These days, vegetarians and vegans can more easily follow a balanced and healthy diet but there are still some nutritional needs they should keep an eye on, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In the February issue of Mayo Clinic Womens HealthSource, the experts give advice on how to ensure you are getting adequate levels of vitamins and nutrients.
First of all, those with a meatless diet should make sure they are including protein in their diet, which may come from eggs, dairy products, soy products, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains, the newsletter states.
Meanwhile, vitamin B-12 is mainly found in animal products, such as milk, eggs and cheese. This may be fine for vegetarians, but the clinic says that vegans may want to take nutritional supplements including this vitamin.
For iron, non-meat-eaters can look to dried beans, lentils, whole-grain products, dark leafy vegetables and dried fruits. Zinc can be found in soy products, legumes, nuts, mushrooms and peas.
Meanwhile, a number of health experts have cautioned vegetarians against consuming too many processed foods, as these may contain a number of additives, including MSG.