Myth:
Vegetarianism, whether out of concern for animal life, for
ecological reasons, or to avoid the contaminatnts in animal
products, is not harmful to an individual. Rather, a vegetarian
would be much more healthy than a meat-eating individual, with
lower body fat, caloric intake, and cholesterol.
Truth:
Vegetarian diets, which contain absolutely no animal products,
are very low in vitamin B12 and, unless carefully planned, may be
deficient in vitamin B6, riboflavin, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Strict macrobiotic diets, which include everything except grains,
are extremely hazardous. More moderate vegetarian diets that
include milk and eggs and perhaps fish, and/or poultry, meet the
nutritional needs of growing teenagers if carefully planned. This
is why many adolescents that are vegetarians are also anemic.
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Exercises
