Vegans..what are your Views on this.?

Question

Last week the Independent newspaper had a report about a family who had gone vegan, with terrible consequences. A mother, Holly Paige, adopted a raw vegan diet for her family thinking that it was a very healthy and nutritious way of eating. But the diet led to her daughters having growth problems, both being below average height and weight for children of their age, with reduced bone density and very skinny arms and legs.

They had also swollen bellies and pinched cheeks, and most worrying, small holes appearing in their teeth. This was after three years of a raw vegan diet which included copious amounts of fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, grains, soya and pulses. But of course, no meat, fish, milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, eggs, or any of animal product for that matter.

On one occasion one of her daughters that was on the vegan diet instinctively grabbed a block of butter while shopping in a supermarket and started gnawing into it. For a three year old who had never tasted butter before, this showed that some very strong natural instincts were at play here, making her ravenous when around fatty and protein rich foods.

Her mother realized later that she had been brainwashed into thinking that a raw vegan diet was healthy, and that dairy products were bad for your health. It turned out that her children were suffering from extreme vitamin D and protein deficiency. She quickly stopped the vegan diet. They still mostly eat a raw diet, but do eat dairy, such as butter cheese, eggs and sometimes fish.

Being a raw vegan is not that same as just a standard vegan, as raw vegans have a much more limited range of foods on offer. For example, raw vegans cannot eat fortified cereals or baked goods, limited grains, and only a few types of pulses. Also, cooking food makes it more digestible for humans, and increases the amount of nutrients that can be absorbed into the body.

In another case last week, an eight year old Scottish vegan was admitted to hospital with rickets. Her spine was so damaged that it was more like that of an eighty year old woman than an eight year old. Rickets is a bone condition that is caused by lack of vitamin D. Although vitamin D is naturally produced in the body when exposed to sunlight, the average Brit cannot get enough sunlight to produce vitamin D. Therefore a diet high in vitamin D is essential, and for this, oily fish, eggs and butter is the only way to obtain it.

However, the British Dietitian Association points out that being a vegan can be done healthily, but only if you know what you are doing, and consume the right foods and the correct supplements. They point out that professional advice is essential for anyone going on a restrictive diet.

It may be a little harsh to say that a raw vegan diet is bad for you period. But a raw vegan diet done badly, with no knowledge of vitamins and nutrients, can certainly be very bad for your health, both short term and long term. In the case of the 8 year old girl, her spine may never recover fully.

no doubt you all have your opinions on this matter but there is an underlying message that is frightening and if PETA or any other organisation can brainwash you,it is not for your benefit but for theirs....

Answer 1

We are all different we react to food in different ways and depending on our genetic make up, what makes us healthy, culture and environment can make an impact to your personal dietary needs.



A common situation that is happening now even tho people may have ate it all their life are finding the reasons behind their sore heads and feeling depressed and low is all down to wheat. Once changing their diet slightly buy avoiding wheat there life has been transformed.



Also their is a case with a vegetarian in Thailand with very high blood pressure and very ill indeed, being very thin and a pot belly. He was encouraged to eat more protein ie red meat and his blood pressure fell dramatically and his body got back into normal shape. He is now on a diet that benefits to his blood type than a diet that was going against him.



If someone finds that they cope well with there diet then that is fine BUT what I find disturbing is that it would have taken a long time for these problems to arrise so as a mother she should have acted on it than be so stubern with her beliefe. I think in this case with the children she put her children in danger by her ignorance and pig headedness.



We are already seeing the effects of a meat diet and that needs to either be addressed with introducing more vairyed foods and with some people may have to go vegatarian!! I do think vegan is a bit extrme and can only work in some circumstance.



People all the time are getting ill effects from both their diet and lifestyle it is evident in all of us but its our pig ignorance that is getting in the way!! We make too many excuses to the way we are and we seem to feed on our excuses than take a step back and go "You know what I can not continue on like this".



Being veg/vegan is not as healthy as a proper omnivore diet, to the individual yes but not as a whole.

Answer 2

Like you said...

"It may be a little harsh to say that a raw vegan diet is bad for you period. But a raw vegan diet done badly, with no knowledge of vitamins and nutrients, can certainly be very bad for your health, both short term and long term."



People should do a lot of research before jumping into a new lifestyle, so that, I will agree with. On the other hand, I'm vegan, raw vegan during the summers, and I'm a happy, healthy, energetic, vibrant young woman.

Answer 3

Well, I am not vegan, but I would like to put my little opinion on this. While I do not accept that way of thinking, I do respect it. They hold not just human life, but all life up as sacred, and worthy of just that, life. So in respect to those animals, they don't eat, drink, or even use any sort of animal products, or products produced my animals, such as leather, etc.



There ARE ways however, to live very healthy, and in fact healthier than that of someone who eats meat. And brining these cases out, would be like a vegan brining up the fact that if you under cooked chicken alone can cause all kinds of illnesses, diseases, and even death.



It's purely on knowing what you're doing. No matter what you do, if you don't it right, there will be consequences. And there WILL be those people who think, 'oh that seems like a good idea.' And don't do any research in to it, they just do what they think they know, and they end up paying for it. There are many pros, and many cons to going vegan, and same with not going vegan.



The reason vegan's get such a bad name, is because some of the more active people, go out, and condemn those who eat meat, and start putting animal life above human life. They do get a little nutty at times. But not all vegans are like such. You just see those crazy ones more, because they are more active about it, while the vegans who aren't, just stay home, and just don't bother.

Answer 4

Well I've been vegan for five years, I do eat a lot of raw foods as well but I've been healthier than ever. I used to be far more sick when I used to eat meat and drink milk. I think milk especially made me sick and I needed a lot of medicine.



Anyway, I'm not sure how reliable the article is and I don't see how a child grabbing butter is a natural instinct. Heck, I don't see how drinking milk became a 'natural instinct' in the first place. "See that cow's big boobs? well grab and squeeze cause she's got some yummy food in there that's NOT meant for us but for her baby calves!"(sarcasm..)

Answer 5

The episode of the butter in the supermarket sounds a bit fishy. Other than that my views is if people want to eat raw food so be it, i think it is a bit extreme especially if somebody isn't educated as this family seemed to be.

OTher than that its a one in a million case, its just scare-mongering like how drug related deaths from the likes of LSD/Cannabis are always due to it being spiked with other products or heavily consumed alcohol involved.

Answer 6

Knowing how rich and powerful the cattle industry is. I wouldn't be surprised if the story was fabricated by paid off media.



If eating vegetarian and vegan was unnatural and unhealthy then why do herbivores (which most all have raw vegan diets) outnumber and outlive carnivores?

Answer 7

When someone wants to risk the own health, their problem. But with kids involved it is always better to counsel a doctor first. It is really selfish to let the own kids suffer from a poor diet only for the sake of the own views.

Answer 8

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