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Vegetarianism and Health Rant

By On · Add Comment · In animal protein, health, lactation, ovo-lacto vegetarian, plants, pregnant women, protein, vegan diet, vegetarianism, vitamin deficiency

A reader recently commented on a piece I wrote on vegetarianism and vitamin/protein deficiency.  She said I was wrong when I commented that people should “drop the vegetarian thing” if they wanted to improve their health.  She said she the vegetarians she knows are “extremely healthy,” as they eat eggs, cheese, and some even fish.  She essentially asked me if she’s missing the point, or is it just me that’s crazy (just kidding, Caroline).

By all means I stand by my original point: It is difficult for vegetarians to get sufficient protein.  Now I’m not saying there are no healthy vegetarians–that would be ludicrous; but I will say that many vegetarians I have met don’t appear as healthy-looking to me.  Does that mean they are not healthy?  No.  It’s just an observation.  However, saying that, I do look at people all day, almost every day–I am paid to evaluate health.  But can I prove my observations?  No.

What I am quite certain of is that vegetarians, like all people, need a proper intake of protein on a daily basis.  As far as I know, eating fish is not vegetarian, so we don’t have to discuss that any further.  But, yes, an ovo-lacto vegetarian should probably be okay, provided he or she is getting enough protein every day.

My reader was right when she pointed out that people who eat no meat, fish, eggs or dairy are called vegans.  These people need to get their protein from vegetable sources–beans, avocados, nuts, grains, and so on.  Everybody needs a minimum amount of protein every day (women 46 grams of protein per day, men 56 grams), therefore each meal should contain some.

Since we can all anecdotally speak of whom we know or what our personal experiences are, let it be stated that mine are just opinions.  But since opinions are like…well, you know…I’ve got one too, and I am not afraid to share it.

Yes, vegetarians are often skinny.  Big deal!  Skinny ain’t health.  In fact, for people that exercise, children and teens, and pregnant/lactating women, protein is needed big-time.  I wouldn’t recommend vegetarianism (sorry, veganism) to any of these groups unless it’s a part of a long-standing cultural practice.  For Americans that have picked up vegetarianism for their political beliefs (call it humanitarian, call it what you will), if you are in one of the groups mentioned above–well, I wouldn’t do it.

So my original article was in response to a woman that called me about her 17-year-old daughter who was having some cognitive difficulties.  She suspected vitamin deficiency, and was asking about vitamin testing.  HELLO!  Seventeen-year-old girl, mother concerned about vitamin deficiency?  I stand by my assessment and would say it again and again and again (oh…I guess I am now)–DROP THE VEGETARIANISM.  Give that girl a steak, send her to the gym, slap a little sense into the little princess–you are too young to be playing with your health that way.  The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada warn that poorly planned vegan diets can be deficient in vitamin B12, iron, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fatty acids.

We have canine teeth for a reason.  Duh!  We are meant to eat a variety of foods, meat included.  Yes, vegetarians can survive.  They are skinny (couldn’t have anything to do with that in a seventeen-year-old girl, now could it?).  But healthy?  Don’t know.  I certainly wouldn’t take the chance with my daughters.

But hey…for some people their politics is their religion.  Wouldn’t eat a slaughtered animal but no problem eating a plant violently pulled from the ground, removed from it’s life source.  Imagine that…taking the life of a living thing.  Or should plant life be minimized?  To the people that vehemently (and for some, violently) oppose meat eating, pick up a biology book and learn something about the life cycle–life must consume life–crazy thing that.

For those that want to be vegetarians, please…go ahead.  But when it comes to your kids’ health, make sure they do it the right way, that’s all.

Thank you Caroline for stimulating my thoughts…or rant…whichever.

Buff Babes

By On · Add Comment · In hormones, lean muscle, muscle mass, oral contraceptives, protein, resistance exercise

Want to get buff, ladies? Try this: Get off the pill. Yup, oral contraceptives may prevent muscle growth in women, current research shows.

