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With investigations of cruel conditions on factory farms making headlines, and a growing body of research on the benefits of plant foods, vegan diets are looking good to many people. But, for most, it’s an unusual way of eating that sits well outside of mainstream habits. It’s no wonder that concerns and questions arise about diets that include only plant foods.
Some of those concerns gain momentum from groups and books that draw from a body of myths that sound reasonable but are lacking in scientific credibility. Often, myths about vegan diets grow out of a poor understanding of nutrition science, or they are simply based on outdated research. It’s true that there are some nutrients that deserve extra attention from vegans, but being vegan isn’t hard and it’s perfectly safe. The real science behind vegan diets will set your mind at ease about this way of eating.
Is a vegan diet healthy? Frustratingly, the answer is that it depends as much on what you eat as with any other diet. Someone living purely on ready salted crisps or chips, for example, would be technically following a vegan diet, but it would in no way be healthy.
However, research shows that there are potential benefits to a vegan diet. A recent study indicated that the average vegan diet is higher in vitamin C and fibre, and lower in saturated fat than one containing meat. In addition, statistics show that vegans have a lower BMI (height-to-weight ratio) than meat eaters – in other words, they are skinnier.
You see, a diet without any meat or dairy products is likely to contain a lot less saturated fat, which is related to increased cholesterol levels and increased risk of heart disease. We also know that fat contains more calories per gram than other foods, and so vegans may consume fewer calories as a result. Finally, a vegan diet is generally thought to contain more cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds than a non-vegan diet.
Sounds great right? Not quite. In terms of micronutrients, a vegan diet is actually more susceptible to being nutritionally poor. A vegan diet is naturally low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore, if you follow a vegan diet it is essential that you get enough of these nutrients through specific vegan food sources – and may even need to take additional supplements.
Many people see the word vegan on the label and they assume it must be super healthy – wrong. Even if it’s vegan, it’s just as important to look at the ingredients list and the nutrition information to see how much fat, sugar and salt something contains.
On the other hand, this is not to say that non-vegan products can’t be healthier; vegan desserts, for example, absolutely have the opportunity to be a lot healthier than conventional baking because bakers have to come up with inventive ways of substituting out the butter and cream.
10 Vegan Diet Dangers
VEGAN DIET DANGER #1: HISTORICALLY, THERE ARE NO CULTURES THAT HAVE THRIVED BY SUBSISTING OFF OF ANIMAL FREE DIETS.
Gleaning dietary wisdom from those who have come before you is one of the best ways to learn about health. Along with that goes eating foods that people have been consuming for generations. Check out this book to learn more about Dr. Weston Price, a dentist who traveled the world to study the dietary behaviors and consequences of various dietary practices. Dr. Price made the ground-breaking discovery about the link between a diet low in animal foods (thus low fat soluble vitamins) and tooth decay.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #2: PEOPLE OFTEN COME TO VEGAN DIETS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TROUBLE DIGESTING MEAT AND DAIRY PRODUCTS LIKE FATIGUE, INFLAMMATION, ACNE, BLOATING, WEIGHT GAIN, AND OTHER SYMPTOMS.
Intolerance to certain foods does not mean there is a problem with the that particular food group per say- but indicates imbalance within the body causing weaker digestive function (such as slowed metabolism & sluggish thyroid function). Some people tend to gravitate toward a vegan diet because the included foods are “easier” to digest due to poor digestive juices. Eliminating these “problematic foods” completely and permanently only avoids the problem, instead of getting at the root issue; working to re-balance the body to regain tolerance of a wide variety of foods.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #3: THE BEST DIETS ARE THOSE WITH THE GREATEST VARIETY OF NUTRIENTS AND WITHOUT DIETARY LIMITATIONS.
Blacklisting certain food groups interferes with your body’s communication system causing you to ignore your body’s cravings by placing certain types of food off-limits. “Any craving is a good starting point, because we have several biological mechanisms for correcting specific nutritional deficiencies.” -Ray Peat, PhD.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #4: VEGAN DIETS TEND TO BE LOW IN HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN.
Did you know that there is a big difference in the protein quality of animals vs. plants? According to Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, “One thing that happens in the vegetable diet, heavily based on [the] cabbage family, or beans, lentils and nuts, these proteins, in quality, rank about 15 times lower than the highest quality protein. And so even though a person might think they’re eating nothing but protein rich foods, beans and nuts, their quality is so low that their liver simply can’t respond to the thyroid.”
To counterbalance this, processed plant proteins (protein powders and meat substitutes) are commonplace; further contributing nutritional deficiencies. According to this recent study, vegans and vegetarians also have lower sperm count and mobility!
