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.”
Why is one person convinced that the vegan diet “saved my life” and another believes “it nearly killed me?”
There is no ideal, universal, healthy diet. One diet doesn’t fit all and we are all different in the way our bodies metabolize food. A diet rich in carbohydrates may energize some and make others feel lethargic.
About two per cent of adult Americans and approximately 500 million of the world’s population follow some form of a vegetarian diet because of religious, economic, ethical or health reasons.
When properly planed, this diet can boost your health because it may help you:
- Reduce the likelihood of metabolic syndrome
- Lower your LDL (lousy) cholesterol levels
- Reduce your risk of heart attacks and heart disease
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Take in fewer overall calories, especially from saturated fat
- Lose weight,
- Take in more fiber
Certain groups of vegans need to take special precautions to get proper nutrition into their diet. Included in this group are older adults, children and teenagers, women who are pregnant or breast feeding and those with medical problems.
Vegetarian diets: do not include meat, poultry, fish, seafood or by-products containing those foods.
- Vegan diet (strict vegetarians), restricts meals to plant-based foods and excludes all meat, fish, poultry and animal by-products. Some also exclude rennin and gelatin from their diets
- Lacto-vegetarian diet includes plant-based foods plus dairy products, but excludes eggs
- Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet includes plant-based foods plus dairy products and eggs.
Semi-vegetarian diets
- Flexitarian diet focuses on plant-based foods, but occasionally includes meat.
- Pescatarian diet includes plant foods, but at times allows fish and seafood.
- Pollotarian diet focuses on plant-based foods, but includes poultry
What is essential, regardless of the reason for choosing a particular vegetarian diet, is the need to incorporate into the diet a variety of plant-based foods to satisfy a person’s nutritional needs. When necessary, be ready to supplement the diet with vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, as in the case of Angelina Jolie, you may not get “enough nutrition.”
How vegetarians have combated nutrient deficiencies will be the topic of discussion at a later date…
References
American Dietetic Association, Position of the American Dietetic Association: Vegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109 1266-1282.
United States Department of Agriculture .Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,
Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. 2010
Mercola, Joseph’ How to Avoid Common Nutrient Deficiencies if you’re a Vegan; August, 2015
NIH, National Institute of Health; Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet
Anticaglia, Joseph R. MD; Metabolic Syndrome and Wellness Stay Off the Farm; HC Smart, 2016
This article is intended solely as a learning experience. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options.