Vegan Diet - Healthy?

Nurses General Nursing

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Today I was talking to a preteen and her mother about nutrition, and her mother explained that the family follows a strict vegan diet (no dairy, eggs, or meat). The mother was actually a raw vegan or raw foodist, and she only eats unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think a vegan diet is healthy enough for growing kids and teenagers?

P.S. I am not criticizing any type of alternative diet as I am a lacto vegetarian (no meat or eggs, yes dairy).

I don't think so. Though I support people's right to decide such things for themselves and their minor children, within reason, the question asked if I believe it is healthy and I say NO. My reasoning centers around essential amino and fatty acids, some of which are not present in any amount in vegetables and are essential for normal growth and development. I don't see where the youths will get these substances in a vegan diet, unless they are sneaking around the corner for a burger every so often.Regards;

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Jim in Ocala, FL

Regarding EFAs (essential fatty acids)--did you know that only plants can synthesize omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids? The reason we see so many "fish oil" supplements as fatty acids is because the fish eat algae (which synthesize these EFAs) and the fish store them. The fish do not produce these acids.

Vegetarian sources of EFAs (both Omega-3 and Omega-6):

  • flaxseeds
  • sunflower
  • walnuts
  • pumpkin seeds
  • hemp seeds
  • many dark green leafy veggies such as kale, too

Vegetarian sources of Essential Amino Acids:

  • Legumes are very high in lysine
  • Grains are high in methionine (and other sulfur-containing aminos)
  • TOFU!!!!

Many people who are following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle are also taking amino acid supplements, or are eating "complementary proteins" example: eating legumes and grains together during the course of the day.

HTH ;)

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I love my hemp hearts ..... mmmmmmmm

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here is a great article which specifically addresses the op's question...it's from the american dietetic association:

http://www.vegetariannutrition.net/articles/vegan-diets-for-children.php

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Regarding EFAs (essential fatty acids)--did you know that only plants can synthesize omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids? The reason we see so many "fish oil" supplements as fatty acids is because the fish eat algae (which synthesize these EFAs) and the fish store them. The fish do not produce these acids.

Vegetarian sources of EFAs (both Omega-3 and Omega-6):

  • flaxseeds
  • sunflower
  • walnuts
  • pumpkin seeds
  • hemp seeds
  • many dark green leafy veggies such as kale, too

Vegetarian sources of Essential Amino Acids:

  • Legumes are very high in lysine
  • Grains are high in methionine (and other sulfur-containing aminos)
  • TOFU!!!!

Many people who are following a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle are also taking amino acid supplements, or are eating "complementary proteins" example: eating legumes and grains together during the course of the day.

HTH ;)

Being a vegan I thought I knew everything there was to know about nutrition and vegetarianism. Thank you for that bit of info!

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Being a vegan I thought I knew everything there was to know about nutrition and vegetarianism. Thank you for that bit of info!

I'm kind of a research nerd. ;)

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Specializes in ER/Trauma, Home Care, Corrections.

LPNTRAINIG wrote this: "I do not condone anyone who follows a meat-based diet." This sounds to me like a kind of bigotry toward omnivarians and connecting a vegan diet with saving the environment is a real stretch.

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Specializes in Medical.

I hadn't ever thought about where fish got their omega oils but duh! Dark green vegies, seaweed/algae... Thanks :)

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connecting a vegan diet with saving the environment is a real stretch.

Really? Raising animals for food takes massive amounts of land, water, and energy. Byproducts of animal agriculture pollute both the air and water, so by becoming a vegan/vegetarian, you are becoming a de facto environmentalist.

Farm animals are the biggest consumers of water - it takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of cow meat, but it only takes 180 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of wheat flour.

7 football fields worth of land is bulldozed every minute to make more room for farm animals and the crops that feed them (per scientists from the Smithsonian Institute.)

Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide cause much of global warming. The production of 2 pounds of beef produces more of these gases than driving a car for three hours. The 2006 UN report stated that agricultural animals generated more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world together.

