Plant based diets are very popular in this country and many vegans and vegetarians have made claims that is much healthier to eat that way as opposed to consuming animal products.
And that is honestly incredibly debatable. But when consuming any diet you want to make sure that you are getting all of your vitamins and nutrients in what you eat.
Animal sources including dairy products, eggs, fish, meal, chicken, etc.
There was a study that was done recently on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that found 9 out of 10 vegans below normal levels of B-12. According to a study that was done in East Carolina State found that 55% of children that followed a vegetarian diet found inadequate B-12 levels. B-12 is a much need vitamin which is found in animal products.
Some of the symptoms if you are deficient in B-12 and can lead to are: are fatigue, irritability, mood changes, memory loss, pale skin, vision loss, nerve problems, etc. B-12 deficiency has been known to the raise the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, dementia, etc.
B-12 also helps build red-blood cells, repair the DNA and protect the brain. The moral of the post is balance is key in eating anything. And anytime you extremely withhold certain types of protein, carbs or even fats you are at high risk of being deficient of some vitamins and nutrients that are needed daily.