“In any diet, the intake of adequate amounts of nutrients depends mainly on the nature and variety of foods selected (Phillips). » Deficiencies can occur in any diet, but can easily be avoided by consuming foods fortified with important vitamins and minerals. People have all this information at their disposal and yet only 7% of them are vegetarian. They could add up to ten years to their lives simply by avoiding meat and yet they continue to eat it, and three of the ten leading causes of death in America can be avoided by a vegetarian lifestyle. Once a person converts to vegetarianism, they are also more likely to create other healthy habits that would increase their life expectancy by more than ten years. Vegetarianism is a healthy lifestyle and someone can sustain themselves without the support of diet.