| High / Low Carb-Fat-Protein Diets | Blood Type Diet | MLM Products | Sterols & Sterolins |
|
| Chocolate & Cocoa | Sugar & Glycemic Index | Vitamin C Supplementation | Vegetarianism |
|
_____________________________________________________________________________
|
|
Nutritional pros and cons of Meat-based and Vegetarian Diets
|
|
Most individuals who have switched to a vegetarian lifestyle at some point in their lives (who weren't
born into it), have done so following some form of perceived enlightenment, or after the realization that
consuming animal products is either anti-religious, anti-earth (to save the planet), against animal rights,
or that it is simply unhealthy. I have been testing and treating a large number of vegetarian patients over
|
more than two decades, so I'm presenting arguments for and against the consumption of animal-based
products from a health-point of view.
|
|
Contrary to vegan-based reviews or commentaries, people following a strict vegetarian diet are not
|
healthier than their omnivorous counterparts. In fact, on average, they suffer from as many, or more
|
medical complaints as compared to non-vegetarian individuals, who include meat or eggs in their diet.
|
|
There is absolutely no question that the average person does best health-wise by consuming a mixed
|
diet that is as fresh, and hopefully as unprocessed as possible. Beyond that, an individual assessment
|
is required to provide the necessary information to help make a decision of whether one's diet should
|
be adjusted with greater emphasis toward 1) specific food groups, 2) a change in the percentage of
|
the carb, protein or fat content of a meal, or 3) toward a more vegetarian or non-vegetarian diet, -
|
for a more optimal approach to health. Mineral ratios (high potassium / low sodium, high calcium / low
|
phosphorus...) of certain foods or beverages also deserve some attention as they can have a favorable
|
or unfavorable effect on someone's health problems.
|
|
Kidney and liver chemistry are the chief resources to base the decision on of whether a patient would
|
benefit more from an omnivorous, or vegetarian lifestyle. Individuals who predominately exhibit lower
|
levels of protein, phosphorus, sodium, iron and/or manganese, and higher levels of potassium and/or
|
zinc are certainly candidates for diets with a greater emphasis on meat, while those with a tendency for
|
higher levels of the above (protein, phosphorus, sodium, iron and manganese), and lower levels of zinc
and potassium are better candidates to adopt vegetarianism, and they should reduce or avoid animal-
|
based food sources as much as possible.
|
|
With some medical problems (i.e. renal failure), a vegetarian-based diet becomes almost mandatory,
|
but even then certain types of vegetables, i.e. those that are oxalic acid-rich, would have to be avoided.
|
On the other hand, patients exhibiting very high levels of cellular potassium and/or zinc, and as such are
at a greater risk for developing chronic genitourinary conditions, including ovarian / testicular cancer,
|
should avoid strict vegan-types of diets that tend to promote much higher cellular levels of both of these
elements. (see also Acu-Cell Nutrition "Zinc & Potassium").
|
|
There are only animal, but no vegetarian sources of Vitamin B12, which is why herbivores (i.e. rabbits)
|
meet their Vitamin B12 requirements by eating plants that are infested with insects, or by eating their
own feces, while in ruminants (sheep, cows), the microbes fermenting and digesting plant material in the
|
rumen (the first stomach) incorporate cobalt into Vit B12, which is subsequently absorbed and utilized.
|
(see also Acu-Cell Nutrition "Nickel & Cobalt").
|
|
Vitamin B12 liver stores in adults may last for several years before becoming depleted as a result of
|
switching to a strict vegan or vegetarian diet, however Vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarian children is
|
much more serious since symptoms do not always become obvious or acute until some damage has
|
resulted. So while it is recommended to supplement extra amounts of Vitamin B12 with vegetarian
|
adults, it is mandatory with vegetarian children!
|
Because of improved sanitation, this is much more important in Western societies, since in lesser
developed parts of the world, insect or feces-contaminated fruits or vegetables have generally been
|
sources of Vitamin B12 for those growing up in a predominantly vegetarian environment or culture.
|
|
It may also be advisable to supplement a very small amount (DRI/RDA) of the active form of Vitamin B6
(pyridoxal-5-phosphate), since vegetarian sources of Vit B6 only supply the inactive form (pyridoxine),
which will have to be converted to the active form by the liver, however the efficiency of the liver to do so
may be compromised with certain types of liver diseases. Ideally, when supplementing Vitamin B6 as
|
pyridoxine, a brand should be purchased that automatically supplies a small percentage of Vitamin B6
|
as pyridoxal-5-phosphate, or P5P. Both, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6 (along with folic acid and others)
are also able to lower homocysteine levels which tend to be on the high side with many vegetarians, so
these vitamins will have a favorably affect on a vegetarian's cardiovascular system also. (see also Acu-
|
Cell Nutrition "B-Complex Vitamins").
|
|
The decision to supplement additional iron (particularly with vegetarian women), or protein may have
|
to be made based on actual lab tests, whereby low protein and/or iron frequently - but not always - may
also suggest low sodium levels. Using normal amounts of table salt generally resolves that situation in
the average individual, however in low aldosterone types, where using salt alone won't bring up sodium
|
levels, supplementing choline or even licorice may have to be considered.
|
When iron levels test below normal, then manganese supplementation is frequently indicated as well,
|
being the associated mineral of iron, which may help with low blood sugar / hypoglycemic symptoms,
|
or low estrogenic-types of PMS. This tends to develop when high potassium intake - being more
|
prevalent with vegetarianism - gradually depletes manganese levels in the body.
|
|
Why do vegetarian diets worsen cholesterol or triglyceride profiles in some people?
|
|
A high potassium / manganese ratio is generally also responsible for total cholesterol levels to rise
following the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle, while lower sodium can be the cause for the LDL fraction
|
to go up. Likewise, a rise in zinc is common when switching to vegetarianism, being partly supported
|
by a decrease in iron (high zinc / iron ratio), which may result in raised total triglyceride levels.
|
At the same time, lower protein and/or phosphates would be the cause for VLDL triglyceride fractions
|
to go up - which of course can also happen following an increase in the intake of calcium and simple
carbohydrates (sugar, honey, sweet fruits).
|
|
One of the misconceptions perpetuated by some sources is that eating meat promotes cardiovascular
|
disease, while vegetarian diets prevent it. We all know that the body cannot exist without cholesterol,
|
and that dietary cholesterol has little or no effect on serum cholesterol, so that leaves oxidation of fat and
|
simple sugars (once converted in the liver) as contributing factors with atherosclerosis. However, this
effect is not meat, nor vegan / vegetarian-specific, and neither are antioxidants, which can be animal
|
and/or vegetarian-based.
|
|
I have patients, who as a result of following a strict vegetarian lifestyle enjoy optimal health, and I have
|
patients who, as a result of eating mostly meat, enjoy optimal health as well. The secret is not the type
|
of diet itself, but frequently the avoidance of what is generally conceived as being junk food - which can
|
be part of an omnivorous and vegetarian lifestyle. At the same time, someone's diet should be based
|
on genetic requirements -- to complement one's individual chemical make-up, but should not be based
|
on dogmas or agendas. ¤
|
|
_____________________________________________________________________________
|
Copyright © 2000-2008 Ronald Roth Health Benefits of Vegan, Vegetarian & Vegetarianism
|
|
