TURNING VEGETARIAN IS NOT A MORAL TEST

People “turn vegetarian” for many reasons— health goals, religious practice, animal welfare, cost, or because meat stopped feeling good.

- TADG NETWORK

What matters, nutritionally, is not the label but the pattern: a vegetarian diet can be deeply nourishing, but it can also be built on refined carbs and ultra-processed meat substitutes. The difference shows up in energy, satiety, and long-term health.

Major nutrition bodies agree on the core point: well-planned vegetarian diets can meet nutrient needs across the life cycle. The key phrase is well-planned. In Indian kitchens, the building blocks are familiar: dal, chana, rajma, soy, milk/curd/paneer, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and vegetables. The ICMR-NIN’s updated Dietary Guidelines for Indians stress variety across food groups—an approach that aligns naturally with vegetarian eating when plates are diverse rather than repetitive.