As discussed in this post, I found a very interesting book, Issues in Society: Vegetarianism. It is a book compiled of published material from all different sources. One of them had an interesting little section on the side effects of dairy consumption.
I already knew, and have already discussed on this blog, that 80% of humans are lactose intolerant. This is because only baby animals need lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) to digest their mothers' milk, and at weaning age the body stops producing it because it is no longer needed. This is true of all mammals except for a freaky 20% of humans who continue to produce it. Why do they continue to produce it? Because humans are the only animals perverted enough to drink the milk of another animal, beyond weaning age I might add. It really is gross.
Anyway, so when people started drinking the milk of other animals, children started dying. This wasn't weird because most children never reached adulthood. However, children who had a mutation that allowed them to continue to digest lactose had a better chance of survival (if they weren't killed by something else) and so some descendants of these people can digest lactose beyond weaning age. The other 80% can't.
Then why aren't 80% of people up to their knees in vomit and diarrhoea? That's what people with a lactose intolerance are like isn't it? Well that's what people with a severe lactose intolerance are like, for the rest of us, we don't know that we're being negatively affected by the dairy we're eating because we've been doing it our whole lives. If someone who had never eaten dairy started to eat it, they'd tell you straight away how crappy it made them feel. We start feeding dairy products to our children when they are babies though, and they can't tell us that it makes them feel bad. We don't feel any different because this is all we've ever known. I didn't think I was lactose intolerant until I went vegan. The dramatic changes in my body assured me that I was, and had been all my life, I just hadn't known.
Anyway, this book discussed some of the side effects of dairy consumption. There were the ones we think of when we think of lactose intolerance, such as "chronic or occasional diarrhoea, bloating, flatulence and abdominal pains", but then there were the others. The ones we think are just part of the way we are, or due to some other cause, not our life-long consumption of something we are not made to eat:
"Intolerance to milk is the most common food allergy. Symptoms include asthma, eczema, skin rashes, chronic nasal and sinus problems, tonsillitis, ulcerative colitis, bowel irregularity, hyperactivity, depression, migraines and some forms of arthritis. Cow's milk can cause gastrointestinal bleeding in infants leading to anaemia and there is a proven link between milk consumption and cataracts in older people. Dairy products can account for half our saturated fat intake, making them a high risk factor in heart disease - [Australia's] biggest killer."
So there you go, scary stuff, but from my experience I can say that it's absolutely true. If you want to cut anything from your diet to improve your health, dairy would probably bump even meat down to second on the list (and meat is pretty #$@!* bad for you!). Try it and feel the difference!
Happy eating! :)
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Sunday, September 30
A very interesting read
At uni the other day, while looking for a completely different book, I came across Issues in Society: Vegetarianism. I flicked through and it looked interesting so I borrowed it for Jeff to read (I get angry with him for not caring about animal welfare, he gets angry with me for trying to make him care. That doesn't stop me from trying though! Chisel and a stone...).
I think that this is a great book for someone thinking of becoming veg*n, interested in knowing more about veg*nism, or someone trying to nudge someone else into either of the first two categories (i.e. me). This book is part of a large series (it is volume 339!) and the blurb describes the series like this:
"Issues in Society is an invaluable series of books which contain previously published information sourced from newspapers, magazines, journals, government reports, surveys, websites and lobby group literature. The series offers up-to-date, diverse information about the social issues shaping our changing world. Each book explores a range of facts and opinions, providing the reader with a concise overview of the topic."
There are so many other interesting titles in this series so I'm sure there's something for everyone but I think that everyone should start with this one! It was only published this year as well so it's really up-to-date. See if your local library has it or buy it online. Here are the details:
Healey, J (ed) 2012, Issues in Society: Vegetarianism, Spinney Press, New South Wales.
Happy eating! (and reading!) :)
I think that this is a great book for someone thinking of becoming veg*n, interested in knowing more about veg*nism, or someone trying to nudge someone else into either of the first two categories (i.e. me). This book is part of a large series (it is volume 339!) and the blurb describes the series like this:
"Issues in Society is an invaluable series of books which contain previously published information sourced from newspapers, magazines, journals, government reports, surveys, websites and lobby group literature. The series offers up-to-date, diverse information about the social issues shaping our changing world. Each book explores a range of facts and opinions, providing the reader with a concise overview of the topic."
