## Pros A healthy vegetarian diet includes whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. They provide essential vitamins and minerals and reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. Giving up animal fats lowers "bad" cholesterol and blood pressure. As a result, it also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. This diet has a preventive effect on gallstones and kidney stones. Vegetarianism helps people maintain a healthy weight. Thanks to a large amount of fiber in the diet, blood sugar levels are kept stable. In addition, whole grains and starchy vegetables blunt hunger. Together, this reduces the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Vegetarians and vegans in general are more health-conscious, eliminate "junk food," and eat a more diverse diet. ## Cons An unbalanced vegetarian diet contains ===little protein, so vegetarians are often deficient. This negatively affects the state of health, because protein is the building material for all systems of the body. Additionally, animal protein deficiency can create problems for the production of sex hormones and cortisol. Vegetarians often lack important nutrients such as vitamins B12, B2, B3, and D, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, iodine, calcium, and iron. In order to avoid this, you need to be very careful with your diet and get regular vitamin and mineral testing. In the long run, persistent vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies can lead to a variety of diseases, including anemia, hypothyroidism, infertility, depression, and even cancer. If the diet includes large amounts of carbohydrates and highly processed foods instead of whole plant foods, there is a serious increase in the risk of various chronic diseases. Many people unknowingly suffer from bacterial and fungal overgrowth syndrome in the small intestine. Abruptly introducing large amounts of vegetables, fruits, and legumes into the diet can worsen the situation due to the short-chain carbohydrates in their composition, leading to flatulence, intestinal pain, stool disorders, impaired bile flow, and poor absorption of important nutrients for the body. > Those who exclude not only meat but also dairy products and seafood from their diet need to watch their health especially carefully. ## Should you eat a vegetarian diet? If you choose vegetarianism or veganism for no ideological reasons, think about why you are doing it. Often, a reluctance to eat meat is a symptom of health problems. For example, when iron levels decrease, stomach acidity decreases. It becomes difficult for the body to digest meat, so the person begins to avoid it. Less meat in the diet creates less iron, which creates a vicious cycle. Other possible issues include energy deficit problems, mitochondrial dysfunction, biliary flow disorder, nutrient deficiency, decreased stomach acidity, lack of pancreatic enzymes, and general intoxication. When these issues occur, many people are happy to return to a mixed type of diet. ## Going by the rules If you're determined to start a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, first contact a professional nutritionist for recommendations and a body checkup. The nutritionist will make sure that the diet will not harm your health, make the optimal diet suitable for you, help to switch smoothly to it and minimize possible negative consequences.