Watch for a feature article on zinc in VNHL in 1999. Given the risks associated with red meat and the fact that it doesn't have any unique nutritional value, meat doesn't seem to offer anything that justifies its consumption. Vegetarian diets offer protection against chronic disease in a number of ways. A plant-based menu is higher in fiber, nutrients like folate and vitamin E, and in phytochemicals, including many antioxidants. But what vegetarians don't eat counts, too.
Vegetarian diets are typically lower in saturated fat and cholesterol.
These kinds of observations have led some experts to suggest that a prudent omnivore diet that includes lean meats can reap the benefits of a vegetarian diet, as long as the omnivore diet is rich in fiber, fruits and vegetables, and avoids more fatty animal foods. Whether or not this is true remains to be seen. There is no question that red meat is a concentrated source of many nutrients. Most importantly, it provides protein, iron, and zinc. But since protein is well supplied from a variety of plant foods, and deficiency is rare among vegetarians, the fact that meat supplies this nutrient is of little importance.