Switching to a plant-based diet can threaten a person with a lack of iron, zinc, calcium and other vitamins. This was warned by a nutritionist-therapist, candidate of medical sciences, cardiologist and executive director of the ANO Research Center “Healthy Nutrition” Svetlana Pavlichenko.
The most common side effect of refusing meat is a lack of iron, which is fraught with the development of anemia. There may also be a deficiency of vitamin B12, which a person receives from animal food, and a lack of calcium.
“Calcium deficiency primarily leads to the development of osteoporosis, so people who do not eat animal products should adjust their diet. Calcium is found in plant sources such as cabbage, broccoli, and bok choy. And it is also necessary to use calcium-enriched foods or supplements, ”the specialist advised in an interview with Gazeta.ru.
In addition, due to the switch to plant foods, there may be a lack of zinc, which is necessary for the immune system, DNA reproduction and protein synthesis.
At the same time, Pavlichenko noted that the transition to a plant-based diet has a number of advantages. So, it helps to lower cholesterol levels, improve digestion and normalize blood pressure.
“Therefore, plant-based nutrition should be treated with caution, and even better not to completely abandon any type of food,” the nutritionist concluded.
Earlier in January, nutritionist Elena Solomatina advised against storing certain fruits next to each other. So, in particular, apples and bananas “do not get along” together – bananas next to apples ripen faster, and then begin to rot.
