Heather Correy, 24, gave up meat when she was 16: “I thought it would be an easy way to lose weight. I figured hamburgers and steaks were fattening, so if I barred myself from eating them I’d be skinny in no time. Boy, was I wrong!” Correy’s attempt at weight loss had her replacing protein with high-fat and high-starch alternatives, like cheese and extra servings of garlic bread. “One year later I was 10 pounds heavier and anemic,” says Correy.

Anemia is often caused by a lack of iron, and iron is primarily found in meat. When someone’s anemic, they’re often tired, light-headed and suffer from weakness and headaches. It can be quite common for meat-free folks to become anemic if they're not finding other sources of iron.

So does meat-free mean unhealthy?
Not necessarily. According to Sue Dieffenbach, Registered Nurse and Certified Nutritional Consultant, the only difference between a healthy meat-eating diet and a healthy vegetarian diet is the primary source of protein. That's it.

Since non-meat-eaters usually consume far more wholesome, natural foods and (hopefully!) much less saturated fat than most people, there are many health benefits associated with these lifestyles: lower blood pressure, lower rates of heart disease, type two diabetes, hypertension and colon cancer.