text: catholics: why were the elderly, children, and people of ill-health exempt from not eating meat during lent? in a discussion with my catholic mother, i brought this question up, with the implication that it is wrong to exempt those groups of people from participating in something that is harmless.  as a strict vegan, i know that the research says that there is virtually no nutritional deficiency in a diverse plant based diet so long as the caloric intake remain is sufficient to maintain body weight. only vitamin b12 of which we store enough excess for several years, and can be taken as a pill or in fortified foods without all the negative aspects of animal foods is absent from a pure vegan diet.  many people with illnesses, especially obesity related, would do better with less animal based foods?  basically the underlying question was: why would the catholic church, a (supposedly) divinely inspired organization make this exemption if the evidence is that a meatless diet is safe for all stages of life?  a broader question:if they were wrong about that, what else could they wrong about? interesting point….  although i am not a vegetarian, i would have to agree with you that i cannot think of a single case where meat is necessary, or even better than a properly balanced vegetarian or vegan diet.    however, the key to that is it being a properly balanced diet.  much of our society (and the world for that matter) has gotten accustomed to getting certain portions of their nutritional needs from meats – essential amino acids, vitamins, etc.  someone who is familiar with vegetarian or vegan diets can easily replace these needs with an arguably healthier, meatless menu.    the problem comes when someone who has unique or specific nutritional needs looses access to part of their diet that they do not know how to replace completely.  for instance if someone who regularly eats meat to meet a significant part of their nutritional needs simply cuts that meat out for lent and does not know that they need to replace it with other foods, they could encounter malnutrition issues.  perhaps an alternative would be to educate people on what foods should be used to substitute for various meats to maintain a healthy diet.  great question!  thanks!