Give peas a chance (Vegetarianism)

Member Name: LittleEwok

Product:	Vegetarianism
Date:	01/01/05 (246 review reads)
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I’m a vegan. I have been since age 12 (eight years). I’m in excellent health, and I’ve noticed its much less common for me to get coughs and colds and other little things like that since I’ve been vegan. I’m not here to tell you veganism is the only way, or vegetarianism for that matter (because vegetarians that do that pee me off as much as they do meat-eaters), I’m here to tell you that it’s a life choice, and all the evidence points to it being a completely healthy life choice…vegetarians and vegans tend to have lower incidences of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and lots of other illnesses . Again, I’m not saying this is due to the lack of meat, its probably more that as a whole group we tend to be quite health conscious. However the fact remains that people tend to assume vegetarians and vegans are unhealthy, when all the evidence points towards the fact that as a group they are in excellent health.

Studies on veggies/vegans and some chronic illnesses

In several groups of vegans studied, the only major disease found to be higher among them than among the general population was osteoporosis…in four American studies carried out, the bone density of vegans was 10-20% lower than those of lacto-ovo vegetarians (vegetarians who consume dairy and milk), and a Chinese study carried out had the same findings. Other than this, plenty of studies have found that as a group vegetarians and vegans have lower rates of many diseases. A study carried out by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute of cancer research identified the top 12 cancer sites (lung, stomach, breast, colon/.rectum, mouth and pharynx, liver, cervix, oesophagus, prostate, bladder, pancreas and larynx), and carried out the study on a total of 18 cancer sites. They found that “the most consistently protective dietary components appear to be” vegetables (16 sites), fruits (12 sites), carotenoids in food (6 sites), vitamin C in food (5 sites), fibre and wholegrains, 5 sites. They found that the dietary components that are most consistently harmful are alcohol (7 sites), meat, animal fat and saturated fat (5 sites), total fat, grilling and barbequing and dairy (4 sites), and salt (2 sites).

Research on heart disease in vegetarians and vegans is also encouraging, although admittedly few studies have been carried out. Four studies on heart disease in vegans are the two seventh-day Adventist studies (carried out in California with 53’ 940 participants), the Oxford vegetarian study (carried out in the UK with 11’047 participants), and the Heidelberg study carried out in Germany with 1’757 participants. The majority of participants taking place in these studies came from similar backgrounds, and results were adjusted for age, sex, smoking, alcohol use, activity level and education. In total the study found that vegans were 26% less likely to suffer from heart disease, and 30% less likely to suffer from strokes, lacto-ovo veggies were 34% less likely to suffer from heart disease and 13% less likely to suffer from stroke. Sectarians (people who eat fish as their only form of animal flesh), were also 34% less likely to suffer from heart disease but 4% more likely to suffer from stroke than the general population, and occasionally meat eaters (eating meat less than once a week) were 20% less likely to suffer from heart disease and 3% less likely to suffer from stroke.

The risk factors that vegans were less likely to at risk of were high blood cholesterol level (vegans have very low intakes of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fatty acids as a whole group, and consumed more soluble fibre, plants protein, polyunsaturated fats and phytochemicals…all found primarily in plant foods), oxidation of LDL cholesterol (affected by amount of LDL cholesterol present and the presence of antioxidants like vitamin E and arytenoids), high blood pressure (vegans tend to have lower total body mass, plus higher intakes of fibre, potassium, magnesium and phytochemicals, and lower saturated fat consumption. Salt intake is another factor, but vegans may have high salt intakes anyway), ad finally, obesity and waist-to-hip ratio…in general, vegetarians and vegans tend to have a lighter body mass.

Research concerning diabetes is also encouraging for anyone who abstains from eating flesh…risk factors for diabetes include obesity, saturated fat intake, low fibre-diets, low magnesium intakes and high intakes of refined foods. Incidences of diabetes later in life are lower, and those found to have diabetes can benefit from a well-planned vegetarian diet.

Nutrients in a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Here is a list of the nutrients often stated to be missing from the vegetarian or vegan diet, and my response…

Protein- Forty or fifty years ago a study showed that animal protein helped growth. As such, we were recommended to have very high-protein diets, especially if we were young and still growing. Current research shows we need around 45-55 grams of protein a day, if we are adults, around half of what was stated after the second world war. Plant protein has been found NOT be inferior to animal protein, and all the amino acids that are essential in the diet (nine must be supplied in the diet, the rest can be manufactured in the body). Reports that well-planned veggie diets are deficient in essentials AA’s are false. If a vegetarian consumes a variety of protein-rich foods then they will get all the amino acids they needs…its just that instead of getting them all from a single piece of meat, you will get different ones from different foods. Rich sources of vegetarian protein are cereals (including bread, rice and pasta, staples of a good veggie diet), soya, tofu and Textured Vegetable Protein (nicer than it sounds LOL) products (FULL of the stuff and very good for you), pulses (half an average 225g can of baked beans has more protein as a 50g hamburger), nuts and seeds.

