IntroductionThe encyclopedic molecular pharmacology reference defines vegetarianism and veganism as a person who does not eat meat (“Vegetarian” 962). Furthermore, there are different types of vegetarianism. There are ovolato-vegetarians who avoid meat and fish but eat eggs and milk, there are lacto-vegetarians who consume only milk but no eggs, there are pescaterians who do not eat meat and types of meat in addition to fish, and finally there are vegans or strict vegetarians who do not eat any products of animal origin, some even exclude honey from their diet. (“Vegetarian” np) Looking beyond the definition of vegetarianism, we are curious to know what health benefits, drawbacks and alternatives there are to consuming meat. The question is: do we still need meat in our diet to live, or have we ever essentially needed it? Many credible sources report that vegetarianism is a great indicator of overall health, but with further research we find that this specific diet also has its drawbacks. Before adopting a vegetarian diet, it is important to embrace four fundamental questions surrounding it.1. How Vegetarianism Positively Affects Our Health: What Health Benefits Come From Eliminating an Omnivorous Diet? There is no doubt that eating more vegetables is a positive decision for your overall health and nutrition.2. How vegetarianism negatively affects our health: what are the disadvantages of eliminating meat from the diet? Many studies have been conducted trying to justify whether or not switching from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet is a safe and beneficial replacement. Each diet you choose has pros and cons, but what are the cons and are they serious enough to potentially gain some type of benefit from a vegetarian diet.3...... middle of paper ......and hyperhomocysteinemia , which is defined as high levels of homocysteine ​​in the blood due to vitamin B12 deficiency (Krajcovicova-Kudlackova 658). Frank Phillips wrote an article titled “Vegetarian Nutrition” that explains the lack of vitamins that most vegetarians receive. In addition to B12, calcium, vitamin D and iodine are also missing. This article specifies that without careful observation of a vegetarian diet, one is at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and higher levels of homocysteine ​​in the blood, as previously stated. Nonetheless, Phillips states that with a well-balanced vegetarian diet one can have a diet as nutritious as that of an omnivore (Phillips 136). Furthermore, these studies have shown that these problems can be improved or avoided by regularly taking vitamin supplements (Herrmann 1381).