Why You Should Think Twice About Vegetarian and Vegan Diets. Brand X Pictures/Stockbyte/Thinkstock. There are many reasons why people choose to go vegetarian or vegan. Some are compelled by the environmental impact of confinement animal feeding operations (CAFO). Others are guided by ethical concerns or religious reasons. I respect these reasons and appreciate anyone who thinks deeply about the social and spiritual impact of their food choices. It is this last reason that I’d like to address in this article. This idea has been so thoroughly drilled into our head that few people even question it anymore. But is this really true? Plant- based diets emphasize vegetables, which are quite nutrient dense, and fruits, which are somewhat nutrient dense. However, they also typically include large amounts of cereal grains (refined and unrefined) and legumes, both of which are low in bioavailable nutrients and high in anti- nutrients such as phytate, and they eschew organ meats, meats, fish and shellfish, which are among the most nutrient- dense foods you can eat. The statistics used in the film were based on the best.Several studies have shown that both vegetarians and vegans are prone to deficiencies in B1. EPA & DHA, and fat- soluble vitamins like A & D. Let? Find out! Vitamin B1. Five years ago, I said goodbye to my husband, daughters, and cozy Berkeley home like I did every day and headed to the lab for a simple blood test. The Paleolithic period represents just the last two million years of human evolution. What did our bodies evolve to eat during the first 90% of our time on Earth? Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi; Born: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi 2 October 1869 Porbandar State, Kathiawar Agency, British Indian Empire (now in Gujarat, India). B1. 2 deficiency is especially common in vegetarians and vegans. The takeaway is that the most recent studies using more sensitive techniques for detecting B1. B1. 2 deficient, compared to just 5% of omnivores. ![]() ![]() ![]() B1. 2 deficiency can cause numerous problems, including: Fatigue. Lethargy. Weakness. Memory loss. Neurological and psychiatric problems. Anemia. And much more. Studies have shown that kids raised until age 6 on a vegan diet are still B1. In one study, the researchers found. Any defect in this area may have far- reaching consequences for individual functioning. A common myth amongst vegetarians and vegans is that it. But plant foods said to contain B1. B1. 2 analogs called cobamides that block the intake of, and increase the need for, true B1. There are a few vegetables listed in this paper that have higher levels of bioavailable calcium, but it. This suggests that trying to meet your daily calcium needs from plant foods alone (rather than dairy products or bone- in fish) might not be a great strategy. Iron. Vegetarians and omnivores have similar levels of serum iron, but levels of ferritin. Moreover, although vegetarians often have similar iron intakes to omnivores on paper, it is more common for vegetarians (and particularly vegans) to be iron deficient. For example, this study of 7. Germany found that 4. Plant- based forms of iron are also inhibited by other commonly consumed substances, such as coffee, tea, dairy products, supplemental fiber, and supplemental calcium. This explains why vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce non- heme iron absorption by 7. This is another case where bioavailability is important; many plant foods that contain zinc also contain phytate, which inhibits zinc absorption. Vegetarian diets tend to reduce zinc absorption by about 3. One study suggested that vegetarians may require up to 5. In this context, an essential fatty acid is one that can. However, an increasing body of research has highlighted the benefits of the long- chain omega- 3 fatty acids EPA & DHA. ![]() These fatty acids play a protective and therapeutic role in a wide range of diseases: cancer, asthma, depression, cardiovascular disease, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. While it is possible for some alpha- linolenic acid from plant foods to be converted into EPA & DHA, that conversion is poor in humans: between 5- 1. EPA and 2- 5% for DHA. Fat- soluble vitamins play numerous and critical roles in human health. Vitamin A promotes healthy immune function, fertility, eyesight and skin. Vitamin D regulates calcium metabolism, regulates immune function, reduces inflammation and protects against some forms of cancer. Since the Paleo diet relies heavily on meat, a Paleo diet for vegetarians seems like a contradiction. Here's how to make the Paleo diet and vegetarianism work well. Are you still staying on track and being consistent with the goals >> Read more. These important fat- soluble vitamins are concentrated, and in some cases found almost exclusively, in animal foods: primarily seafood, organ meats, eggs and dairy products. Some obscure species of mushrooms can provide large amounts of vitamin D, but these mushrooms are rarely consumed and often difficult to obtain. Plants contain beta- carotene, the precursor to active vitamin A (retinol). ![]() ![]() While beta- carotene is converted into vitamin A in humans, the conversion is inefficient. To get the same amount from plant foods, you. Moreover, traditional cultures consumed up to 1. RDA for vitamin A. It would be nearly impossible to get this amount of vitamin A from plant foods without juicing or taking supplements. But don’t vegetarians live longer than omnivores? At this point you might be thinking, “Well, so what if plant- based diets are lower in some nutrients. Everyone knows vegetarians live longer than omnivores!” While it’s true that some observational studies suggest that vegetarians and vegans enjoy longer lifespans, these studies were plagued by the “healthy user bias”. ![]() The healthy user bias is the scientific way of saying that people who engage in one behavior that is perceived as healthy (whether it is or not) are more likely to engage in other behaviors that are healthy. For example, vegetarians tend to be more health conscious on average than general population; they are less likely to smoke or drink excessively and more likely to exercise, eat fruits and vegetables and take care of themselves. The healthy user bias is one of the main reasons it. For example, say a study shows that eating processed meats like bacon and hot dogs increases your risk of heart disease. They also drink and smoke more, exercise less and generally do not take care of themselves very well. How do we know, then, that it. In other words, instead of comparing the “average” meat eater (who tends to be less health conscious) with the “average” vegetarian (who tends to be more health conscious), what happens when you compare vegetarians and omnivores that are both health- conscious? Thankfully, we have a study that did just that. It compared the mortality of people who shopped in health food stores (both vegetarians and omnivores) to people in the general population. This was a clever study design. People who shop in health food stores are more likely to be health conscious, regardless of whether they eat meat, which reduces the likelihood that the study results will be thrown off by the “healthy user bias”. What did the researchers find? Both vegetarians and omnivores in the health food store group lived longer than people in the general population. Nor was there any difference in rates of heart disease or stroke between the two groups. These long- chain omega fats are found exclusively in marine algae and fish and shellfish, so the only way to get them on a vegetarian diet would be to take a microalgae supplement (which contains DHA) or bend the rules and take fish oil or cod liver oil as a supplement. Still, while it may be possible. Vegan diets are low in B1. A & D, calcium, and EPA and DHA. This explains why some people seem to do well for years on these diets, while others develop problems very quickly. From an evolutionary perspective, is difficult to justify a diet with low levels of several nutrients critical to human function. While it may be possible to address these shortcomings through targeted supplementation (an issue that is still debated), it makes far more sense to meet nutritional needs from food. This is especially important for children, who are still developing and are even more sensitive to suboptimal intake of the nutrients discussed in this article. Unfortunately, many are not aware of the potential for nutrient deficiencies posed by their dietary choices. I hope this article can serve as a resource for anyone on a plant- based diet, whether they choose to start eating meat (or animal products, in the case of vegans) again or not. Like what you’ve read? Sign up for FREE updates delivered to your inbox. I hate spam too. Your email is safe with me.
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