• Question: if you only ate vegetables and fruits would you die?

    Asked by dimyana to Alison, Artem, Caroline, John, Gunther on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Artem Evdokimov

      Artem Evdokimov answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      Not that I know of. Vegetarians and vegans survive mostly OK as long as they follow dietary plans that involve eating plant products that supply them with all the necessary nutrients. So, for instance if you ate only lettuce or only apples, then you’re not going to last long.

      Being a ‘proper vegetarian’ – eating only plant derived foods and staying as healthy as an omnivore – is a serious business because improper diet can be ruinous to one’s health. If you plan to become a vegetarian you ought to talk to a dietician or at the very least get some reasonable books on nutrition.

      P.S. obviously, one would still die in due time from natural causes – being a vegetarian does not make one immortal 🙂

    • Photo: John Short

      John Short answered on 20 Jun 2012:

      It depends on how good or bad you balanced your diet….

      First and foremost, many vegetarians suffer from a potentially dangerous lack of protein in their diet. In addition, unlike animal proteins, no vegetable contains a complete amino acid profile. The only way for a vegetarian to get enough protein in their diet without supplementation is to eat large quantities of specific vegetables every day. The dangers of protein deficiency include impaired wound healing, fluid build-up in your extremities, decreased muscle mass and fatigue. For anyone who does sports like football or goes to the gym strength training, you should know that not getting adequate protein means that you’re just spinning your wheels every time you go to work out or exercise as muscles don’t recover as well and don’t increase in strength.

      All vegetarians are deficient in Iron and Vitamin B12, but this can be countered by taking a multi-vitamin every day. Another commonly reported side effect of a vegetarian diet is constant cravings for food, which is a common occurrence whenever your body isn’t getting something it needs. Others have reported non-existent sex drive, poor sleep quality and even a non-specific loss of interest in their everyday activities.

      One fact that most people find surprising is many of the benefits of vegetarianism (lower dietary cholesterol, lower saturated fat intake, high fiber, lower BMI and lower blood pressure) are features of ANY “healthy” diet.

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