VEGAN DIET DANGER #5 LOW PROTEIN DIETS CAN INCREASE TOXICITY.
Phase 2 liver detoxification is driven by amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). Long-term vegan diets tend to impair liver detoxification pathways leading to toxicity. According to Dr. Ray Peat, PhD, “Protein deficiency itself contributes to the harm done by toxins, since the liver’s ability to detoxify them depends on adequate nutrition, especially good protein.”.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #6 PLANT BASED DIETS CAN DECREASE DIGESTIVE JUICES.
Protein stimulates the production of HCL (hydrochloric acid) in your stomach to break down proteins. Proper digestion begins with strong stomach acid production that sets the stage for the pH driven digestive process. Without regular and healthy stimulation of digestive juices, digestion weakens and fewer nutrients are able to be absorbed.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #7: DIETARY DOGMA THAT IF IT’S NOT WORKING FOR YOU, YOU’RE DOING IT “WRONG.”
Immersion in any dietary paradigm can be very powerful, and the vegan community is no exception.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #8: BECAUSE OF THE BODY’S ABILITY TO ADAPT TO ANY TYPE OF FUEL (FOR SURVIVAL), IT OFTEN TAKES TIME TO SEE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THIS WAY OF EATING.
Due to the body’s incredible ability to adapt, the decline of health due to a vegan diet is often slow and gradual. This can make it very difficult to detect. At first you may not notice the lack of fat soluble nutrients you’re getting (particularly retinol, K2) and that a protein deficiency is hurting your health. Because your body will first exhaust your “nutritional bank account“, it may be many months or years till nutrient deficiencies cause impaired detoxification, thyroid issues, and/orhormonal imbalance.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #9: VEGAN DIETERS CAN FAVOR SOY PRODUCTS.
Since protein is scarce when you avoid animal products, soy products like edamame, tofu, soy protein powder & tempeh are often dietary staples. The reality is that soy protein is very difficult to digest, thyroid suppressive and estrogenic due to phytoestrogens. It also contains high levels of phytic acid that cause less assimilation of nutrients, as well as contain trypsin inhibitors that can interfere with digestion.
VEGAN DIET DANGER #10: VEGAN DIETS CAN BE HEAVY IN NUT CONSUMPTION.
In an effort to increase dietary protein and calories, nuts are often adopted to form a more significant part of the diet. But there are major downfalls to heavy nut consumption. Nuts are very hard to break down, especially for those with low stomach acid. They are also very high inpolyunsaturated fats, contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid that block absorption of minerals.
DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OPTIMAL VEGAN DIETS
Healthy and conscientious diets always take a little bit more planning than those based on whatever is easily at hand. Vegans need to give some attention to calcium and other minerals and, like many omnivores, they need to supplement with B12 and sometimes vitamin D. On the flip side, many people see their health improve through lower blood pressure and a drop in cholesterol when they go vegan. This quick checklist can help you plan an optimal, health-supporting vegan diet.
· Eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables, including those that are good sources of vitamin A.
· Include foods that are rich in vitamin C at every meal.
· Keep protein requirements covered by including at least 3 servings of legumes (beans, soyfoods and peanuts) in your daily menu.
· Choose foods rich in calcium such as fortified juices, fortified plant milks (almond, rice, coconut, hempseed or soy), calcium-set tofu, sesame tahini, collard and turnip greens, kale, broccoli and figs.
· If you don’t get adequate sun exposure, then—just like omnivores—you’ll need to take a vitamin D supplement. If you don’t use iodized salt, consider a supplement providing around 75 micrograms of iodine two or three times per week. (Omnivores and vegetarians get theirs in part because milk is contaminated with iodine-containing cleaning solutions—not exactly a “natural” source.)
· Don’t skimp on fat. Higher-fat plant foods like avocados, seeds and especially nuts should be a regular part of vegan diets. Moderate use of olive and canola oils can improve nutrient absorption and make your vegan diet more satisfying and healthful.
· Take a vitamin B12 supplement or use foods that are fortified with this nutrient. Choose a chewable or sublingual type of cyanocobalamin and take at least 25 micrograms every day.
Further reading on vegan nutrition
- Vegan for Lifeby Jack Norris and Virginia Messina. 2011, Da Capo Press.
- Simply Veganby Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels, 2006, The Vegetarian Resource Group.
- Becoming Vegan: The Every Day Guide to Plant-Based Nutritionby Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, 2013, The Book Publishing Company
- The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Bookby Reed Mangels, 2011, Adams Media
- veganhealth.org
- vrg.org