answer:They aren’t any worse for you than a regular diet. The thing that most people tend to forget is that absolutely any diet can be good or bad for you – it all depends on how balanced your meals are. The reason your friend probably said a vegetarian/vegan diet is somewhat unhealthy is because he or she was (most likely) automatically assuming that protein (which people do need) only comes from meat. It’s a common misconception, as protein can be found in a wide variety of foods. Even those who aren’t vegetarian or vegan should be taking some kind of multi-vitamin, because it’s hard for anyone to guarantee that they get the recommended amount of daily vitamins. A reason that your mom and friends may have gained weight after becoming vegetarian is that they weren’t well enough prepared. They probably ate the foods available to them, even though a lot of them are high in fat, instead of learning how and what to cook, which would have provided them with a nutritionally balanced meal. One big benefit to being vegetarian or vegan is that people tend to eat too much meat, which can also be very bad for you. Everything in life is about balance, period. There are right and wrong ways to do everything. That said, my sister has been vegan for years and years now, and she’s doing just fine.