Are Vegan Diets Safe During Pregnancy
16/01/09
Much controversy has rocked the vegan dieting world in recent times with a report that intake of vegan products may not be wholly suitable for pregnant mothers. This is in stark contrast to a previous report, giving the green light to veganism during this period. In order to work out which report is right, someone clearly needs to do a study and focus on the differences in the two reports. In the mean-time, lets briefly look at the contents of the first report, and see if there is any useful information which we know not to be true.
The first report was compiled by the US National Institute of Health, and specifically stated that veganism was acceptable as a dietary lifestyle for mothers during all stages of pregnancy, including the period of lactating. This conclusion came with a number of extra recommendations however, including advice that would be mothers take supplements of iron, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D. Certainly, the report goes on to say, if these important materials are consistently missing from ones diet during pregnancy, there may be complications including neurological issues with the new born child.
Perhaps after all, the two reports released are essentially the same – just with a few different clauses in the closing notes section.
16/01/09 | Comments Off
Many health professionals confirm the views expressed by vegans and vegetarians, that their diets are generally healthier than the average person’s eating habits. Indeed, it goes without saying that with all the studies and conclusions conducted with regards to meat products, sticking with vegetables and non-animal products does seem like a good strategy. So what actually are some of the confirmed health benefits of a vegan diet? Let’s take a look.
Firstly, because of the well known fact that too much red meat can cause heart disease and colon cancer, the elimination of this specific category of food in the vegan diet is immediately beneficial. Whilst red meats do contain protein (important for bodily development and muscle growth), substitute products such as tofu do indeed replace this missing factor.
Additionally, vegan diets are known to lower the risk of stroke in older age individuals, as the chances of clogging arteries is far lessened with the quantity of fruit and vegetables that vegans consume. Other benefits which are yet to have solid scientific backing include lower rates of prostate cancer, lower blood pressure, and overall healthier cell growth. It certainly seems that vegan dieting is a very healthy option for human beings.
2/01/09 | Comments Off
Often, the term “vegan” gets mixed and mingled with the definition of “vegetarian”, so I thought in this article, I would attempt to set the record straight. Firstly, let’s discuss the meaning of both the aforementioned terms, and then analyse the differences.
“Vegetarian” is a common classification of people who decide not to eat meat. For whatever reason they may choose, the idea of eating meat in their diet is ruled out, and replaced with mainly vegetables - hence the term “vegetarian”. On the other hand, a vegan is someone who goes a step further - eliminating all animal products from their diet. A vegan diet will consist once again of vegetables, but will also avoid things such as eggs, dairy products, etc. Clearly then, we can see the true difference between the two terms, and classify one as simply an extension of the other. As well as these foods, vegans also refuse to wear animal products - such as fur coats, as once again they believe that animal rights and human health are at a loss because of these products.
A detailed description and guide for vegan dieting can be found through a major search engine.
27/12/08 | Comments Off
Most of us have heard the term “vegan” or “veganism”, but surely most of the general population are unaware of the number of people taking part in this way of life. In this article, I attempt to uncover a few of these vegan statistics, including the number of people taking part in the veganism lifestyle, and the variations between different countries.
Let’s start of with the USA. According to a news website poll, 4% of respondents identified themselves as vegans. Of course, many people get confused with the terms vegan and vegetarian. They are indeed different. However, if you can picture the second aspect of the study - 5% of the people in America who identified themselves as vegetarians also identified themselves as vegans. That would being the true percentage of vegans down to just 0.2% of the population. You can take what you like from these statistics. Across the pacific, the same “true measure” sits at 0.25%, which is actually a sizable difference when you are considering populations of hundreds of millions of people. Whichever way you look at it - it seems veganism is a common and popular lifestyle choice in both countries.
11/11/08 | Comments Off
Whilst many people enjoy consuming their vegetables, others go a step further and make it a part of their lifestyle. Vegetarians and vegans are people who make it a habit to avoid animal related products – vegans more so. The reasons behind this decision vary – but one of the main causes of such action is to put up a stand for animal rights, and promote the cruelty and senseless killings of animals to satisfy the human demand for meat. This is certainly a valid reason for avoiding meat products, and we will take a more in depth look at it in this article.
Vegans argue that the ways in which animals are slaughtered are extremely inhumane. The quantities of animals killed for consumption and the treatment that animals receive in places such as factory farms is deemed “highly unsatisfactory” for most vegans, and hence they alter their lifestyles in order to voice these views. Many world famous people have promoted the vegan cause, including Jamie Oliver in the UK, who launched his own TV series to discuss the lack of respect that the general public has for meat and animal related products.
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