As concern for the environment has increased, the number of people following a vegan or vegetarian diet, particularly in young adults has grown. A good vegetarian diet can encourage experimentation with new foods and cooking methods, expanding the diversity of our diet which our bodies enjoy.
Whilst some people (including children) adopt a vegetarian diet because they don’t enjoy the texture or taste of meat and others adopt the diet for ethical reasons, many people cite their health as a reason to become vegan or eat as a vegetarian.
Recent high-profile programmes such as Game Changers have recommended vegan lifestyles to save the planet. Obviously, being conscious of our impact on the planet is important, but the story isn’t as simple as this. The Earth is an ecosystem with each creature playing its part, and this is true of animals and plants. If you are curious and want to explore a range of views and opinions, I encourage you to watch Game Changers but also Sacred Cow and read well informed experts who are with research such as Mark Hyman and Chris Kresser.
How nutritional therapy can help
My passion is to help people eat an enjoyable and nourishing diet that supports their health without judgement. If you are, or are thinking of becoming, a vegetarian or vegan it is important to understand how this may impact your health for the better or worse.
Common questions I get asked include:
- My teenage wants to go vegan what do I need to know?
- How do I optimise my health as a vegetarian / vegan?
- Is being vegetarian healthier?
Working with a nutritional therapist can provide practical steps to ensuring a healthy diet, including testing your nutrient status and finding foods and recipes to help meet any gaps. Genetic testing may also give insight to understand where additional support may be required.
Here are some general comments on a vegan or vegetarian diet with some useful resources included. If you would like to discuss how nutritional therapy might support you, I offer a free 15-minute call.
The broad rules of a healthy diet apply regardless
Higher consumption of vegetables and fruit improves health and reduces likelihood of disease. Reduced risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease have been shown in many studies due to the beneficial fibre and phytonutrients from plants. Fibre keeps our guts healthy and regular, and phytonutrients provide micronutrients we need for health.
Any diet which relies largely on processed and prepacked foods is likely to be high in salt, sugar, less beneficial fats and unnecessary extras in the form of additives and preservatives, regardless of meat or no-meat. The rise in the popularity of veganism has led to a commercial run-on meat substitutes and ready meals making it easier to be a low vegetable vegan/ vegetarian!
I have met many people who have eaten a vegan diet for a few weeks on a yoga retreat or for Veganuary and have felt much better for it. This is often because they have eaten less processed foods and more vegetables, cleaning up their diet. This is known as the vegan honeymoon and not necessarily an indication of how they will feel long term.
A good vegetarian diet takes some planning, a vegan diet requires supplementation
Broadly speaking, vegetarians who eat eggs and dairy, can with planning, get everything they need from their diet.
It isn’t possible to get all the nutrients we need for health from a vegan diet. It is now more widely understood that a vegan diet requires B12 supplementation as it is only available from animal products.
Some nutrients available in both plants and animal food come in forms which are less easily absorbed from plants. Good examples include quality protein, vitamin D, vitamin A, essential fatty acids, choline, calcium, iodine, iron, zinc and selenium. It is especially important for women planning to become pregnant to understand their nutrient status as some of these nutrients are in higher demand when pregnant.
Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids and 9 of them are deemed ‘essential’ which means our body cannot make them, they have to be consumed in our food. Animal protein is high quality protein which means it contains all of the amino acids, whereas plant proteins are incomplete (with the exception of soya and quinoa). Eating a range of different protein sources (particularly grains and legumes) will ensure all of the amino acids are consumed. As we know, it is easy to slip into food ruts, especially when time and energy are short in our busy lives, so this takes some practice and awareness but is perfectly manageable.
Iron in animal produce is in the form of haeme iron, which is the form the body uses. Plants only provide non-haeme iron and research suggests that between 12-25 percent of iron is absorbed from haeme iron but only 2-7 percent from a variety of plant sources. Phytates in plants can inhibit absorption, so lightly cooked food supports absorption, as does eating iron rich food such as lentils or pumpkin seeds alongside vitamin C sources.
Essential Fatty Acids are omega-3 and omega-6 fats and the balance between them is important for health. Omega-6 is readily available from our modern diets. Omega-3 is present in plant foods such as flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts but needs to be converted into EPA and then to DHA which is the major constituent of the brain, and key for mental and eye health. Very little plant omega-3 is converted into DHA, which can be consumed directly from small oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardine and herring. It may be necessary to supplement EPA and DHA. Fortunately, there are now good products from algae sources that are suitable for vegans or vegetarians.
Regardless of diet, some people make poor vegetarians/ vegan
Your genes can affect your ability to make some key conversions of nutrients into the forms our bodies need to function.
For example, retinol is vital for eye health and the integrity of our skin and is only present in animal protein. However, a precursor, carotene is plentiful in plants, especially orange food. Many people struggle to make this conversion, understanding your genetics will help determine if you have this issue and plan accordingly.
B vitamins work synergistically and are key in many reactions in our bodies, including energy production, hormones and our nervous system. Understanding how your body manages B12 and other B vitamins is also important to understand how you will fare on a plant diet.
Checking on your health
If you have followed a vegan or vegetarian diet for a while and would like to check your nutrient status, I offer a health check to do just this. Some nutrients such as B12 and vitamin D can be stored in the body so signs of depletion can take a while to show. A regular check is useful to support your health as our bodies do change with our life stage and lifestyle.
If you have any questions or want to know more, I am happy to discuss with you in a free 15-minute call.
Useful resources
https://drhyman.com/
https://gamechangersmovie.com/
https://chriskresser.com/
https://www.sacredcow.info/
The Vegan Society, https://www.vegansociety.com
Patrick Holford is a well know expert in nutrition and has recently published a book on the subject, ‘Optimum Nutrition for Vegans’ which may be useful if you wish to learn more.