There are so many other interesting titles in this series so I'm sure there's something for everyone but I think that everyone should start with this one! It was only published this year as well so it's really up-to-date. See if your local library has it or buy it online. Here are the details:
Healey, J (ed) 2012, Issues in Society: Vegetarianism, Spinney Press, New South Wales.
Happy eating! (and reading!) :)
Thursday, April 19
In sickness and in health
Hello everyone!
I apologise for my absence, I've been quite sick with a stress related digestive problem that I have, which leads me to the topic of this post: vegan foods to nurse you back to health when you feel nauseous.
At first, I ate only Heinz tomato soup. I tried eating toast but it made me sick so I stuck to just the plain soup. After a few meals of that, I started eating plain quick oats porridge made with water. After a couple of days of eating only tomato soup and porridge, I started adding milk and golden syrup to my porridge, drinking watered down juice, and for dinner had equal portions of boiled rice and boiled red lentils all mixed up with a bit of salt. I have to say that this was actually delicious and I should make it more often! I had this rice and lentil mixture the next day for lunch and that night I had veggie mash. I'm now recovered and able to eat everything again! Yay!
So if you ever feel sick, try eating some of those foods, they were just what I needed!
I apologise for my absence, I've been quite sick with a stress related digestive problem that I have, which leads me to the topic of this post: vegan foods to nurse you back to health when you feel nauseous.
At first, I ate only Heinz tomato soup. I tried eating toast but it made me sick so I stuck to just the plain soup. After a few meals of that, I started eating plain quick oats porridge made with water. After a couple of days of eating only tomato soup and porridge, I started adding milk and golden syrup to my porridge, drinking watered down juice, and for dinner had equal portions of boiled rice and boiled red lentils all mixed up with a bit of salt. I have to say that this was actually delicious and I should make it more often! I had this rice and lentil mixture the next day for lunch and that night I had veggie mash. I'm now recovered and able to eat everything again! Yay!
So if you ever feel sick, try eating some of those foods, they were just what I needed!
Tuesday, April 10
Some thoughts on the 'humans are meant to eat meat' argument
So now that I'm officially a vegan, I've been doing some thinking about the arguments people come up with as to why I'm a weirdo. One of them is "But humans are meant to eat meat, it's our natural diet". If the person who says this is somewhat intelligent it is often backed up with "That's why we have canine teeth".
Canine teeth. Let's talk about canine teeth.
Canine teeth are named, I assume, after the pointy fangs of dog-animals (wolves, foxes, jackals etc), as their family name is canidae (not to be confused with Canada, they are very different), and wolves and dogs are also from the genus canis. Let's have a look at some human canine teeth.
And elephants, in fact, lack everything except molars and 2 incisors (their tusks):
However many, nay, most, herbivores do have canine teeth. Here is a good example of canine teeth in a horse:
The thing about evolution is, it's not neat and simple. There are dead ends and there are leftovers. All animals are descendants of animals which, at some point along the line, probably engaged in a bit of flesh eating. When diets and lifestyles changed over millions of years and generations, the evidence of this didn't disappear, it just started to shrink. In animals that weren't eating as much meat as they used to, canine teeth began to shrink as they became useless. That's why herbivorous animals such as horses, sheep, and deer have little canine teeth that are not suited to meat eating. Why is this relevant? Because people have little canine teeth that are not suited to meat eating.
Cats are one of the few types of animals that are truly carnivorous. While they do occasionally eat grass, they seem to do this to make themselves vomit, rather than for sustenance. Here is a great picture of cat teeth:
Can you even see any incisors? They are virtually non-existent because they are useless to a cat. Cats don't bite apples or nibble grass. Ok, so maybe they do nibble grass, but you'll notice they awkwardly do it with their tall, pointy molars, made for slicing meat rather than grinding like our short, flat ones.
