I think fat gets a bad rap, a little extra good fat will keep you metabolism fast and your brain sharp. I think it’s better to have a little too much fat rather than sugar, high G.I carbs and salt.

Regarding B-12, this is very important. Thanks for bringing this up. If you are a strict Vegan, you should take B-12 supplements. The best are sublingual (under the tongue) vs. a pill you swallow. Also look for B-12 in the “methylcobalmin” form which is the form that your body can use right away. By allowing the B-12 to dissolve under the tongue, the B-12 is absorbed by the capillaries in the mouth. I had my blood checked and the supplements are working for me.

If you don’t take B-12 supplements you can risk having high homocysteine levels that are a risk factor for major problems. You can have your homocysteine levels checked by your doctor very easily when you get your cholesterol checked.

Regarding iron, what I’ve read is this: yes, absorption from plant sources can be lower than from meat. However, beans and leafy greens are a great source of iron. Also vitamin C help boost absorption of iron. If you’re eating enough of these food groups, you should be fine. The incidence of iron deficiency is not any worse than found with meat eaters.

Thanks for contributing!

it is only in our chemical world where we inject animals with growth hormones, feed them GM crops and keep animals in cruel unatural conditions. The meat and animal products we;re eating are certainly not natural or how nature intended so yes vegan is healhtier today. but the human body prefers meat and products for health know one can argue with that.

Another problem which has been widely examined and studied is with vitamin b12 although there are non-animal based sources in plants these have not been accepted as good sources, in studies as they can rarely be absorbed into the body, therefore your only hope is vitamin supplements which obviously isn’t a natural alternative.

This leads me to think even though i don’t enjoy eating animals or their products myself due to the conditions theyre kept in and how they’re treated, that humans are made to eat animals and their products. Otherwise we’d all be deficient in vitb12 a very imortant vitamin!

And moneysmart: your MD family members might not know anyone who has had protein problems with being vegan, but I know several people who have needed to add eggs back in to their diet.

Regarding cooking oils, any time you heat an oil at a high temperature, the molecules shift around and the fat becomes saturated. So use your healthy oils raw in salads and minimize the oil you cook with as much as possible.

I didn’t say you knew any vegans with protein deficiency. I have.

There are different sorts of iron - haem iron and plant (roughly speaking). Haem iron from meat is more readily absorbed. No you don’t have to get it from meat. And several vegan women I know have not been able to alleviate period pain any other way.

I think the findings that show eating this way are pretty remarkable, so that’s why I wrote about it and it’s also why I made the change in my own life. I’m so glad I did.

I also want to offer a place of support for people who are thinking of doing this themselves. I’d like to help them by sharing how I did it.

Thanks for commenting!!

Thanks for pointing this out.

Also I’m curious as to why cooking oils are in the ‘minimize eating this’ category? Everything I’ve read says that certain oils (especially olive oil) are a very integral part of a healthy diet.