Fats and oils- a little fat and oil are essential to our survival, and the good news for herbivores among us is that the “good” fats, mono and polyunsaturated fats, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (the omega 3’s and omega 6’s) are the kinds found in rich supply in plant foods (of course, omegas are available in fish too) MFA’s (monounsaturated fatty acids), are found in olive, olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, sunflower and safflower oil. Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, seeds, nuts, grains, legumes and other plant foods. The omegas are found in vegetable cooking oils (especially flaxseed and olive oil), nuts, soya, tofu and seaweeds (don’t scoff until you’ve tried crispy seaweed in a proper Chinese restaurant).

Minerals-
Calcium- One bugbear of the vegan diet is suitable amounts of calcium. Consuming calcium with protein (i.e. in animals milk) has a negative effect…this is caused by sulphur-containing aminos. They have an acidic effect on the blood, and calcium is drawn from the bones to restore the pH balance…so cows milk may not be the perfect source of calcium it is claimed. For every gram of protein in the diet, 1mg of calcium is lost in the urine. Meat in particular has a negative effect. High levels of sodium and soft drinks and coffee in the diet also have a negative effect. The answer for vegans is leafy green veg, stuff like bok choi, Chinese cabbage, mustard green, kale and the like, also potatoes and sweet potatoes, mushrooms, aubergine, as well as particular kinds of legumes, nuts and seeds and their butters, whole grains, tofu with calcium added and fortified soy milk. Obviously lacto-ovo veggies will get sufficient amounts of calcium from dairy, although non-dairy sources are recommended for meat-eaters and vegetarians.
Iron- Studies show little difference in iron deficiency between veggies and non-veggies. Iron-deficient anaemia may have more to do with bodily factors that the amount of iron consumed…menstruation and illness are examples. In fact, in a lot of cases, iron is higher in vegetarians than non vegetarians, for example a New Zealand study found a 16.8mg intake dairy for veggies compared to a 14.6mg for non veggies. Again, the solution is a varied diet…rich iron sources again are many types of veg from broccoli to spinach (it wasn’t a hamburger that made Popeye big and strong), mushrooms and potato, again tofu products and legumes and wholegrain.
Zinc- there is limited info on zinc deficiency in veggies however one or two studies show lower amounts in vegetarian diets, others find them similar to non-veggies. Nuts, seeds and dried fruits are good sources of zinc, as are sprouted legumes, seeds and grain, tahini, fermented soya products like tempeh and miso, and legumes. Fortified zinc foods are also available.

Vitamins-
In general, meat is actually a poor source of vitamins, although rich in minerals…a couple that veggies may worry about are…
Vitamin A- As far as I’m aware this is only available in animal produce. Lucky for veggies, the body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A in the body, and green, red and orange fruit and vegetables…which of course a non-meat diet should be rich in.
Vitamin B12- If diets aren’t carefully planned, it is true that vegans can have a deficiency of this vitamin. It is found in meat and dairy only. However, you can get vitamin B12 fortified foods these days such as cereals, margarines, vegetables milks and marmite. The body only needs a tiny amount of vitamin B12...as it can store it in the body for a long time, and its not a daily necessity. A few servings of these (plus dairy for lacto-ovos) will keep veggies in B12.

The bottom line is, there is no nutrient that comes from an animal source that isn’t available from a non-animal one. Clearly if a vegetarian lives of a diet of convenience “imitation meats” and crisps they are going to be deficient. But they will still be no more nutrient deficient than a meat-eater who lives off convenience food. The key to any healthy diet is plenty of fruit, veg and fibre, lots of wholesome food instead of shop-bought convenience rubbish, and most importantly, a variety. Most people don’t get the amount of variety in their diets they need, most of us are unhealthy eaters, lets admit it, we’re not perfect. However, an ill-planned diet is as dangerous for a meat eater as a non-meat eater, its just that the non meat eaters tend to get the stick. Before you insult my diet (which is as healthy as I can make it based on my research), have a good look at your own and see if you are get the right amount of the right foods, regardless of whether or not that diet does include meat.

