Are vegetarians at a higher risk for being malnourished?

Before I answer your question I want to clear up some blatant misinformation other people are posting for you.

A) "your body needs meat for energy". As meat is low in carbohydrates it is not a good source of energy. It provides mainly protein and fat.

B) "Anyone who cuts out an entire food group is more at risk for being malnourished". Very true, except vegetarians do not need to cut out an entire group considering there is no "meat group". The USDA has a meat and beans group which includes meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts. Considering half the group is vegetarian, you don't need to to cut out the entire group. Also note that it is the second smallest part of the pyramid, the smallest being oils.

C) "historically they weren't any healthy, thriving vegetarian cultures and the only people who were vegetarians were those in poverty, if they could they would eat animal foods." This is no where close to being true. While in Western culture the poor are vegetarians, in India, Hindus of the highest caste (Brahmans) are generally vegetarians. Also, many Asian Buddhist cultures promote vegetarianism. Considering that countries such as Japan with low meat consumption have the highest life expectancy  to say that there have never been "any healthy, thriving vegetarian cultures" shows ignorance.

Now to your question: I would not say vegetarians are at a higher risk of malnutrition, considering the vast majority of what you are recommended to eat by the USDA is plant based (grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.). The key is a balanced and diverse diet. Vegetarians need to make sure they eat dark, leafy vegetables for iron and many protein sources such as beans, tofu, seitan, eggs, and dairy products. A balanced vegetarian diet is usually more healthful as it allows you to avoid excessive fat. Also, the body is not able to store excess protein. As the average American omnivore consumes too much protein every day this is actually bad for your diet. This can potentially lead to kidney problems, although not always.

Besides eating varied protein sources, you also need to eat many different types of fruits and vegetables. Eating many different colored fruit and vegetables is a good guideline, as the color usually indicates the vitamins and minerals it possesses (such as how sweet potatoes and carrots are high in vitamin K). Make sure you are eating enough calories and getting enough fat, which you can get from dairy products and nuts. 

You should definitely take a multivitamin if you are feeling like you do not get enough nutrients. I personally have been a vegetarian for five years and have never taken one, however, without feeling any negative effects.

If you continue to lose weight you should talk to your doctor to see whether you need to work on your diet or if this weight loss has another cause.

Source(s):

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportsnutrition/a/Carbohydrates.htm, http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/meat.html, http://www.indianchild.com/caste_system_in_india.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_%28nutrient%2Thank You

Thank You
Umar Arif

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