A study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M and University of Pittsburgh showed that women not taking the pill had built significantly more lean muscle than women taking oral contraceptives. Seventy-three women aged 18-31 completed a whole body resistance exercise program–half took the pill, half did not. The women were encouraged to eat a half a pound of protein per body weight each day (about a third more than recommended by U.S. nutritional guidelines) to ensure that they got enough protein and calories to build muscle (my West Hollywood/Beverly Hills chiropractic clients will recognize this regimen as I recommend it to people healing from injury along with those wishing to build mass).

After ten weeks of working out–three times per week with weights–the women not taking oral contraceptives had a significant increase in lean muscle mass. And blood samples before and after the training period showed the women on the pill had lower levels of muscle-building hormones such as testosterone and far higher levels of muscle-breaking hormones such as cortisol.

So there you have it all you aspiring Sarah Connors: you want to get buff, get off the oral contraceptives. But fear not: that hard, chiseled body may be just enough contraceptive you’ll ever need. Really.

More on Vegetarianism

By On · Add Comment · In dairy, eggs, meat, protein, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarianism

In my article last month on protein and vitamin B deficiency I speak about a woman who called me about her vegetarian daughter’s lack of energy and ability to concentrate. I pointed out that my advice was to kick the vegetarianism.

However, what I failed to mention in the article was that I also said, “If [quitting vegetarianism] is out of the question, then you should, at the very least, make sure your daughter is getting her protein through dairy and/or eggs.” This is essential. As I said last post, you can get some protein from most vegetable sources, but meat, by far, is the best source. Eggs and dairy are the next best sources.

What this means for vegans–no meat, no eggs, no dairy–is that they really have to be diligent in getting their daily protein. Since very few vegetables are high quality proteins–that is, containing all essential amino acids in sufficient concentrations–many different vegetables must be consumed throughout the day. It can be done, no question; but the average busy person (vegetarian)…isn’t doing it.

And what about those high quality proteins (soybeans, quinoa, and spinach)? Well, you’d have to eat them solely, or eat the low quality vegetarian protein sources at such a high quantity that it would be virtually impossible to do so for long. According to one vegetarian website, you’d have to eat “12-1/3 cups of cooked corn OR 6-1/2 large potatoes OR 2-1/2 cups of tofu OR 15-1/2 cups of cooked brown rice.” And you know that isn’t going to happen.

So…just eat meat.

Is Your Kid a Vegetarian?

By On · Add Comment · In health, kids, protein, teens, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarianism, vitamin B deficiency
Have you heard? 1 out of every 200 kids is a vegetarian. Dang, that’s dumb!

A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that a whopping 367,000 youths don’t eat the meat. Some vegetarians eat fish and dairy, others are vegan–no meat, no dairy, nada. The typical teen vegetarian is female, from higher-income family, living on the East or West coast. Sound familiar?

Vegetarianism, isn’t just for girls anymore; plenty of boys are doing it, too. Rarely is this dietary lifestyle taken up for health reasons. Most kids cite animal welfare as the reason they’re doing it. They don’t eat meat because…it’s inhumane. Swear. And with the popularity of certain chicken slaughtering videos on You Tube…well, I guess you can figure out the rest.*

Wow! I’m sure you can guess my feeling on this. If you read my monthly articles, you definitely know I think it’s a dangerous health game to be playing–vegetarianism for kids, that is. I said so in my last article on protein and vitamin B deficiency. Kids keep growing until they are 25 years old. They need protein; they need nutrients (vitamins B, D, iron and calcium); the best foods to get them from is meat, fish, and dairy. Yes, you can get protein from vegetable sources. But it’s hard; and it requires lots of planning and preparing–something that most adults have a hard time doing, let alone your average teenager.

But the conscience of the typical teen vegetarian guides them, along with some good old fashioned parental ignorance. Listen up parents: vegetarianism isn’t in the best interest of your child’s health. I predict we are going to see some ill adults within the next 20-30 years as a result of this fad.

*I talk about the unacceptable conditions of many of the country’s poultry farms in my book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health; but I don’t think that endangering one’s health with vegetarianism is the answer.

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