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Copied from Environmental impacts of animal agriculture
Meat can be substituted in diets with a wide variety of foods such as fungi , or special "meat substitutes", such as mushrooms, soy protein, and wheat glutens that imitate meat in colour, texture and flavour.

However, substantially reducing meat intake could result in nutritional deficiencies if done inadequately, especially for groups such as children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating women "in low-income countries". A review suggests that the reduction of meat in people's diets should be accompanied by an increase in alternative sources of protein and micronutrients to avoid nutritional deficiencies for healthy diets such as iron and zinc. Meats notably also contain vitamin B12, collagen and creatine. This could be achieved with specific types of foods such as iron-rich beans and a diverse variety of protein-rich foods like red lentils, plant-based protein powders and high-protein wraps, and/or dietary supplements. Dairy and fish and/or specific types of other foods and/or supplements contain omega 3, vitamin K2, vitamin D3, iodine, magnesium and calcium many of which were generally lower in people consuming different types of plant-based diets in studies. A recommended approach to reduce meat consumption apart from vegetarianism or veganism is to adopt meatless days or reduce the amount of meat in daily meals.

Nevertheless, reviews find beneficial effects of plant-based diets versus diets that are high in animal-based products. Plant-based diets have been found to improve physical and mental health, as well as lifespan or mortality. . Studies have found that those who consume whole-food plant-based diets, which mainly consists of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, have a reduced risk of developing symptoms of depression. Plant-based diets have also been found to improve physical health, through both preventing and managing type-2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Meat reduction also has benefits for the health of the planet. From production to consumption, the environmental footprint of meat is significantly higher than that of vegetables. Emissions from feed production, deforestation, and wastage are all significantly higher in the process of creating and consuming animal products than the emissions for growing plant-based options. Livestock in particular is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (approximately 80% of all agricultural emissions), speeding up the rate of global warming.