Some will say that the reason people don't have large canines and tiny incisors like cats is because we are omnivores. Is this true though? Dogs are omnivores. Their teeth look like this:
Kind of similar to a cat really. The incisors are bigger but the canine teeth are still huge and the molars are not flat. However, dogs do eat a fair amount of meat so let's take a look at an omnivorous animal that eats very little meat. Grizzly bears. People usually think of bears as carnivores and indeed some bears have to be, such as polar bears. Most bears though are omnivorous and eat mainly plant matter. The majority of a grizzly bear's diet is plant matter, with a few small animals thrown in every now and then. This is a grizzly bear skull:
Those incisors are starting to look familiar and the molars sure are looking nice and flat. However, the canine teeth are still long and very thick. Maybe this is because grizzly bears are more closely related to dogs (and many other animals!) than to humans. People often say that chimpanzees are out closest relatives and indeed their behaviour is very similar to ours. Chimpanzees eat plant matter, but they also hunt mammals and meat makes up a fair percentage of their diet.
Their teeth reveal that it has probably always been this way, or it has been this way for a very long time. While they have large incisors and flat molars, their canine teeth are huge. They overlap each other and protrude as far out of the jaw as those of a grizzly bear. The jaw is also very thickset and strong. Compare this to our actual closest relative, the bonobo. Bonobos are quite peaceful and sociable animals whose diet is almost entirely made up of plants. They do not actively hunt mammals for food though they will eat small ones if the opportunity arises. Mostly the animal-product part of their diet is made up of insects, eggs, and honey. They are foragers, and their teeth look like this:
So let's go back to the human teeth.
We have short flat, molars, largish incisors, and very small canine teeth. This evidence suggests that humans are inherently vegan. We are foragers and scavengers, opportunists who would eat meat if they found it (probably dead) but otherwise lived quite happily on what they could eat from plants. It appears that, up until quite recently, our natural diet consisted of less animal-products than the diet of a bonobo. So why do we eat meat now? Well, lots of reasons really. Farming livestock is easier than foraging, eating meat means that you eat smaller meals and less often than if you were eating only plant matter, and the main reason? Dogs. Dogs hung around people, people hung around dogs. Dogs kill animals and leave leftovers. It doesn't take long for opportunists such as ourselves to work out that if we work in partnership with the dogs we can get a free feed.
Does this mean that we need to continue eating meat and other animal products though? When we are now lucky enough to be able to access our natural diet without the inconvenience of foraging, why would we pass this up? It's been widely shown that eating meat is not very good for our health. It contributes to cancer, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure, heart problems, obesity, and a whole range of other, and related, health problems. Since going vegan I have really felt the change in my body. I have energy, I have vitality, I feel as if I work properly now. I believe this is because I'm now giving my body what it needs, its natural diet.
Canine teeth do tell us what our natural diet is. Our natural diet is pretty much vegan. So take that somewhat intelligent people that try to make me feel like a weirdo because I don't consume the breast milk of another species. Weirdo.
Happy eating! :)
Canine teeth. Let's talk about canine teeth.
Canine teeth are named, I assume, after the pointy fangs of dog-animals (wolves, foxes, jackals etc), as their family name is canidae (not to be confused with Canada, they are very different), and wolves and dogs are also from the genus canis. Let's have a look at some human canine teeth.
There they are, they're the ones coloured in red. Basically, there are 3 kinds of teeth. Incisors are the ones at the front (the blue ones), they are chisel shaped and used for cutting plant matter; think of biting an apple or a sheep nibbling grass. Canine teeth are pointy, they are used for tearing flesh and are handy if you want to gnaw meat off a bone. Then there's molars (the green ones), they are flat and ridgy and are used for grinding up plant matter that has already been chomped by the incisors.
Take a look at the set of human teeth, the incisors are actually the longest teeth, if you're canines were longer than your incisors then you'd look like a vampire and people would be creeped out. In fact, people tend to find people with big incisors quite attractive, just look at American celebrities. The widest teeth are the molars, and humans have quite a lot of them, 20 in an adult, and they are nice and flat for grinding. The canine teeth in humans are actually quite small and inconsequential. Sure they might be sharp, but they're no sharper than any of the other teeth.
