What happens if you dont have protien in your diet?

I am 13 and what to become a vegetarian, but my mom thinks that it will change stuff in my body and then i will have problems later in life. Please help!!!

It is a common misconception on how much protein is need for good health.
Here is a great article by Dr. John McDougall on this subject.
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/a...
Sign up for his free newsletter, go back through the newsletter archives & educate yourself on becoming a "Veggie".

protein deficiency causes slimming, reduction of muscular masses, decrease of immune resitance, increase sensitivity to infections, edemi. it will cause also improper growth.

but there are lots of vegetables rich of protein. so you dont have to worry. Legumes, white part of egg(if you are not vegan), milk, cheese, cereals, soy.

I never ate meat in my life but i didnt face any problem. I just ate food like always(without meat, fish). I am short but that's cause my dad and mom are short.

Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsou...

If you were to become protein deficient you'd lack energy and you'd be unable to heal from wounds. However, unless you ate some very weirdly restricted diet, it would be exceptionally unlikely for that to happen. In the Western world the bigger problem with protein is that most of us consume far more than we need. Excess protein inhibits your immune system, taxes your kidneys and leaches calcium from your bones.

If you decide to become a vegetarian, you still have many sources of protein at your disposal and if you eat a balanced and varied diet, you'll get plenty. Vegetarian sources of protein include legumes (peas, beans, peanuts, lentils), whole grains, nuts and seeds, dairy and eggs if you're still planning on eating them, and even green vegetables. A popular source of veg protein is soy (a legume) and all the many "meat substitute" products made from it.

I became a vegetarian at 16 and I'm 37 now. I've been perfectly healthy all along. There are populations in the world that have been vegetarian for generations, including their infants. Your mom has a right to be concerned about your diet; all mothers of 13 year old should be concerned about what their kids are eating. Do some research online about vegetarianism and nutrition and show your mom what you find. Not only will she have some good information about how easy if is for a vegetarian to get enough protein, she may be impressed that you're mature enough to get good solid information to use to make this decision.

You can find lots of information about the benefits of a vegetarian diet online. www.goveg.com is a good one with lots of links to vegetarian sites.

The truth is most people eat entirely too much protein. It is recommended that the amount of protein a person eats in a day is the size of a box of playing cards. Most Americans eat three times that, in one meal. If you learn about a balanced vegetarian diet (look up the vegetarian food guide pyramid) you will get plenty of protein from the proper veggies and food combinations.

To help your mom understand, do your research, talk with your doctor or a nutritionist. She will be impressed with your responsibility to do the research and learn about what you are doing. One way might be to offer to cook dinner one night and serve the whole family a veg meal. There are tons of great vegetarian cook books at libraries and great recipes online.

The average person only needs about 50 grams of protein per day. Protein is in everything, just look at the side of boxes. In todays world it is very hard to be protein deficient if you are eating a wide variety.

High protein foods include:
soy milk, tofu, nuts(Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hemp Seeds, Peanuts, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seeds, Walnuts (black)), seeds, legumes(Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas), grains(Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal, Rye, Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice), vegetables(Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper, Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini), fruits(Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit, Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry)

Trust me protein deficiencies are rare in the U.S and are mostly found in third world countries that suffer from famine.

It is advisable to speak to a dietitian/nutritionist, as it can only help you prepare and be more informed. It may also ease the mind of you mother to know that a trained professional has counseled you on vegetarian diet needs.

People, as well as vegetarian/vegan animals, make most amino acids (11 out of 17-I believe) and the ones we don't make ourselves we obtain from eating a healthy and varied diet. Our bodies break down these amino acids, whether or not they enter the body in whole protein form, and are later put together to build the proteins we need (and the animals need) as we need them.

Most people eat something like 5 times more protein every day than is actually needed and some people actually overdose on protein and do damage to their livers. Good thing our livers repair themselves if we take care of them.

It would be very difficult to lack enough protein if you eat a good, healthy diet with lots of variety from the plant world. The key is to educate yourself and eat well. Don't live on salads, fries and cheese pizza. Learn to eat lots of whole grains and legumes and fruits and veggies prepared in many different ways.

Good luck, if you do go veg you will be defending your diet to skeptics your whole life. It's not so bad if you educate yourself so you don't become annoyed everytime someone asked the million dollar quetion..."You don't eat meat? What about chicken?"

Early onset of osteoporosis and much much more. You can still be a vegetarian and get protein from beans, nuts and supplements. If you decide to do it I would ask your Dr about appropriate vitamin supplements

You'll feel down. You'll have little energy. And your hair may start to fall out.

But don't worry. It's a common misconception that you need lots of protein in your diet. You do need some protein, but on Average Americans eat 4 times as much protein as they really need.

Eat plenty of beans, whole grains, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and you will be fine.

If you dont have enough protien then you will get week and cranky just as you would if you laked anything else.

and you'll be fine just make shure that you're putting the right stuff in you body.

You definitely need protein but you don't have to eat meat to get it. There are many vegetarian bodybuilders who are 230 pounds or more of solid muscle and do not eat meat for their protein.
You can find much information on the Internet or vegetarian magazines, etc on how/what you should eat.
And keep in mind that it's probably best if you talk with your mom about this choice that you want to make, help her understand it and why you want to do it. Then maybe she'll help you. Don't isolate her, she is your mom after all.

Hi! I became a vegetarian when i was 13,now im 23...i would say keep eating eggs and yogurt.I ate fish for a few years for protein but you can get it by eating eggs,yogurt and food combining.Good luck :)

i became a vegetarian at 13. Im fine. my mom was conserned to. she called my doctor and they said i will be fine but if really worried about it i could get some vitamins. i havent and as i said ive been fine for the past 2 years. but you could get some vitamins from your doctor. and you lose weight too if you eat right!

Protein deficiencies are incredibly rare, especially in Americans. You do not need to worry about not having enough protein, that being said, IF you didn't, you wouldn't have any energy.

I would advise to talk to doctors and medical professions. Please don't not ask questions here the vegetarians and vegans wont give intelligent answer and facts. Even if would have problems later life they lie to you and disprove facts proven it. Do the research your self with professions who know what there talking about. Follow what your your mum she loves you and she only wants best for you to be healthy.