There are also lacto-vegetarians, who do not eat meat/poultry/fish but do eat dairy; ovo vegetarians, who don’t eat meat but eat eggs; and those who are considered partial vegetarians, the fence-straddlers who eat some poultry (pollotarians) and some who eat fish (pescetarians).

Yes, They Are Healthier

That vegetarians are generally healthier than their meat-eating cousins is usually not in dispute. They have, across the board, lower blood pressure and body weight, fewer incidences of diabetes and cancer, and don’t suffer from as many obesity-related diseases. A 2013 study of more than 70,000 people that’s often cited claimed that vegetarians had a 12 percent lower risk of death than meat eaters.

Adding fuel to the vegetarian argument is a study just released by the World Health Organization. The widely publicized study claimed that processed meats are just as bad as smoking when it comes to causing cancer. That means bacon, smoked meats, bologna, hot dogs and other delicacies that are part of the meat-eating diet may be a leading source of colorectal cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer. The study examined the global diet and multiple ethnicities to come up with its conclusion.

That’s sobering news. But here’s one for the meat lovers among you. There is also a serious risk that vegetarians aren’t getting enough of certain key nutrients that can help maintain health.

The Missing Links

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics produced a 2009 position paper that noted balance is key in a diet, as it is in high-wire acts. Vegetarians who do not pay strict attention to the nutritional content of their diets are going to miss out on some important nutrients, with the results putting additional stress on the body’s systems that rely on nutrition to produce the proper balance.