DanJW Posted January 16, 2009 What should I be looking out for? I've been a vegetatian for 2 decades, I will admit that I'm definitely on the skinny side but I just put that down to not eating a lot of meat. Protein can be a problem, and I believe iron isn't abundant in a lot of what I eat... As you've probably found out already, there is no need for supplements as long as you have a varied diet that hits all the food groups. In fact I'm not personally a big believer in vitamin pills and the like (I reckon the body only absorbs a tiny portion of what is in the pill, ie 'uptake', and science is starting to back me up). Hmm, B12 and Iodine aren't too difficult to fix. Spinach is a good source of both I think, but there are lots of foods containing them. Deficiency diseases manifest differently depending on the nutrient in question, but yeah on the whole they are slow-boilers. Luckily getting a good supply of the missing nutrient fixes most of them up quickly. Children are by far the most vulnerable to them, what with their growth rate, and most adults don't have all that much to fear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Posted January 17, 2009 Blood type can be a factor in successful vegetarianism. It's often the reason for the pale, pasty stereotype. I used to eat meat just about every day, but since moving in with my vegetarian girlfriend, I tend to only eat it about once a week. It's too much hassle to cook two separate meals and I find I do fine without meat. Also I find I enjoy meat more now (I loved it before) that it's become a luxury. I currently eat far too much cheese though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
