Vegetarians, are your feeling weak? You may be suffering from protein deficiency because pulses are just not enough. Here’s what you must eat. Dry brittle hair, peeling skin and lack of sleep are common problems, which you frequently hear people complaining about. In some vegetarians, these could be symptoms of something far larger, such as protein deficiency or hypoproteinemia. Protein deficiency is very damaging in the long run. Dr Hemant P Thacker, physician and cardio metabolic specialist, says, “An insufficient amount of protein prevents the body from producing energy and maintaining muscles. It is, in fact, a state of malnutrition.