Eating only animal products helps keep your body's iron levels just right — not too low to cause fatigue, and not too high to cause harm.

Eating only meat gives your body enough of the right kind of iron to keep your iron levels and blood counts healthy—without too little or too much iron.

Even if vegetarians eat more iron than meat-eaters, they might still be more likely to be low on iron because the kind of iron in plants isn't as easily absorbed by the body.