How can vegetarianism affect your mental health in a negative/positive way?

[Natalee]

I'm leaning towards vegetarianism... but I don't know a WHOLE lot about it. I know how to BE one... I just would like to know more about how it affects mental and physical well-being. My sister-in-law is a vegetarian and she's crazy... really... mentally unstable. So...

[eve404]

Having any vitamin or mineral deficiency can make you unstable."Ensuring adequate nutrition
The more restrictive a diet is, the more difficult it is to get all the nutrients your body needs. A vegan diet, for example, eliminates food sources of vitamin B-12, as well as milk products, which are a good source of calcium. Other nutrients, such as iron and zinc, are available in a meatless diet, but you need to make an extra effort to ensure they're in yours.

Here are nutrients that may be deficient in a vegetarian diet and how you can get these nutrients from nonmeat sources:

Protein. Your body needs protein to maintain healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. Vegetarians who eat eggs or dairy products have convenient sources of protein. Other sources of protein include soy products, meat substitutes, legumes, lentils, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Calcium. This mineral helps build and maintain strong teeth and bones. Low-fat dairy foods and dark green vegetables, such as spinach, turnip and collard greens, kale, and broccoli, are good sources of calcium. Tofu enriched with calcium and fortified soy milk and fruit juices are other options.
Vitamin B-12. Your body needs vitamin B-12 to produce red blood cells and prevent anemia. This vitamin is found almost exclusively in animal products, including milk, eggs and cheese. Vegans can get vitamin B-12 from some enriched cereals, fortified soy products or by taking a supplement that contains this vitamin.
Iron. Like vitamin B-12, iron is a crucial component of red blood cells. Dried beans and peas, lentils, enriched cereals, whole-grain products, dark leafy green vegetables, and dried fruit are good sources of iron. To help your body absorb nonanimal sources of iron, eat foods rich in vitamin C ? such as strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli ? at the same time you consume iron-containing foods.
Zinc. This mineral is an essential component of many enzymes and plays a role in cell division and in the formation of proteins. Good sources of zinc include whole grains, soy products, nuts and wheat germ.
The key to a healthy vegetarian diet ? or any diet for that matter ? is to enjoy a wide variety of foods. Since no single food provides all of the nutrients that your body needs, eating a wide variety helps ensure that you get the necessary nutrients and other substances that promote good health."

[SNFU]

im vegan and struggle with depression and anxiety

[ChanceD469]

I am 34 and I have been a vegetarian since I was 12, other than a few years lapse in my 20's.
With any dietary choice there can be pros and cons. All I can share is what I myself have experienced. I personally always feel healthier when I avoid meat. I loose some fat and gain some energy. I tend to crave sugary foods less and because I am forced to think outside of the box, I just naturally eat more veggies and other foods that are way healthy for me.
I have at one time in my life had a low iron count in my blood. This was temporary, and easily remedied with supplements, and I cannot for sure say what caused it. Iron is abundant in lots of non-meat foods so it could have been a non related issue.

What I can say for certain is this: Avoiding meat WILL give you a sense of well being. The factory farming industry in this country is appalling. Not only do they literally pump your food with tons of unnecessary chemicals (including 80% of the antibiotics made in the US) but they are ethically unsound and environmentally irresponsible. This is a highly dirty business and accounts for huge amounts of bio waste, air and water pollution, and extreme waste of much need resources (think grains to feed the animals, energy to run the farms, packaging materials that turn to garbage ect..)

Unless you are killing your meat yourself, it probably came from a factory farm. They are anything but clean, they are cruel, and they do not care about your health. They are big business only in it to make money.

So, my stance is that since meat not processed in a factory farm is either expensive, or must be killed myself.. I just avoid it altogether. I feel better physically and an added perk is that I rarely get sick. Other people will catch whatever bug that's going around, and I do not. If I do, it is ALWAYS a milder illness than the people I know. I do not think this is meats fault per se, but rather that I have spent most of my life without consuming large amounts of antibiotics that I did not need thus weakening my own immune system.

I say go for it and if you feel really bad, well then eat some meat. You won't feel bad though, you will feel better. And as far as I know there are no mental effects to stopping meat consumption. .

I hope this helps!

[safetyxpin_89711]

As long as you're getting the nutrition you need from eating non-meats, there won't be any effect on your physical or mental health. You said that your vegetarian sister is mentally unstable and another user said they're a vegetarian who suffers from depression and anxiety, but 50% of the population is has at least one mental disorder, so there's no need to tie it to vegetarianism. Mental illnesses aren't caused by choices you make.