Vegetarians should also be cautious about health hazards
In modern life, more and more people know that for health, one should "eat less greasy meat and more fresh vegetables and fruits." However, everything has a limit. Some people see vegetables and only think of health, leading to the emergence of a group of "vegetarians," mostly women, who even refuse "big fish and meat" for long periods.
Their daily vegetable intake far exceeds the recommended amount from nutritionists, while they rarely or never eat meat. Nutrition experts believe this is inappropriate.
It is undeniable that vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. Eating an appropriate amount of vegetables can promote intestinal peristalsis, bowel movements, provide the body with the necessary micronutrients, exert antioxidant effects, and ensure the normal function of various organs. However, excessive vegetable intake can have the following harms: certain vegetables contain more oxalic acid, which can easily form stones. For example, spinach, green vegetables, celery, and tomatoes contain more oxalic acid. When combined with calcium in other foods, they can easily form calcium oxalate stones. This is one of the reasons why many vegetarian women are prone to kidney stones.
Most vegetables are alkaline foods. For patients who already have calcium phosphate stones, consuming large amounts of alkaline vegetables daily can increase the formation of stones and make them difficult to excrete.
Vegetables high in crude fiber, such as celery and spring bamboo shoots, are difficult to digest in large quantities and are not suitable for people with gastrointestinal diseases. For patients with cirrhosis, it can also easily cause gastric bleeding or esophageal variceal bleeding, worsening the condition.
For pregnant women and children and adolescents in their growth and development stages, excessive vegetable intake can hinder the absorption of calcium and zinc in the body, affecting the child's intellectual development and bone growth.
If the purpose is "dieting" or "satiety" and one consumes large amounts of vegetables while reducing or abstaining from meat and fish, it not only affects the body's intake and absorption of essential fatty acids and high-quality protein, leading to protein malnutrition, but also hinders the absorption of rich nutrients such as calcium, iron, and zinc from these foods. Women should be especially careful to avoid iron-deficiency anemia and calcium deficiency caused by excessive vegetarianism.