Doctor Column

Special Needs of Vegetarians. ‘What You May Be Lacking in Your Diet’ February 24, 2017 Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD People can be passionate about their diets. At times, it seems that on one side of the fence someone is opining, “In order to be healthy, your body needs beef, fish or chicken.” On the other side, another is screeching, “You’re crazy. A vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy.” There is room for both of these attitudes but is a vegan diet perfectly healthy? What You Need To Know About Vegetarian and Semi-Vegetarian Diets February 10, 2017 Joseph R. Anticaglia, MD Several years ago, in one of Angelina Jolie’s press conferences about her movie SALT, she reportedly said: “A big juicy steak is my beauty secret. But seriously, I love red meat. I was a vegan for a long time and it nearly killed me. I found I was not getting enough nutrition,” Jolie’s remarks caused passionate responses from vegans. For example, “The vegan diet saved my life. I’ve lost weight, my blood pressure is down, my cholesterol is lower and I have more energy.”