Effects of a vegetarian diet on mood: Can a vegetarian diet cause depression?

I have heard that not eating carbohydrates for a long time will affect your mood. So will not eating meat for a long time also affect your mood? Will you become depressed if you eat vegetarian food for a long time?

According to Chinese medicine, the heart is the master of the mind and contains the king fire. Vegetarianism can make the heart fire peaceful and not disturb the mind. It can also make the king fire brighter. This is reflected in the following aspects: first, good spirits; second, good moods; third, quick thinking; fourth, happier.

Some people believe, after a sample survey of Changsha residents, that the frequency of meat intake is related to sleep quality, and controlling meat diet has a positive effect on improving sleep.

Some surveys and studies have shown that the health of the skin and reproductive endocrine system of elderly people who like vegetarians is better than that of elderly people who like meat. At the same time, elderly people who like meat are more prone to anxiety than vegetarians, and some elderly people suffer from skin diseases and prostate diseases.

Some studies have found that vegetarians have more optimistic emotional responses than omnivores. Although dairy products are rich in EPA and DHA, which are important for brain development, there is no definite evidence that a vegetarian diet lacking these elements will have side effects on emotional levels.

Vitamin B12 is only found in meat, dairy products and processed grains, and vegetarians are most likely to be deficient. Insufficient vitamin B12 intake can cause mild neurological problems such as mood swings, depression, and extreme fatigue.

Long-term vegetarianism can lead to hair loss and lack of various proteins and elements produced by hair. In addition, people who eat greasy and irritating foods are also prone to hair loss due to endocrine disorders.

Different eating habits of each person also create different physiques. Many vegetarians are worried about whether long-term vegetarianism will lead to hair loss? Eating habits have a lot to do with a person's hair. The proportion of nutrition in food intake is directly related to hair growth. Experts suggest that if you want good hair growth, balanced nutrition is the most scientific diet.

1. Malnutrition

Long-term vegetarianism, without eating any meat, will lead to a decrease in gastric acid and digestive enzymes, and even taste bud degeneration. The first thing to be affected is the human sense of taste, which will cause loss of appetite and make people less willing to eat. Long-term vegetarianism is equal to nutritional imbalance, resulting in malnutrition. As a result, the body will be weak and sick and the physical condition will decline.

2. Accelerated Aging

Fat can protect the human body. For example, fat can prevent large-scale skin inflammation, strengthen brain function, and have a certain antioxidant effect. If you do not eat meat for a long time, the amount of fat in your body will be too low, which will lead to a decrease in subcutaneous fat, loss of skin elasticity, skin inflammation, and ultimately accelerated aging.

3. Reduce fertility

Vegetarianism has a particularly significant impact on women and fetuses. Because in order for women to get pregnant, they must have sufficient sperm and eggs. Tomato Doctor reminds that the synthesis of a large amount of nutrients for them needs to be obtained from animal food. If there is a long-term lack of nutrition, resulting in too few sperm and eggs, the chance of conception will also be significantly reduced.

At the same time, long-term vegetarianism can also cause hormone disorders. The raw material of hormones is mainly cholesterol in meat. If the human body lacks cholesterol, the secretion of sex hormones will decrease, which will cause ovulation to decrease and cause endocrine disorders.

It is undeniable that eating vegetarian food occasionally has certain benefits for the human body. However, eating vegetarian food for a long time without eating meat has many adverse effects on the body. Tomato Doctor recommends that we should have a reasonable combination of meat and vegetables in our life and not be picky or partial to certain food in order to ensure a healthier body.