The argument is that, because humans have canine teeth, they must be 'meat eaters'. It is true that some herbivores lack canine teeth, look at a cow for instance:
And elephants, in fact, lack everything except molars and 2 incisors (their tusks):
However many, nay, most, herbivores do have canine teeth. Here is a good example of canine teeth in a horse:
The thing about evolution is, it's not neat and simple. There are dead ends and there are leftovers. All animals are descendants of animals which, at some point along the line, probably engaged in a bit of flesh eating. When diets and lifestyles changed over millions of years and generations, the evidence of this didn't disappear, it just started to shrink. In animals that weren't eating as much meat as they used to, canine teeth began to shrink as they became useless. That's why herbivorous animals such as horses, sheep, and deer have little canine teeth that are not suited to meat eating. Why is this relevant? Because people have little canine teeth that are not suited to meat eating.
Cats are one of the few types of animals that are truly carnivorous. While they do occasionally eat grass, they seem to do this to make themselves vomit, rather than for sustenance. Here is a great picture of cat teeth:
Can you even see any incisors? They are virtually non-existent because they are useless to a cat. Cats don't bite apples or nibble grass. Ok, so maybe they do nibble grass, but you'll notice they awkwardly do it with their tall, pointy molars, made for slicing meat rather than grinding like our short, flat ones.
Some will say that the reason people don't have large canines and tiny incisors like cats is because we are omnivores. Is this true though? Dogs are omnivores. Their teeth look like this:
Kind of similar to a cat really. The incisors are bigger but the canine teeth are still huge and the molars are not flat. However, dogs do eat a fair amount of meat so let's take a look at an omnivorous animal that eats very little meat. Grizzly bears. People usually think of bears as carnivores and indeed some bears have to be, such as polar bears. Most bears though are omnivorous and eat mainly plant matter. The majority of a grizzly bear's diet is plant matter, with a few small animals thrown in every now and then. This is a grizzly bear skull:
Those incisors are starting to look familiar and the molars sure are looking nice and flat. However, the canine teeth are still long and very thick. Maybe this is because grizzly bears are more closely related to dogs (and many other animals!) than to humans. People often say that chimpanzees are out closest relatives and indeed their behaviour is very similar to ours. Chimpanzees eat plant matter, but they also hunt mammals and meat makes up a fair percentage of their diet.
Their teeth reveal that it has probably always been this way, or it has been this way for a very long time. While they have large incisors and flat molars, their canine teeth are huge. They overlap each other and protrude as far out of the jaw as those of a grizzly bear. The jaw is also very thickset and strong. Compare this to our actual closest relative, the bonobo. Bonobos are quite peaceful and sociable animals whose diet is almost entirely made up of plants. They do not actively hunt mammals for food though they will eat small ones if the opportunity arises. Mostly the animal-product part of their diet is made up of insects, eggs, and honey. They are foragers, and their teeth look like this:
So let's go back to the human teeth.
We have short flat, molars, largish incisors, and very small canine teeth. This evidence suggests that humans are inherently vegan. We are foragers and scavengers, opportunists who would eat meat if they found it (probably dead) but otherwise lived quite happily on what they could eat from plants. It appears that, up until quite recently, our natural diet consisted of less animal-products than the diet of a bonobo. So why do we eat meat now? Well, lots of reasons really. Farming livestock is easier than foraging, eating meat means that you eat smaller meals and less often than if you were eating only plant matter, and the main reason? Dogs. Dogs hung around people, people hung around dogs. Dogs kill animals and leave leftovers. It doesn't take long for opportunists such as ourselves to work out that if we work in partnership with the dogs we can get a free feed.
Does this mean that we need to continue eating meat and other animal products though? When we are now lucky enough to be able to access our natural diet without the inconvenience of foraging, why would we pass this up? It's been widely shown that eating meat is not very good for our health. It contributes to cancer, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure, heart problems, obesity, and a whole range of other, and related, health problems. Since going vegan I have really felt the change in my body. I have energy, I have vitality, I feel as if I work properly now. I believe this is because I'm now giving my body what it needs, its natural diet.
Canine teeth do tell us what our natural diet is. Our natural diet is pretty much vegan. So take that somewhat intelligent people that try to make me feel like a weirdo because I don't consume the breast milk of another species. Weirdo.
Happy eating! :)
Monday, March 5
Complete protein meals
After "So do you just, like, eat salad?" one of the next most annoying things I get asked is "But what about protein?" Let's take a trip back to the classroom, what is protein? Protein is needed for cell growth and hormone production, proteins are made of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids and different proteins are formed by different combinations of amino acids joining together. The different proteins are then joined together in different combinations to create hormones etc.
