And he no longer has to take medicine for a painful digestive problem that nagged him for years. I noticed that my symptoms almost completely disappeared and this was a wonderful, pleasant surprise that I never anticipated. Cardiologist Dr. Alan Wasserman says while a vegetarian diet may be difficult for many people to follow, it can have a big payoff. Eliminating animal products from your diet can certainly go a long way to reduce your risk of having coronary disease. There is also some evidence that you reduce the risk of certain cancers, colon cancer, possibly bladder, and possibly even breast cancer.
Experts say it depends.
If you start off the day with donuts or a Danish, and follow up with french fries and a shake, but no hamburger, that's not a healthy diet. Nutrition advocate Bonnie Liebman says vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be a problem for some vegetarians, especially adolescents. Teenagers need to be particularly concerned about iron, because teenage girls especially are at risk for iron deficiency. And they also need to be concerned about calcium, if they're not getting enough dairy products. Samantha Griffin's parents had such concerns when she decided to give up meat for humanitarian reasons.