Alberta is a 20 year old who has been a vegetarian for 3 years. She comes to you for advice after reading some material online b
y the Meat Promoters of America organization. One of their statements is: "...vegetarians are at risk for protein deficiency because they cannot consume all of the essential amino acids necessary for healthy individuals." How should Alberta be advised?
First of all, Alberta should be advised by a qualified physician. Afterwards, it would be convinient for her to go visit a nutritionist or a dietitian.
Explanation:
There may be a chance to avoid protein deficiency if a proper vegetarian diet is followed. Protein are made of aminoacids, some of which the body is unable to produce on its own. These are the essential amino acids, which are all incorporated in meat. Still, there are plenty of elements in the food chart that could be useful in the replacement of meat protein, such as eggs, milk, lentils, nuts (as almonds, walnuts or beans) and also rice for containing complementary amino acids.
