Twice as many people (13.1 percent) ate these foods between 2017 and 2019, and as a result, the total amount of plant-based foods consumed more than doubled. The increase is not solely due to an increase in veganism, but because meat eaters are reducing their consumption and making the occasional decision to avoid animal products. However, those considered low-meat eaters were found to consume, on average, four times more plant-based products than high-meat eaters, consuming 18.6 grams per day compared to 4.8 grams. Studies also show that eating a vegetarian diet can have negative health effects if people don’t consciously replace the nutrients and minerals they would get through meat or meat products. For example, Canadian research found that children who grow up on a vegetarian diet are twice as likely to be underweight as their friends who eat meat. The researchers found that nutritionally, there was no discernible difference in the growth of children who were vegetarians and those who ate foods of animal origin. However, Dr Maguire found that there was a link between vegetarianism and being underweight. Scientists at the University of Leeds found that vegetarian middle-aged women are more likely to break a hip than their omnivorous peers. Vegetarians struggle to get enough nutrients into their bodies, which can lead to weaker muscles and bones, and the new study shows that women are a third more likely to break a hip if they’re vegetarian.