It is a commonly held belief that, because they don't eat meat, vegetarians and vegans don't get enough protein. This is not true. It is true that meat and animal products, such as dairy and eggs, are high in protein, but several studies have found that meat eaters consume up to twice as much protein as they should. Too much protein can cause you to excrete calcium in your urine, which can lead to osteoporosis and kidney disease. Meat and animal products also lack much nutrition besides protein. Sure there's some minerals and a few vitamins, but there are not many vitamins, basically no fiber, and no antioxidants, which counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. Animal products also tend to be full of saturated fat, some of which is good, but too much of which is really bad. And it's way too easy to eat too much! There are many oils besides saturated fats that our bodies require, and these can all be found in plants. Hey, what do you think the cows eat to get all that protein and fat in the first place?
Some good sources of plant based protein are grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, mushrooms (actually not a plant but oh well), and, strangely, broccoli. Grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, fruit, and vegetables provide all the amino acids in abundance, so vegetarians and vegans are not at risk of not getting enough protein! They are also not at risk of getting too much, especially vegans because they don't eat dairy or eggs, which could cause a vegetarian to eat too much protein.
Eating a meal of grains and legumes together creates a complete protein meal, one that provides all 20 amino acids. I have a cookbook, The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (Murdoch books 1996), which has a great nutritional section. It would be great for anyone becoming vegetarian or vegan but not quite sure what their food pyramid should look like. Part of the nutritional section gives examples (and mouthwatering photos!) of complete protein meals.
Some examples of a complete protein meal are:
Red beans and rice (or any beans and rice!)
Hummus and flat bread (such as pita)
Split pea soup with a bread roll or toast
Chickpea and couscous salad
Tabouli and bean salad
Daal and naan (and rice!)
Peanut butter on toast
Lentil burger on a bread roll (Mmm, burgers anyone?)
Falafel wrap (or yiros)
Nachos
Baked beans on toast
Plus many many more! You are only limited by your imagination.
So as you can see, protein is everywhere in the vegetarian and vegan world and they mostly come with fiber (unlike meat) and without saturated fat (unlike meat). Yay for baked beans on toast! So what can you say to the doubters? I just say "Well, gorillas all seem to grow up big and strong, genetically we're pretty much the same, and they're vegan. Would you fight a silverback?"
Happy eating! :)
It is a commonly held belief that, because they don't eat meat, vegetarians and vegans don't get enough protein. This is not true. It is true that meat and animal products, such as dairy and eggs, are high in protein, but several studies have found that meat eaters consume up to twice as much protein as they should. Too much protein can cause you to excrete calcium in your urine, which can lead to osteoporosis and kidney disease. Meat and animal products also lack much nutrition besides protein. Sure there's some minerals and a few vitamins, but there are not many vitamins, basically no fiber, and no antioxidants, which counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. Animal products also tend to be full of saturated fat, some of which is good, but too much of which is really bad. And it's way too easy to eat too much! There are many oils besides saturated fats that our bodies require, and these can all be found in plants. Hey, what do you think the cows eat to get all that protein and fat in the first place?
Some good sources of plant based protein are grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, mushrooms (actually not a plant but oh well), and, strangely, broccoli. Grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, fruit, and vegetables provide all the amino acids in abundance, so vegetarians and vegans are not at risk of not getting enough protein! They are also not at risk of getting too much, especially vegans because they don't eat dairy or eggs, which could cause a vegetarian to eat too much protein.
Eating a meal of grains and legumes together creates a complete protein meal, one that provides all 20 amino acids. I have a cookbook, The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (Murdoch books 1996), which has a great nutritional section. It would be great for anyone becoming vegetarian or vegan but not quite sure what their food pyramid should look like. Part of the nutritional section gives examples (and mouthwatering photos!) of complete protein meals.
Some examples of a complete protein meal are:
Red beans and rice (or any beans and rice!)
Hummus and flat bread (such as pita)
Split pea soup with a bread roll or toast
Chickpea and couscous salad
Tabouli and bean salad
Daal and naan (and rice!)
Peanut butter on toast
Lentil burger on a bread roll (Mmm, burgers anyone?)
