society website. I have been a vegetarian all my life . My weight is healthy. I am 30 years old and my eyesight is still perfect.
Yes, but only if you make sure you get protein and vitamins. You have to eat vegetables and you cannot live on junk like potatoe chips and cake. If you follow a healthy vegatarian diet you can be very healthy. There are alot of vegetarian cookbooks at:

barnesandnoble.com
I've been one for 20 years and I am rarely ill. Just make sure you have a form of protein with every meal. If you drink organic milk you should be ok for your omega 3's. If in doubt take some vits.
Its healthy for life, but you dont need to become a vegatarian if you eat meat that you know has come from a good home, like a local farm.
Yes, but humans have lived on meat proteins for many generations...



To get the full coverage of amino acids necessary for a healthy diet, you have to be careful to get a very wide variety of plant products to substitute for meat... It can be done but is much harder than just having fish and chicken a few times a week...
Yes, I believe so. You just need to be conscious about what you're consuming.
I used to be vegetarian, but I love the taste of meat, so I could not stick with it. Vegetarian is very healthy as long as you have a variety of other foods including beans, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. I would recommend a multi vitamin as well. As long as you get enough iron and protein from other foods there is no need for meat. I Hope this helps. Goodluck.
of course but you dont eat steak
as long as you eat a healthy diet you'll have no problems, I've been veggie for 6 years and now i'm vegan and my 7 year old daughter has turned veggie, we're healthy and have never had any problems with our diets.
I think the food is okay nutritionally, however, what may shorten your life expectancy is where you become so self righteous that you feel you have to tell everyoe else who eats meat 'Do you know where that came from?' and 'Animals have feelings too'. Because if you say it to me I'll batter you with a bloodied pig's stump.
It is healthy, and a viable choice, however, eat plenty of proteins, and take an amino acid suppliment.
Hello. I have been a vegetarian for 2 years now, and am feeling no ill effects. My son is a vegan, one step further again! He recently had a check up , as he is a heart patient. His doctor advised a blood test to check that he was doing well on the vegan diet. He had no deficiencies whatsoever. If he is that healthy with no aniomal products whatsoever, then I'm sure it will be healthy if you are just cutting out meat.



It may be advisable to take a vitamin b complex supplement. I do , as this seems to be the one group of vitamins less easy to get from veggie food.



Check out the vegetarian society website for loads of good advice.



Hope this helps a bit. All the best.



cj
Yes, if you're a rabbit!
You need to learn about nutrition, nutrients, their sources, and how much of each you need to eat each day.

As long as you do that then yes, you'll be eating healthily! There are some nutrients that it is more difficult to get from vegetarian sources unless you still eat dairy. Iron and vitamin B12 are the two you really need to keep an eye on.

Until you feel that you've got the hang of it, eat red meat and oily fish occasionally.

Google for 'nutrition' and start learning!
eg traditional Japanese diet is probaly the healthyest around, though that may include small amounts of fish.



meat is not a "staple"

it is an unaffordable luxury for most people; which is why it is has become an aspirational status symbol; to the extent that people eat unhealthy amounts. so traditional vegitarian cultures like china %26amp; india are creating all sorts of problems through the demand for meat.



Meat is expensive because the conversion of food to meat is about 10:1, ie 10 people could live healthily on the vegtables needed to feed one person on a meat diet. Traditional meat diets as in Mongolia and zulu have specialised climates %26amp; lifestyles that support this and totally respect their animals.