Two of the biggest concerns (and therefore sources of criticism) for non-vegans is that we "must" eat animals, and animal products, in order to guarantee our continued good health. This notion is perhaps one of the biggest myths surrounding veganism - in fact, it is so far from the truth that it is more accurate to label it an outright lie. It simply isn't true. I've already mentioned the numerous cancers that have been strongly linked to the consumption of meat and dairy in particular, but today I thought I'd look at some specific nutrition issues.
My prompt to do this was getting some test results back from my doctor today. I've been meaning to go and get a proper checkup for a while, and last week finally got some blood tests done - checking for diabetes, cholesterol, iron/haemaglobin, and so on. Basically, if there was any dietary concerns at all with being vegan, these tests were going to show it. And I'm pleased (but not at all surprised) to be able to say that I could not be a better picture of health in ANY way - passed absolutely everything with flying colours, not even a passing concern for anything.
Iron is one of the big things. Meat-eaters swear that you MUST eat meat or you simply will not be able to get enough iron in your diet. Tell that to my body, lol. I eat a pretty reasonable diet that is 100% meat-free, and yet my haemaglobin level was 145 - right smack-bang in the middle of the accepted range, exactly where you'd want it. Nothing wrong there at all. If there was any "need" for meat in order to get enough iron, there is no way my results would have been so good. So how did I do it? It was pretty easy actually: I just eat a well-balanced diet in the first place! That's it, nothing special, no more to it than that. Plenty of leafy green vegetables, nuts, legumes, and so on - just half a handful of cashews, for one example, gives you 10% of your daily iron all on its own.
Calcium is the other big one. Everyone knows you MUST have lots of milk/dairy to get enough calcium so your bones are big and strong! Well, sorry, but everyone who thinks that is wrong. First of all, milk is actually a rather poor source of calcium in terms of what our bodies can actually extract - only about 25% of calcium in milk is absorbable, the rest is bound up in insoluble compounds and inaccessible to our bodies. In other words, that glass of milk that supposedly gives you 28% of your daily needs in fact only gives you 7%. And yet the dietary advice always refers to the total amount of calcium - I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that such advice is misleading at best. That advice also ignores the very strong links between dairy consumption and osteoporosis - yes, that's right - dairy actually does more to weaken your bones than to strengthen them, and increases urinary excretion of calcium. The best way to get strong bones is weight-bearing exercise - and cutting down on dairy!
But how do you get enough calcium then? Again, those green leafy vegetables are a wonderful source, as well as nuts, seeds (sesame especially), etc. Ever tried tahini? Just 5g of tahini (as much as you'd use if you spread it thinly on a single slice of bread) contains around 29mg of calcium (tahini made from unhulled sesame seeds). And you don't have to use tahini as a spread, there are a multitude of excellent recipes in which you could use it. Again, you certainly do NOT need to consume animal products in order to meet your full nutritional needs.
So what were my calcium levels? Surely they'd be low if I'm not consuming any dairy/animal products at all? Quite the contrary, actually. My calcium level was 2.33mmol/L, which once again is smack-bang right in the middle of the range it should be in. I was never a big dairy consumer prior to becoming vegan, and obviously have cut it out altogether since then. And yet I have clearly had no trouble whatsoever in maintaining very healthy levels of calcium even so.
I've saved the best for last though, the one everyone always wants to know about: cholesterol. You do not actually need ANY cholesterol in your diet at all. Not even a microgram. Your body actually makes all the cholesterol it actually needs, and any dietary cholesterol is a bad idea - and yet, you cannot consume animal products without getting it anyway. Meat is particularly bad for cholesterol, but dairy isn't much better. Some people naturally make more than they should anyway, so adding dietary cholesterol is just making things even worse again in such cases. All of the fuss about adding good cholesterol to your diet is only because it is needed to balance the bad cholesterol present in animal products - take out the bad cholesterol, and you don't even need the good cholesterol either. Your body can look after itself just fine, on a properly balanced animal-free diet.
Okay, so what were my levels then? Some basic info about it first. According to the CSIRO, if your cholesterol levels are 6.5 mmol/L then your risk of heart attack is 4 times greater than someone whose levels are 4mmol/L. Approximately 50% of Australians have cholesterol levels greater than 5mmol/L, with 5.5 (around 200 mg/dL if you're American) considered the maximum "safe" level - although in this case, "safe" just means that your risk isn't as high as for those with higher levels, it doesn't actually mean that it's a good level to have. In basic terms, ANY dietary cholesterol is needlessly increasing your risk of heart disease and other disorders. And my cholesterol level? 2.5mmol/L (97mg/dL) - it really doesn't get much better (or lower) than that!