Falafel wrap (or yiros)
Nachos
Baked beans on toast
Plus many many more! You are only limited by your imagination.
So as you can see, protein is everywhere in the vegetarian and vegan world and they mostly come with fiber (unlike meat) and without saturated fat (unlike meat). Yay for baked beans on toast! So what can you say to the doubters? I just say "Well, gorillas all seem to grow up big and strong, genetically we're pretty much the same, and they're vegan. Would you fight a silverback?"
Happy eating! :)
Thursday, March 1
No vitamin B12 in Vegemite!
I have to retract a statement that I made previously, that Vegemite is a great source of vitamin B12. Today I made the shocking discovery that Vegemite contains NO vitamin B12. I feel I have been lied to my entire life. I've always heard it was full of B12 but no, apparently not. According to the official website, only My First Vegemite has vitamin B12 (and it also has iron), but even then it's not much of the daily reccommended intake. Also, it doesn't have the full flavour of proper vegemite, but it has half the salt. I went looking for it at the supermarket anyway and neither Woolworths nor Coles stocked it!
As a vegetarian I ate lots of Vegemite to make sure that I was getting enough B12, especially since I'm not a big egg eater, and as a vegan I have been eating quite a bit of the stuff to compensate for not eating animal products such as eggs and dairy.
So what are some good vegetarian, and most importantly vegan, sources of vitamin B12? After going through some of my more thourough vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and the internet, I have comprised the following list:
Vegan - Marmite, seaweeds, alfalfa sprouts, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy milk
Non-vegan vegetarian - Dairy and eggs
Vitamin B12 is very important for the body so it is important that as a vegan I make sure I am getting enough of it. I am currently consuming fortified cereal and fortified soy milk though I wonder if this will be enough. I do have regular blood tests to keep track of a medical condition and have always had results showing very high vitamin B12. I will keep you posted on whether this changes. I am really hoping to be able to prove that vegans don't need supplements!
Happy eating! :)
As a vegetarian I ate lots of Vegemite to make sure that I was getting enough B12, especially since I'm not a big egg eater, and as a vegan I have been eating quite a bit of the stuff to compensate for not eating animal products such as eggs and dairy.
So what are some good vegetarian, and most importantly vegan, sources of vitamin B12? After going through some of my more thourough vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and the internet, I have comprised the following list:
Vegan - Marmite, seaweeds, alfalfa sprouts, fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy milk
Non-vegan vegetarian - Dairy and eggs
Vitamin B12 is very important for the body so it is important that as a vegan I make sure I am getting enough of it. I am currently consuming fortified cereal and fortified soy milk though I wonder if this will be enough. I do have regular blood tests to keep track of a medical condition and have always had results showing very high vitamin B12. I will keep you posted on whether this changes. I am really hoping to be able to prove that vegans don't need supplements!
Happy eating! :)
Sunday, February 12
An observation...
Something I have noticed through writing this blog is that I don't eat anywhere near the right amount of fruit and vegies! Most of what I eat is just empty carbs. This goes to show that a vegetarian diet can still be unhealthy! As I always say to people, chips (generally) are vegetarian and chocolate certainly is! I really must eat more fresh produce...
Wednesday, January 18
Supplements?
So today, after recieving the results of some blood tests related to an ongoing illness, I was once again told of my excellent iron and vitamin B12 levels. As always, this got me thinking about the belief that seems to be held by our society that vegetarians, and especially vegans, must have to take vitamin and mineral supplements because their diet is obviously lacking in nutrients. I have to say once and for all that, in my experience, that is absolutely not true! I have been vegetarian for almost 5 years and, due to unrelated medical issues, I have been having regular blood tests for almost that entire time. Never have I had a deficiency of any kind.
Though many people think that vegetarians need to take vitamin and mineral supplements to stay healthy (even many vegetarians!), in my experience, this is just untrue. Eating a balanced vegetarian diet should provide you with ample nutrients. The only thing that vegetarianism eliminates from the diet is meat and meat by-products and these do not contain any nutrients that cannot also be found in vegetarian foods, especially in dairy and eggs as they are animal derived. I cannot speak on the necessity for supplements in a vegan diet, as I am not vegan, but I would assume that a focused and educated individual could live very well on a vegan diet without supplements.
