Balance
for vegetarians
Modern vegetarianism is based more in scientific knowledge than on philosophy. By vegetarianism we do not mean only living by vegetables. There are for example vegetarians who eat eggs and diary products. And even people eating fish consider themselves as vegetarians.
What unites them all is that they do not eat the meat of homeothermic animals. Many people think that when they leave out meat from their diet they will have lack of proteins because vegetable food contains lesser proteins. However, hardly anybody knows that brewer's yeasts and fresh-water algae Chlorella are a source proteins of even higher quality than those contained in meat. We must realize, however, that vegetarian nutrition must be thoughtfully balanced and that it carries also certain limitations and risks. Vitamin B12 is the most important vitamin missing in vegetables. Lack of this vitamin can appear in strict vegetarians (vegans) eating no eggs and diary products and therefore they should take vitamin B12 in form of food supplements. Lack of this vitamin can cause malignant anaemia and degeneration of spinal marrow and nerves. Consummation of large amounts of green vegetables rich on folic acid masks the manifestations of shortage of vitamin B12 and therefore irremediable damage to nerves can be caused. Lack of minerals, mainly of zinc, is lesser known risk of vegetarianism. It can manifest in nervousness, loss of appetite, weakness, anemia, tooth decay, reduced sexual potential and irregular menstruation.
Vegetarians are under threat because they replace meat which is rich on zinc by increased consummation of oat flakes, millet, and legumen that are rich on salts of phytic acid (phytates) that bind themselves on zinc, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals discharging them from the body. This can be prevented by germination of grains and by consummation of brewer's yeasts and chlorella. Reasonable vegetarianism offers us a wide spectrum of joys of food and of health as well. It is one of alternatives of healthy nutrition.
