When you give up meat, you can watch Babe with a clear conscience. That's a pretty good return on your health for a relatively small dietary change. Whether you're a baby or a boomer, vegetarianism can be a healthy diet choice. Vegans need to select other food sources rich in calcium. Vegans have to be more careful to watch their diet for adequate protein than do ovo-lacto vegetarians, but in reality most vegetarian diets provide plenty of protein.
Foods made from soy products, grains, nuts, and other plant foods are good sources of protein.
Vegans and maybe all older vegetarians may need to take supplements to get enough B12, which occurs naturally in eggs and dairy products. Though the body doesn't require much, its ability to store B12 lessens with age. Vegetarian women in particular may want to consider iron supplements in their diet. Many plant foods provide calcium, which your body absorbs naturally. And, as is true for meat eaters, vegetarians should limit the amount of refined foods and sugar in their diet, and monitor their consumption of fat.