The main mineral that people seem to think that vegetarians miss out on is iron. This is untrue as the foods highest in iron are mostly vegetarian, and of those that aren't, I doubt they are included in many non-vegetarians' diets.
For example, a quick Google search gave me a list of top 10 foods highest in iron. The list was as follows:
1. Dried thyme
2. Cocoa powder, unsweetened, and dark chocolate
3. Liver
4. Clams, oysters, and mussels
5. Roasted pumpkin and squash seeds
6. Tahini and sesame seeds
7. Caviar
8. Sun-dried tomatoes
9. Sunflower seeds
10. Dried apricots
Another site also has some pretty comprehensive lists of food high in iron, separated into grains, vegetables etc and almost all of these are vegetarian. Therefore, it is a myth that vegetarians are at risk of developing an iron deficiency. Iron supplements should not be needed in any diet, non-vegetarian, vegetarian, or vegan. Iron deficiency is caused by bad diet or medical conditions, not by lack of meat. Also, iron supplements have a tendancy to cause constipation and can, in my anecdotal experience, turn your poo a vivid shade of green. This would undoubtedly lead to amusement in the circles I travel in but constipation, on the other hand, is not fun.
It is important to note that vitamin C plays a vital role in the iron absorption process and that many non-vegetarians (and some vegetarians for that matter!) do not eat enough vitamin C rich foods. This means that of any iron being eaten, much is not absorbed. In an organized and structured fashion that gives me much more joy than it should, the aforementioned website has many lists of top 10 foods to find different nutrients in. Ah lists, categorization, and ranking, how I love thee. One of these lists is on vitamin C rich foods and I thought that since we are on the subject, I should share them with you and pose the question, are you eating these? Because if you're relying on orange juice I'm afraid you might be in for some problems. The list is:
1. Red and green hot chilli peppers
2. Guavas
3. Bell peppers (capsicum to us Australian folk)
4. Fresh thyme and parsley
5. Dark leafy greens (eg kale, mustard greens, garden cress)
6. Broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts
7. Kiwi fruit
8. Papaya (AKA pawpaw)
9. Citrus fruits (though probably not the juice you buy at the supermarket)
10. Strawberries
So, you probably don't eat as many of those foods as you should, do you? I'm actually worried now that I'm not eating enough of them...
Many foods such as bread and cereals are also iron enriched. When I was in primary school we did a good experiment for this, blending up some breakfast cereal and then stirring it with magnets. Literally, iron filings were pulled from the cereal by the magnets. This is not to say anything against the companies that do it because unless bound within a living thing, ie plants, animals, and fungi, one of the only ways to add iron to the diet is to add iron filings.
The second nutrient often lacking in an unbalanced vegetarian diet is vitamin B12. This is little known in the public conciousness and probably poses a greater risk to vegetarians because of that. Many people just starting to live a vegetarian lifestyle are not aware that vitamin B12 deficiency is something they should be aware of. I have heard that vitamin B12 is particularly difficult for vegans to incorporate into their diet as it is very difficult to find in much abundance in non-animal foods. Indeed the website with the top ten list of iron rich and vitamin C rich foods mentioned above also has one for vitamin B12 rich foods (yay! How very comprehensive!), their list is:
1. Clams, oysters, and mussels
2. Liver
3. Caviar
4. Octopus
5. Fish
6. Crab and lobster
7. Beef
8. Lamb and mutton
9. Cheese
10. Eggs
As you can see, only two of these are vegetarian, and none are vegan. As part of a balanced diet, vegetarians should get enough vitamin B12 but it is something to be aware of. The next best vegetarian source of vitamin B12 after dairy and eggs (and probably one of the best vegan sources) is Vegemite and similar yeast spreads, such as Marmite. And really, how hard is it to have some Vegemite on toast for breakfast every once in a while?
So in conclusion, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, unless caused by an underlying medical condition, are the result of an unbalanced diet. Take a look at your diet and see if you should perhaps be eating more of the above mentioned foods!
Happy eating :)
Though many people think that vegetarians need to take vitamin and mineral supplements to stay healthy (even many vegetarians!), in my experience, this is just untrue. Eating a balanced vegetarian diet should provide you with ample nutrients. The only thing that vegetarianism eliminates from the diet is meat and meat by-products and these do not contain any nutrients that cannot also be found in vegetarian foods, especially in dairy and eggs as they are animal derived. I cannot speak on the necessity for supplements in a vegan diet, as I am not vegan, but I would assume that a focused and educated individual could live very well on a vegan diet without supplements.
