I read somewhere reputable, but, alas, I can’t remember where, that even eating veggies that have pesticides on them, that the net impact on us is a positive one due to the incredible power of the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and so-on that are in those wonderful foods.

So try not to over worry. If you can afford it, buy as much organic produce (and meats if you eat them) as you can. Try growing a vegetable garden in the summer. If you live in the city, look for a co-op garden to join.

Do your best, and put the rest in God’s hands or the universe or fate. Smile and enjoy life. It’s the best we can do!
Cheers!

It makes me feel so confused and unhealthy and well helpless to do anything about it.

It seems obvious to me, regardless of rumours which change week to week (one week eggs give you cancer the next theyre essential and very good for us) what bullshit!
that sticking to food which is natural i.e out of the ground or non-man made, chemically processed or altered must be safe to eat and is a general rule i stick by, but the more i read the more i realise veg and fruit are not good for us either in this society.
Basically everyhting is killing us and also doing god knows what.

the reasons for this are as followsL:
veg are sprayed with a mix of chemicals (little research has been done on the effect of these) also bees are allegedly dying partly because of these concoctions (maybe this is a warning for us!)
Not only are veg coated in man made chemicals, they are now largely genetically modified, very little resarch has been done on the effects of this on our bodies either!

Ok so most people are atleast aware of the problems with chemicals so what do they do?
they opt for organic in the hope these will be free from all this.
The problem with this is……organic doesnt have to be totally free from chemicals just reduced where possible, and even so…often they are grown in fields next to regular veg…and so the problem occurs when the chemicals seep into the soil of the regular veg and remain there. How easy would it be for some of these chemicals to be absorbed into the soil of the neighbouring organic field or maybe for a GM seed to fly in the wind to the organic field.? its almost certain.

So you see it is not neccessarily as organic as you think and leaves me feeling.. well like whats the point in trying?

Lastly so we are left with some goodness inside the veg right? well…wrong..very little infact, you see most veg travels miles to get on our plates, and the longer the time from picking to eating, the more the nutrients are lost!
well and then we cook them and the heat destroys further nutrients so ok what are we left with then? I guess mostly fibre right? God doesn’t this just feel wrong…its so unnatural and really im never going to feel healthy. The more i find out the worse i feel.
you see thisd really upsets me so if veg are no longer good for us then surely nothing is. it amazes me how were not all deficient in everything already.

i dont mean to depress you guys, but honestly what we are doing to this planet is going to result in self destruction. The further we move away from nature the more we are going into dangerous territory. It scares me it really does. Sometimes i think the only way would be for us all to go back to being self-sufficient but hey that’s a dream right.

i dont know what to believe anymore i really dont.

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.