Food poisoning

A whopping 95% of reported food poisoning cases in the UK are caused by eating animal products. Some of the remaining 5% can be caused by infected manure or from contamination from meat products. In short, as a vegan it is pretty damn hard to get food poisoning, which is becoming a major issue in today’s society. E. Coli is one of the particularly scary ones. Food poisoning can often come about from the cramped, dirty conditions factory farmed animals live in (makes sense doesn’t it? One infected chicken in a battery farm can infect a whole lot more chickens!), the food the animals eat (BSE has been linked to the feeding of animal brains to what are completely herbivorous creatures), and infection from faeces (of which there are naturally a lot in slaughterhouses). Of course a lot of food poisoning will also be the fault of unhygienic butchers or the restaurant industry.

Reasons for my veganism

My health- It is my personal belief that I can, and am very happy to, live without meat. I’m not going to argue meat as unhealthy as I’ll just make enemies. An amount of meat in the diet is fine, I know this. However, I feel with the rise of factory farming, other health concerns like food poisoning, the rise of problems like BSE and foot and mouth, and the unholy amount of chemicals pumped into factory farmed animals these days (antibiotics to stop them from getting ill whilst being in such close quarters with one another, growth hormones and selective breeding to prevent monsters that grow into adult animals in a matter of weeks), that I would prefer to live without meat in my diet.

Animals health- I have nothing against the traditional method of farming, animals living out a natural life and then being killed quickly and ending up on peoples plates. However, because of the decrease in meat prices, the demand has gone way up and it is just inefficient to keep animals in this way. Most farmed animals are now crowded in sheds with dirty conditions and pumped full of drugs so they lead sad and unnatural lives. Pigs are forced to live in stalls too small to turn around in, and to lie in their own muck (contrary to myth pigs are actually very clean, they roll in mud to condition their skin), and kept in isolation from other piggies, when they are naturally sociable. Turkeys are now so grossly oversized that they cannot mate naturally, literally male turkeys have to be “masturbated” in order to inseminate the females. Milk cattle are forced to get pregnant again and again (cattle are like other animals, they don’t give milk on tap they have to have a baby, strangely some people don’t see this) and are fed hormones so they produce ten times the milk one baby needs…and that baby doesn’t even get to see any of the milk…you know where he’s off to…the veal crates. I think factory farming is unspeakably cruel, exploitative and scary, and so I chose not to support it.

The health of the world- Rainforests are cleared to make room for grazing cattle. The rainforests are burned releasing CO2 with all its damaging effects on the ozone. Farm animals produce massive amounts of methane (from waste and farting…no I’m not joking), and methane is VERY bad for the ozone layer. Factory farming has been named as one of the top three causes of global warming. To produce 1kg of animal protein, 10kg of vegetable protein (and by this I don’t mean grass, I mean the commercial grain food fed to farm animals these days) is used. That 10kg of vegetable protein could have been given to the farmer that produced it (most of the grains used for animal foods are produced in poorer countries) to feed his family. A vegetarians food supplies take up around half the land space that a meat-eaters food supplies take up. A vegans food supplies take up less than a quarter of your average meat eaters. And we all already know about the damage caused by fertilisers, pesticides, chemicals in our food, and fishing these days.


Final thoughts

I don’t mean to offend anybody’s choices here, meat can be part of a healthy diet, I know this. I am simply defending my choices because people are always getting on at me about nutrition and all the rest of it. What these people don’t know is that I’ve done my research. Clearly, many vegetarians live off diets of convenience food and this is incredibly unhealthy. All authorities say now that the major part of the diet should be based around whole plant foods…this may or may not include meat, but a good deal of them are now saying (including the British Medical Association and the American Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), that varied wholly-plant based diets are just as healthy as varied omnivorous ones.

The Smiths song Meat is Murder, is, believe it not, what turned me into a vegan, but it wasn’t a fad. I done my research and I KNOW what I’m talking about. And it really offends me when people assume my choice is made out of a fad or lack of research. People often argue me from a place of ignorance, saying veggies always look unhealthy, veggies don’t get enough protein or iron, and all the rest of it People who don’t know anything about nutrition suddenly become expert dieticians when they find out I am a vegan, and I simply wanted to dispel some of the myths and clear things up a little. Live and let live…I choose to value animal life no less than humans and abstain from eating meat. I don’t criticise the choices of meat eaters, I certainly don’t blame you for eating meat, it tastes bloody fantastic, it fills you up and its full of protein, iron, B12, vitamin A and all the rest of it. I am simply sick of people attacking MY choices in life. Some people just seem offended when you tell them you don’t eat anything from an animal, like you are personally insulting them. Although I feel that the best way to go for peoples health is to have meat as a treat (much like it was before the war) and have it as a part of a healthy balanced diet, again I’m not trying to convert anyone. As I’ve said, live and let live…but please, next time you try and have a go at a veggie for not getting enough iron, why don’t you use the opportunity to learn about a lifestyle different to yours…no more, and no less valid a lifestyle at that.

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