The main mineral that people seem to think that vegetarians miss out on is iron. This is untrue as the foods highest in iron are mostly vegetarian, and of those that aren't, I doubt they are included in many non-vegetarians' diets.
For example, a quick Google search gave me a list of top 10 foods highest in iron. The list was as follows:
1. Dried thyme
2. Cocoa powder, unsweetened, and dark chocolate
3. Liver
4. Clams, oysters, and mussels
5. Roasted pumpkin and squash seeds
6. Tahini and sesame seeds
7. Caviar
8. Sun-dried tomatoes
9. Sunflower seeds
10. Dried apricots
Another site also has some pretty comprehensive lists of food high in iron, separated into grains, vegetables etc and almost all of these are vegetarian. Therefore, it is a myth that vegetarians are at risk of developing an iron deficiency. Iron supplements should not be needed in any diet, non-vegetarian, vegetarian, or vegan. Iron deficiency is caused by bad diet or medical conditions, not by lack of meat. Also, iron supplements have a tendancy to cause constipation and can, in my anecdotal experience, turn your poo a vivid shade of green. This would undoubtedly lead to amusement in the circles I travel in but constipation, on the other hand, is not fun.
It is important to note that vitamin C plays a vital role in the iron absorption process and that many non-vegetarians (and some vegetarians for that matter!) do not eat enough vitamin C rich foods. This means that of any iron being eaten, much is not absorbed. In an organized and structured fashion that gives me much more joy than it should, the aforementioned website has many lists of top 10 foods to find different nutrients in. Ah lists, categorization, and ranking, how I love thee. One of these lists is on vitamin C rich foods and I thought that since we are on the subject, I should share them with you and pose the question, are you eating these? Because if you're relying on orange juice I'm afraid you might be in for some problems. The list is:
1. Red and green hot chilli peppers
2. Guavas
3. Bell peppers (capsicum to us Australian folk)
4. Fresh thyme and parsley
5. Dark leafy greens (eg kale, mustard greens, garden cress)
6. Broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts
7. Kiwi fruit
8. Papaya (AKA pawpaw)
9. Citrus fruits (though probably not the juice you buy at the supermarket)
10. Strawberries
So, you probably don't eat as many of those foods as you should, do you? I'm actually worried now that I'm not eating enough of them...
Many foods such as bread and cereals are also iron enriched. When I was in primary school we did a good experiment for this, blending up some breakfast cereal and then stirring it with magnets. Literally, iron filings were pulled from the cereal by the magnets. This is not to say anything against the companies that do it because unless bound within a living thing, ie plants, animals, and fungi, one of the only ways to add iron to the diet is to add iron filings.
The second nutrient often lacking in an unbalanced vegetarian diet is vitamin B12. This is little known in the public conciousness and probably poses a greater risk to vegetarians because of that. Many people just starting to live a vegetarian lifestyle are not aware that vitamin B12 deficiency is something they should be aware of. I have heard that vitamin B12 is particularly difficult for vegans to incorporate into their diet as it is very difficult to find in much abundance in non-animal foods. Indeed the website with the top ten list of iron rich and vitamin C rich foods mentioned above also has one for vitamin B12 rich foods (yay! How very comprehensive!), their list is:
1. Clams, oysters, and mussels
2. Liver
3. Caviar
4. Octopus
5. Fish
6. Crab and lobster
7. Beef
8. Lamb and mutton
9. Cheese
10. Eggs
As you can see, only two of these are vegetarian, and none are vegan. As part of a balanced diet, vegetarians should get enough vitamin B12 but it is something to be aware of. The next best vegetarian source of vitamin B12 after dairy and eggs (and probably one of the best vegan sources) is Vegemite and similar yeast spreads, such as Marmite. And really, how hard is it to have some Vegemite on toast for breakfast every once in a while?
So in conclusion, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, unless caused by an underlying medical condition, are the result of an unbalanced diet. Take a look at your diet and see if you should perhaps be eating more of the above mentioned foods!
Happy eating :)
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