A Vegetarian Diet Can Cause Mental Disorders

People who adopt a vegetarian diet have their own motivations and reasons for adopting the diet. Some of the reasons are wanting to be healthier, not liking animal protein, or reasons because you don’t want to hurt animals so they don’t want to eat animal protein foods. But most of those who do a vegetarian diet believe that this diet is healthier than eating foods with animal protein sources.

Various studies have proven that eating more vegetables, fruit and fibrous foods has a good effect on health than eating a lot of meat. But did you know that a vegetarian diet may not be as healthy as you think?

A vegetarian diet is at risk of causing mental disorders

According to a study that examines the relationship between vegetarian diet habits and mental health, states that this diet is bad for mental health. This research was conducted in Germany and included 4,181 respondents. Then two stages of research were carried out, namely, the first stage the respondents were given a questionnaire related to lifestyle, food selection, and general physical examinations and the second stage was carried out by providing supplements for mental health to respondents who had gone through stage one. The average age of the respondents was 18 to 79 years.

Mental health checks that are carried out are to find out if they have mental disorders such as the following:

Depressive disorder, namely mental disorders in the form of acute depression.
Anxiety disorder, which is having excessive panic, or is very afraid of something.
Somatoform disorder, mental disorders in someone who often states complaints or physical symptoms that are not real.
Eating disorder, namely eating habit disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia.

From this study, respondents were divided into several groups, namely a group that did not apply a vegetarian diet at all (non-vegetarian), a group that limited the consumption of animal protein sources but did not avoid it, and one group that was a vegetarian group. Then the results of this study found that in the group that for at least 2 months applying a vegetarian diet, on average experienced acute depression, somatoform disorder, anxiety disorder compared with the predominant group and the non-vegetarian group.

Vegetarians lack some of the nutrients the brain needs

By adopting a vegetarian diet, it means that every day he only consumes vegetables, fruits, and various other food sources, except those from animals. Whereas in some animal source foods there are various vitamins and other nutrients that are good for body health, including mental health. Although various studies have proven that adopting a vegetarian diet is healthier, on the other hand, the brain requires nutrient intake, which is mostly obtained from animal source foods. Some of the nutrients that are high enough and found in animal source foods are:

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is one of 8 types of B vitamins that the body needs and is essential for maintaining nerve cells. Apart from that, vitamin B12 is also responsible for the production of DNA and RNA in genes. Meanwhile, this vitamin is only found in various animal source foods and is not found in vegetable sources. Therefore, people on a vegetarian diet are prone to vitamin B12 deficiency. If there is chronic deficiency, it can cause damage to nerve cells and result in mental disruption.

Zinc

Zinc or zinc are micronutrients that are present in almost all parts of the cells in the body. Not only important for growth and development, zinc is also needed by adults and even the elderly. Zinc plays a role in communication between nerve cells, besides maintaining mental health, and enhancing cognitive development for children. Foods that contain zinc include beef, beef liver, and shellfish. Although zinc is also contained in several types of vegetables or fruits, its absorption quality is better in animal source foods.

Iron

In the body, iron binds to oxygen and then distributes food and other biological needs needed by various cells in the body. Iron also plays an important role in mental health, because it functions to synthesize nerve vessel sheath (myelin) and various neurotransmitters or substances needed to communicate between nerve cells. Iron deficiency can be fatal, one of the effects that appears is decreased cognitive function, memory decline, and various other mental health disorders. These minerals are found in animal and vegetable source foods. However, as with zinc, animal source foods are the best sources, because they are easily digested by the body.

Omega – 3 fatty acids

This fatty acid is not as dangerous as other fatty acids, does not cause blockages in blood vessels and does not accumulate and then cause heart disease. These fatty acids are essential fatty acids that cannot be produced by the body and are found in several types of marine fish, such as tuna, halibut, and salmon. Lack of omega 3 fatty acids can cause symptoms of depression, excessive anxiety, memory loss, mood swings, and fatigue.