{"id":24508,"date":"2024-10-18T13:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=24508"},"modified":"2024-10-18T13:18:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:18:00","slug":"all-the-risks-of-a-meatless-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/all-the-risks-of-a-meatless-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"All the risks of a meatless diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

A completely meat-free diet can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. Let’s summarise the risks of an exclusively “plant-based” diet.<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Nowadays, we hear a lot about the risks of eating too much, with meat too often in the crosshairs and other foods left out, like <\/span><\/span>hyper-processed foods<\/b><\/span><\/span>, which deserve more attention. But we never talk about the <\/span><\/span>risks of a completely meat-free diet<\/b><\/span><\/span>. What happens if we don’t eat it? Can we really do without it?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Because of its unparalleled ability to fully satisfy all human nutritional needs, <\/span><\/span>meat<\/b><\/span><\/span> can be defined as a species-specific human food. Our ancestors were carnivorous super-predators<\/a>, and our physiology proves<\/span><\/span> that we are perfectly adapted to eating and digesting meat and effectively absorbing all its valuable nutrients.<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No meat, risk of shortages<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Meat has been practically part of our diet since humans first walked the earth and has contributed to its evolution<\/a>. It has been shown<\/a> that <\/span><\/span>without meat, our brains would be significantly smaller,<\/b><\/span><\/span> and our intelligence would not be as developed as it is today. Eliminating meat would mean giving up a unique food full of essential nutrients and, therefore, very difficult, if not impossible, to replace.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, <\/span><\/span>those who do not eat meat must balance their diet by increasing their intake of other foods<\/b><\/span><\/span>, sometimes with the <\/span><\/span>help of supplements<\/b><\/span><\/span> for the nutrients found only in meat, to fill the many gaps<\/a>. <\/span><\/span>Maintaining a balanced diet without food as efficient as meat is not an easy task<\/b><\/span><\/span> and the risk of developing deficiencies that are harmful to health is high, leading in the long term to the development of serious pathologies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

One of the main conditions that can occur is a <\/span><\/span>lack of complete proteins<\/b><\/span><\/span>, i.e. essential amino acids, of which meat is the main source. Nowadays, it seems difficult to suffer from a protein deficiency, but it is more common than we think. <\/span><\/span>Inadequate protein intake can lead to loss of muscle mass<\/b><\/span><\/span>, or <\/span><\/span>sarcopenia<\/b><\/span><\/span>, which is now affecting young people<\/a>, <\/span><\/span>fatigue<\/b><\/span><\/span>, general weakness and <\/span><\/span>a reduction in immune defences<\/b><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Iron and anaemia<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Another example is <\/span><\/span>iron<\/b><\/span><\/span>, which is found <\/span><\/span>in meat in the heme form<\/b><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>which is easier for our bodies to absorb and use than the non-heme iron found in vegetables<\/b><\/span><\/span>. A diet without meat, especially <\/span><\/span>red meat and offal<\/b><\/span><\/span>, can lead to iron deficiency anaemia, characterised by fatigue, pallor and weakness. <\/span><\/span>Eating meat less than once a week<\/b><\/span><\/span> is one of the main risk factors<\/a> for anaemia during pregnancy<\/b><\/span><\/span>. This condition should be avoided to ensure that everything goes well during this critical period.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Megaloblastic anaemia<\/b><\/span><\/span> is another form of anaemia caused by a <\/span><\/span>deficiency of vitamin B12<\/b><\/span><\/span>, which is found in its biologically active form only in meat and animal products. The bioavailability of vitamin B12 is greater in meat<\/a>, especially <\/span><\/span>red meat<\/b><\/span><\/span>, mutton and chicken, than in other animal foods such as fish or eggs. <\/span><\/span>A deficiency of this vitamin can lead to irreversible neurological damage<\/b><\/span><\/span>, especially in children, including nerve damage, <\/span><\/span>mental confusion, memory loss, cognitive disorders and dementia<\/b><\/span><\/span>. This is why vegetarians, and especially <\/span><\/span>vegans, need to take this vitamin through supplements or fortified foods<\/b><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Importance of Zinc, Calcium and Vitamin D<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Zinc<\/b><\/span><\/span> is also found in high levels and bioavailability in meat, especially red meat and offal. <\/span><\/span>A deficiency can affect the immune system<\/b><\/span><\/span>, delay wound healing and reduce fertility in couples. Interestingly, the presence of muscle tissue in the meal increases the absorption of zinc<\/a> and iron from vegetables, giving meat this power, which is called the meat factor. <\/span><\/span>Osteoporosis, brittle bones and an increased risk of fractures are other conditions that can be caused by a lack of calcium and vitamin D<\/b><\/span><\/span>, which are highly bioavailable in meat and whose consumption has been shown to be a strategy for preventing osteoporosis<\/a> in the elderly and in post-menopausal women<\/a>. Regular meat eaters have also been shown to have a lower risk<\/a> of hip fracture than vegetarians and pescetarians.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

EPA, DHA and antioxidants<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

The absence of meat can also lead to a deficiency of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids<\/a> such as <\/span><\/span>EPA and DHA<\/b><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>essential fats<\/b><\/span><\/span> for which meat, especially chicken<\/a>, is now a reliable and preferred source, especially for those who do not like fatty fish. <\/span><\/span>The lack of EPA and DHA has a negative impact on cardiovascular and brain health<\/b><\/span><\/span>, leading to an increased risk of <\/span><\/span>heart disease and cognitive decline<\/b><\/span><\/span>. The lack of nutrients, of which meat is the best source in terms of quantity and bioavailability, can also negatively affect thyroid function<\/a>, with hypothyroidism, weight gain, depression<\/a>, mood disorders and an increased risk of eating disorders<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To reduce the risk of these conditions, <\/span><\/span>it is essential that those following a meatless diet carefully plan their intake of critical nutrients<\/b><\/span><\/span>, using other animal sources and taking supplements where necessary. Recently, increasingly sophisticated detection techniques<\/a> have made it possible to identify other previously unknown compounds in meat, such as <\/span><\/span>powerful meat-specific antioxidants<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/a> and substances with anti-cancer potential, such as trans-vaccenic acid<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In short, <\/span><\/span>the complexity of meat’s structure and composition makes it a unique food<\/b><\/span><\/span>. No matter how hard you try to replace it, a <\/span><\/span>‘plant-based’ diet<\/b><\/span><\/span> will never be the same<\/a>. The wisest choice is not to give up such precious food but to benefit from its incomparable properties, even in small quantities.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A completely meat-free diet can lead to serious nutritional deficiencies. Let’s summarise the risks of an exclusively “plant-based” diet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":24509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[681],"tags":[5896,6284,6345,6349,769,894,6347,6346,6348,1100],"class_list":["post-24508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-nutrition","tag-anemia-en","tag-antioxidants-in-meat","tag-calcium","tag-dha-en","tag-epa","tag-iron","tag-meat-free-diets","tag-vegan-diet-deficiencies","tag-vitamin-d","tag-zinc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t