The EPA reports that 80% of ammonia emissions come from animal waste.

Farm animals produce more excrement than human beings do - about 130 times more, and much of it ends up in lakes, rivers, and streams, polluting water. The waste is used to fertilize crops, but it runs off into waterways. THe EPA says that groundwater run off is one of the largest sources of waterway pollution.

This runoff water gets carried by rivers and streams into the Gulf (or other large bodies of water), where the nitrogen causes algae to grow exponentially. This, in turn, deprives other living organisms of the oxygen needed to sustain life. There is a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico now, an area where all sea life, including plants, is gone, that is roughly half the size of Maryland.

A 2006 study at Princeton University demonstrated that a shift away from meat production in the US would drastically reduce the amount of nitrogen in run off water, and would reduce or eliminate the "dead zone" in the Gulf, allowing sea life to return to that area.

Connecting a vegan diet to the environment isn't so much of a stretch with the right information.

I hadn't ever thought about where fish got their omega oils but duh! Dark green vegies, seaweed/algae... Thanks

I actually take an algae pill, for the Omega-6 s, and a flax seed pill for the Omega-3s. That way I get all of the omegas and still stay vegan. :)

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LPNTRAINIG wrote this: "I do not condone anyone who follows a meat-based diet." This sounds to me like a kind of bigotry toward omnivarians and connecting a vegan diet with saving the environment is a real stretch.

I am so sorry, I misspoke. What I meant to say is I am OK with a person who chooses a meat-based diet. I do not judge a person by what they eat. For me personally, eating vegan is a spiritual decision, based on my values and ethics, which of course differ from person to person, or culture to culture.

And yes, like Susan9608 mentioned, there is a huge connection to meat/factory farming business and the declining environment.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
LPNTRAINIG wrote this: "I do not condone anyone who follows a meat-based diet." This sounds to me like a kind of bigotry toward omnivarians and connecting a vegan diet with saving the environment is a real stretch.

Personally I don't find anything wrong with an ethical vegan (of which I'm not) saying they don't condone meat eating. It's part of the core belief and value system. Sure they can be irritating about it, but I don't find it bigotry any more than if I heard a Christian say they can't condone idol worship.

If everyone went vegan much would improve about the environment. Heck, if people just went meatless a few days a week, things might improve. A vegan with an SUV has less of a carbon imprint than a meat eater with a bicycle.

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Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

What are we supposed to do with the animals that poop too much? Should they all be allowed to become extinct? What is the purpose of animals on earth? What about people who are poor and don't have access to fresh food (a lot of rural areas in this country are very, very far from a grocery store). Should they eat meat - or pure mac and cheese? What if we ate very little meat but the meat we did consume was raised humanely on a diet natural to the species?

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What are we supposed to do with the animals that poop too much? Should they all be allowed to become extinct? What is the purpose of animals on earth? What about people who are poor and don't have access to fresh food (a lot of rural areas in this country are very, very far from a grocery store). Should they eat meat - or pure mac and cheese? What if we ate very little meat but the meat we did consume was raised humanely on a diet natural to the species?

For many vegans no animal can be raised humanely for food consumption, because at its most basic to kill another conscious living being for food alone goes against what they consider humane.

While fresh food is ideal there are other options for those that want to be vegan. I can't comment on the availability of cost of foods in the USA, however as a student on a very limited budget I manage very well on a vegan diet and focus my diet around beans, legumes and grains. I buy most of my beans and lentils dry and soak them myself. I also try and avoid prepackaged and convenience foods. When I buy fresh fruit and veggies I try to buy items that will form the basis of most of my meals for the week. I also make a lot of things like soups using the weeks leftover produce.

Being away from a shopping area doesn't have to limit a vegan diet as many companies that sell beans, lentils and grains offer mail order services and they are all filling foods that can be used to make several meals. Here I pay under $5 for a bag of lentils that I can make a couple of weeks meals from.

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