The great thing about cholesterol levels is that they will start to drop pretty much from the moment you stop consuming products that contain it. Remember, you don't need ANY cholesterol in your diet. So even if you've been a lifelong consumer of animal products, you will start to reverse some of the damaging effects of your diet from the very moment that you start to change it.
Anyway, that's probably MORE than enough for one day. I hope it is much clearer now that you really do NOT need to consume animal products in order to remain healthy, and that in fact removing animal products is one of the most effective steps towards improving your health. You certainly will not lack for any of your nutritional needs on a vegan diet, all you need to do is what you should do anyway: make sure it is well balanced with a good variety of different types of foods.
Animal free - good for you, good for the animals, good for the planet. Contrary to the myths and misunderstanding spread by meat-eaters (particularly the meat and dairy industry), switching to a vegan diet is probably one of the best things anyone could do for their health.
If you'd like to find out easily just what is in different types of food, check out http://www.nutritiondata.com You can look up pretty much any food, prepared in pretty much any way, and it shows you a comprehensive listing of nutritional values. A very handy resource for all of us, irrespective of dietary preferences.
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9 comments:
I have unfortunately had to delete a number of comments in response to this post. This blog was started for the sole purpose of providing information and support for vegans - it is NOT a forum for meat-industry activists or for those who wish to peddle infantile nonsense such as "it is a common misconception that animals suffer when you slaughter them, it's a painless process". Only someone lacking any sense of compassion, or a supporter of slaughter-for-profit would come out with rubbish like that - how is it painless to be electrocuted, then have your throat slashed whilst conscious (because the electrocution didn't work), and then dumped in a vat of scalding water and be roasted alive? Doesn't sound all that painless to me, but maybe I'm missing something, hey?
Anyway...if you have something sensible and intelligent to contribute, then please feel free to do so. But if all you can come up with is excuses for supporting abuse of animals and the environment because you're too lazy or uncaring to change, then I'm just going to delete your comments - so don't waste your time. :-)
I'm 15 and have been a vegan for about 7 months now and I'm feeling great. It's encouraging to hear that its entirely possibly to obtain adequate amounts of all the vital nutrients from a purely vegan diet. Thanks for the inspiration!
I am seriously considering going Vegan. Thanks for the valuable information!
I'm 19 years old, and a month ago I went vegetarian and already in two days I felt better. I didn't feel bloated anymore, I had more energy. And one thing I noticed is that I stopped needing afternoon naps, which usually happens after I ate lunch that always consisted of meat. Then I decided to step it up a bit and turn vegan. My pimples (which I have been plagued with since I was a young teenager) started disappearing and I lost FIVE pounds(i'm overweight too)! I'm eating healthier, I feel great, I'm taking a multivitamin (just in case), and I have so much more energy then I'm used too and I have only been vegan for a week (I believe the five pounds that I lost came from the meat that was trapped in my body, did you know that after you eat meat it can stay in your body for up to three days!)! I love it! Not only is it good for me, but my body seems to be thrilled with my decision too. Plus less gas since I've gotten off dairy and my breath and body odor doesn't even smell that bad anymore! not that it smelled bad in the first place, but there is definitely a significant difference. I love being vegan, though I do miss cheese. But I can't argue with the results.
For those who think being vegan or vegetarian is horrible or is only for tree huggers here is what I have to say to you "Don't knock it until you try it!"
I have been a vegetarian for 18 years and have recently begun the process of going vegan. For years I haven't bought items tested on animals etc. etc. Are there side effects with the initial stages of going vegan? My neck is breaking out which is really unusual. Looking forward to a healthier life.
Hi Beth,
If you're eating a well balanced diet then I wouldn't expect there would any problems at all. Maybe your body may go through a period of getting used to actually having good food put into it though! Just be sure to have plenty of things such as savoury yeast or dulse (a type of seaweed) or similar products that contain vitamin B12, as this is the one thing that can otherwise be difficult to get enough of.
I have been a vegetarian for 3 years now, and I wasn't sure if being a vegan was good for my health. I was always told I needed dairy for calcium and protein. But thanks to you, I think I'm going to become a vegan. Thank you so much for all the info. :)
Hi, where do you get your vitamin b12 from?
Hanif, there are HEAPS of sources for dietary B12 that vegans can have, and I've mentioned a few of them already in my response to Beth just a couple of comments above your own. And if you're still concerned, there are a range of very cheap and effective additional options such as supplements or periodic shots. It's pretty easy to keep your B12 levels up without much effort at all.
A question for you though: plenty of meat-eaters have B12 deficiency issues, but how many of them even know what B12 is to start with? B12 is not a "vegan problem", it's a general nutritional issue regardless of your diet.
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