Vegan Nutrition For Dummies

Most staunch animal rights advocates will argue that humans are not physically equipped to naturally eat meat. They will say that the natural carnivore has a short, thick intestinal tract, whereas the human intestinal tract is more similar to that of an herbivore. (I suppose that means that our teeth have evolved.) It is true that there is no evidence that our ancestors hunted before the first Ice Age. Nonetheless, there are a lot of nutrients that are difficult to get in your diet if you don't eat meat.

A poorly planned vegan diet is one of the worst things you can do health-wise. Cases of parents feeding their children poor vegan diets have resulted in convictions ranging from assault to felony murder. (In some of these, however, the question raised was whether the children were being fed enough food of any sort.)

One nutrient that vegans must supplement themselves with is Vitamin B12. This vitamin is not naturally found in plant-based foods, although foods such as tempeh and spirulina are sometimes fortified with it. Vitamin B12 deficiency is for some reason rare in vegans, but it can lead to anemia and neurodegenerative diseases. (Yikes.)

Calcium can be found in amaranth, beet greens, bok choy cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale, rhubarb, blackstrap molasses, and tofu, though not as great in supply as cow's milk. Soy milk is normally fortified with calcium. It has been argued in The China Study that cow's milk can actually cause our bodies to lose calcium; a high-protein diet causes our blood to be acidic, a condition the body tries to fix by pulling calcium from the bones. So better just stick to the broccoli.

Other nutrients usually obtained from animal sources, such as iodide and Vitamin D, can be obtained through vitamins (or by salting your foods and spending a few minutes a day in the sun). 

When it comes to the detox angle, almost every book you read will suggest acidophilus supplements. Our large intestines are home to a thriving ecosystem of beneficial bacteria and candida yeast; the bacteria keep the yeast in check. When the person, say, takes some antibiotics, bacteria die, yeast overgrows, and candidiasis hypersensitivity occurs. There is a lot of debate over this particular condition; some will argue that it is a potential cause for every physical, mental, emotional and spiritual qualm a person can possess, while others dismiss it as somewhat dubious. Individuals have reported great changes in their physical health and well-being by doing candida cleanses, although doctors have lost their licenses for diagnosing their patients with candidiasis hypersensitivity. You be the judge.

All that I know is that acidophilus supplements are sold in health food stores, are kept in refrigerated cases, and are very expensive.