i hav been veggie for bout 9 months (parents wouldnt let me before, took me 3years asking for them to give in) and after looking at my diet i realize i now hav a vegan diet.
is there any foods you would expect to be vegan that actually hav eggs or dairy in?
and what supplements and vitamins etc should i be taking? bread has whey, which is from egg. a lot of margarines do to.
if you need to take vitamins/supplements, the diet isn't good for you. do the research and figure out how to get all your nutrients from your foods. as a vegan, iron and protein might be lacking in your diet. look up which veggies have more of those. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recommends what they call the "Four New Food Groups."[47] They suggest that vegans and vegetarians eat at least three servings of vegetables a day, including dark green, leafy vegetables such as broccoli, and dark yellow and orange such as carrots; five servings of whole grains (bread, rice, pasta); three of fruit; and two of legumes (beans, peas, lentils).[47]
Public Health specialists have been increasingly alerting about the importance of diet in the prevention of chronic disease. Advice obtained from the Committee On Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy (COMA) in the UK, specifies that to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables while avoiding high intakes of red and processed meat may reduce the risk markers for chronic diseases such as cancer
Vitamin B12 in plants varies widely depending on the type of plant and the soil in which it is grown.[69] The Vegan Society and Vegan Outreach, and others, recommend that vegans either consistently eat foods fortified with B12 or take a B12 supplement.[70][71][72] Deficiencies in Vitamin B12, a bacterial product that cannot be reliably found in plant foods,[73][74][66] can have serious health consequences, including anemia and neurodegenerative disease.[75] If a person has not eaten more than the daily needed amount of B12 over a long period before becoming a vegan then they may not have built up any significant store of the vitamin.[76] Clinical evidence of Vitamin B12 deficiency is uncommon[77][78] given to the fact that the human body preserves B12, using it without destroying the substance. Vegetarians who were previously meat eaters may preserve, up to 30 years, stores of Vit B12 in their bodies.[69]. The recommendation of taking supplements has been recently challenged by studies indicating that exogenous B12 may actually interfere with the proper absorption of this viatmin in its natural form.[79] The research on Vit B12 sources has increased in the latest years [1] and researchers at Hiroshima University have developed methods for growing plants rich in vitamin B12. [2]
In a 2002 laboratory study, more of the strict vegan participants' B12 and iron levels were compromised than those of lacto- or lacto-ovo-vegetarian participants.[80] As of 2005, no food in Europe or the U.S. had been tested for lowering MMA levels, the gold standard for determining B12 activity.[81][82]
A study, published in the June 1, 2007 issue of Cancer Research, suggests that while higher dietary intakes of B6, B9, and B12 are associated with reduced rates of pancreatic cancer for people at or below normal body weight, some people who received these nutrients from multivitamin pills had an increased risk of developing the disease.[83]
[edit] Calcium
A 5.2 year study, released in February 2007 by Oxford, showed that vegans have an increased risk of bone fractures over both meat eaters and vegetarians, likely due to lower dietary calcium intake, and that vegans consuming more than the UK's estimated average requirements for calcium of 525 mg/day had risk of bone fractures similar to other groups.[63][84]
It is recommended that vegans eat three servings per day of a high calcium food, such as fortified soy milk, and take a calcium supplement as necessary;[62][9] although recent research suggests that dietary calcium is better than supplements, at least for women.[85] Fortified soy milk can also substitute for milk's common role as a source of vitamin D (another nutrient important for bone formation, commonly added to commercial milk). Adequate amounts of vitamin D may also be obtained by spending 15 to 30 minutes every few days in the sunlight for those with light skin (darker-skinned people require more sun), but this may be difficult for vegans in areas with low levels of sunlight during winter.[67][86][73]
[edit] Iodine
Iodine supplementation may be necessary for vegans in countries where salt is not typically iodized, where it is iodized at low levels, or where, as in Britain or Ireland, animal products are used for iodine delivery.[70][64] Iodine can be obtained from most vegan multivitamins or from regular consumption of kelp.[70][64]
[edit] Pregnancies and children
According to the US National Institute of Health, "with appropriate food choices, vegan diets can be adequate for children at all ages." [87] Dr. Benjamin Spock said, "Children who grow up getting their nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer." [88] The American Dietetic Association also considers well-planned vegan diets "appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and lactation,"[9] but recommends that vegan mothers supplement for iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12.[89][90] Vitamin B12 deficiency in lactating vegetarian mothers has been linked to deficiencies and neurological disorders in their children.[91][92] Some research suggests that the essential omega-3 fatty acid 伪-linolenic acid and its derivatives should also be supplemented in pregnant and lactating vegan mothers, since they are very low in most vegan diets, and the metabolically related docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential to the developing visual system.[93] Vegan diet has also been associated with low birth weight.[94] A 2006 study found that vegan mothers are five times less likely to have twins than those who eat animal products.[95]
In the last decade, a poorly planned vegan diet has been associated with several cases of severe infant malnutrition, and more rarely, with fatalities.[96] Crown Shakur weighed just 3 1/2 pounds when he died of starvation on April 25, 2004 at an age of six weeks.[97] A Miami-Dade medical examiner's office autopsy concluded Woyah Andreesohn died of "severe malnutrition" at the age of five months after being fed a raw food vegan diet by his parents.[98] The subsequent criminal conviction of the parents, ranging from assault to felony murder, has resulted in criticism of vegan diets for children.[99][100] Dr. Amy Lanou, an expert witness for the prosecution in the case of Crown Shakur, addressed the criticism, saying "(Crown) was not killed by a vegan diet... The real problem was that he was not given enough food of any sort."[101]
[edit] Eating disorders
The American Dietetic Association indicates that vegetarian diets may be more common among adolescents with eating disorders but that the evidence suggests that the adoption of a vegetarian diet does not lead to eating disorders, rather that "vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder."[9] Other studies and statements by dietitians and counselors support this conclusion. You should be taking protein supplements because just eating beans for protein isnt enough unles you want to be sickly and pale, try eating those nutrition bars that athletes and body builders eat. Most give you everything your body needs. Uh... I've been vegan since conception and have never taken a vitamin or supplement, or been sick.
Just check the labels. Anything containing whey, casein, and gelatin are not vegan.
If you're eating a vegan diet for ethical reasons,
please know that veganism is a lifestyle, not just what you eat. Vegans don鈥檛 wear leather, fur, or wool, buy products from companies that conduct non-required animal toxicity tests:
http://www.caringconsumer.com/pdfs/compa...
Or frequent zoos, rodeos, circuses, or other places where animals are held in captivity or forced to perform.
Good luck! |
