Are you a Vegan?

If you are you may be deficient in VITAMIN B12, ZINC and IRON 

Vegans who eat a balance diet are unlikely to be deficient but it is essential to make sure the diet is well balanced. In the light of our article on soil Vegans should be very aware of their dietary needs. 

Many scientific studies comparing vegetarians with typical Western diet eaters have found that vegetarians are considerably healthier and less likely to suffer from a wide range of illnesses than meat eaters, and they tend to live longer. 

What’s more, there apparently are no illnesses to which vegetarians seem more prone to develop than are meat eaters. Since 1898, nutritionists have been telling us that: “No single factor is more important in determining the outbreak of cancer in the predisposed than high feeding. Many indications point to gluttonous consumption of meat as likely to be especially harmful.” (Scientific American, December 1898).

Vegetarian diets are associated with reduced risk for a number of chronic diseases, including: obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, mellitus, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and kidney disease. (“Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian Diets,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Messina, V. & Burke, K., V97 No. 11, 1997, p. 1317.) In many countries of the world - developing countries where few animal products are eaten - such diseases are virtually unknown.

A vegetarian eats food that is free from any ingredients obtained from the killing of animals. A vegan eats food free from any animal products. Because there are so many foods that vegetarians eat, it’s easier to state which they don’t eat!

What is a Vegan diet?

A vegetarian does not eat red meat (eg lamb, bacon, pork, beef), white meat or poultry (eg duck, chicken, turkey), fish or other sea creatures (eg tuna, cod, prawns, lobster) or slaughterhouse byproducts (eg animal fat, gelatin, as it is made from crushed bones, horns etc). A vegetarian may or may not eat eggs and dairy products (eg cow’s milk, cheese, butter, yogurt).

Find out more about Vitamin B12, Zinc and Iron

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