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Strange as it may sound, becoming a vegetarian is not modern or progressive; it is a nutritional tendency and philosophy of life that emerged more than 200 years ago in Britain. In essence, it is based on ideas such as rejection of consumer society, philosophical and ethical trends, respect for animals and the environment and even solidarity with poor people who cannot afford a varied and abundant diet. Whatever a person's reasons for becoming vegetarian, it is important to know how the body is affected by a diet with no food of�animal origin, what the pro's and con's are and how you can be healthier eating only fruits and vegetables.

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In the first place, not all vegetarian diets are the same. Ovo-lacto vegetarians consume dairy products, eggs, butter, different kinds of fat and honey. Therefore the only foods ruled out are meat and fish. But strict vegetarians don't eat any of these foods, and avoid even legumes, except soy. There are important differences between these two diets. The first allows one to take in the animal protein of eggs, the calcium in milk and the fats that the body needs. The second is an extreme diet that can have terrible effects on the body if not accompanied by vitamin complexes or grains enriched with calcium, to give just two examples.

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Although the ovo-lacto vegetarian diet is healthier, here, too you must be careful with several possible nutritional deficiencies. First, it is short on iron. Although this mineral is found in many vegetables, the organism does not absorb it as well as iron that comes from meat, mollusks and organ meat. Another problem is its limited B12 content. This vitamin is present in eggs and milk, but basically comes from other products of animal origin and a lack of it causes anemia and nerve disorders.

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The final problem with vegetarian diets is there limited protein content. Proteins are the veritable building blocks of the body's nervous system. Granted, vegetables contain protein, but it is of lesser quality than that of meat and fish. And while vegetables contain just two essential amino acids, animal-based products contain all eight that the body needs.

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Does all this mean a vegetarian diet is unhealthy? Not exactly, so long as you have good knowledge of nutrition and know how to combine foods properly. For example, mixing rice and legumes is healthy because they add together their tryptophan and lysine.
A balanced diet should contain 15 percent protein, of which 40 percent should come from eggs and dairy products and the other 60 percent from grains, legumes (mainly soy), vegetables and fruit; a maximum of 30 percent fat, and around 60 percent carbohydrates from grain, legumes, honey and sugar. It is not a bad idea to accompany the diet with iron complexes, especially for women who lose a lot of blood with their menstrual cycle, and vitamins. It is also good to consume germinated foods (beans, peas and wheat) which have larger amounts of essential amino acids than non-germinated vegetables, as well as iron that the body assimilates better.

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So what are the advantages of a vegetarian diet?. One of the most important ones is the low fat content, such as cholesterol. Fats cause cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks. The diet also has a high fiber content, which is essential for proper functioning of the digestive tract and avoiding constipation and colon-rectal tumors. But we must also note that too much fiber can be bad for absorption of some vitamins and minerals. Also, because this diet is low in protein, it is good for the kidneys. And its high potassium content and low sodium content keeps the blood pressure at the proper level. Two other qualities are that the diet is diuretic, ideal for keeping the body clean, and that it helps you keep your weight down. This is both aesthetic and healthy.