Science Alert posted this article today.
“Eating a plant-based diet may lower the risk of chronic disease and is good for the environment, but poorly planned vegan diets that do not replace the critical nutrients found in meat, can lead to serious micronutrient deficiencies.
Bone health is a concern for long-term vegans. Vegans are consistently reported to have lower intakes of calcium and vitamin D, with resultant lower blood levels of vitamin D and lower bone mineral density reported worldwide.
Fracture rates are also nearly a third higher among vegans compared with the general population.
Omega 3 and iodine levels are also lower compared with meat eaters, as are vitamin B12 levels.
Vitamin B12 is most often obtained from animal foods, and higher rates of deficiency have been found in vegans compared with other vegetarians and meat eaters.
The symptoms can be serious and include extreme tiredness and weakness, poor digestion and developmental delays in young children. Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause irreversible nerve damage.
Plant-derived vegan supplements tend to have low biological activity in humans. For example, studies show that vegan-friendly vitamin D2 supplements are less effective in raising blood vitamin D levels than the more widely used vitamin D3 supplements.Other supplements, such as vitamin B12, may be largely inactive in the body.
This is precisely why I wrote The Metabolism Plan Cookbook! Too many vegans & vegetarians are missing out on essential nutrients and do not know how to combine foods for optimal nutrition. The recipes in my cookbook have suggested pairings to optimize nutrition and I discuss nutrients in great depth. Eating plant based is important and knowing how to do this safely and effectively is of great importance for your best health and weight.
You can order The Metabolism Cookbook- Over 150 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes here.
Your friend in health,
Lyn-Genet
