This book attacks the deficiency myth about what vegetarians really lack (and don’t)

“Hey ghaas-phoos, where will you get your protein from?”

You have probably heard it before, whether being said in passing or in mockery. You’ve even heard that vegetarians have all kinds of deficiencies.

It is the nutritional version of a concerned aunt or a dismissive uncle, casting doubt on your plate the moment it excludes meat. In wellness circles, vegetarianism is either glorified as a moral high ground or dismissed as a deficient diet, with very little space left for science or common sense.

Let us get this straight: vegetarians are not doomed to be iron-deficient, protein-starved, or perpetually weak. However, there are a few nutritional blind spots worth understanding – not because the diet is “flawed”, but because most diets, meat-inclusive or not, can lead to deficiencies when planned poorly.

What you might be missing on a vegetarian diet

Vegetarian diets, especially in countries like India, can often be high in carbohydrates, consisting mainly of roti, rice, and dal, while lacking foods that provide essential micronutrients. These nutrient deficiencies typically result not from the absence of meat but from a lack of diversity and nutrient-dense foods. Let us examine the most common areas of concern:

Vitamin B12: This is the big one. Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively...

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