Vegetarian,Especially Vegan, Diet Harmful To Health?

Question

Old cells have been replaced everyday by new cells in our bodies. Would the new cells be as healthy as, if not healthier, than the old ones if we are vegetarians, vegans or meat eaters? As fas as I know, our body needs essential amino acids to grow healthy cells together with other nutrients like vitamins, minerals & etc... Only animal proteins provide a full spectrum of amino acids but plant proteins do not. Then vegetarian or vegan are not getting some essential amino acids which are vital in building healthy cells. In this case, vegetarians or vegans could be jeopardizing their health. I would be happy to hear comments especially from experts in medecine or nutrition science.

1. If veg diet is very healthy, could new born babies survive if fed with plant proteins? Many years ago, several babies died in Israel from feeding with soy-based baby formula. Isreali doctors liked the death to the deficiency of Vit. Bs but no one knows the truth.
2, A human does not survive if he/she lacks cholesterols. How do vegitarians and vegans make them in their bodies since they do not eat meats?

Answer 1

Wait, wait--I think I'm having some Deja Vu....is it just me, or have we seen this posted here before?
I've got to take a nap now to stop my head from spinning...
Good luck

Answer 2

Yvonne says “It’s actually quite hard not to get enough protein to attain the generally accepted average level of health – even potatoes and oats have protein in them. However if you want to prove that a vegetarian or vegan diet is nutritionally superior to a meat based diet and attain optimum health then you might like to do a little more than eat porridge and mash. There are many subtle problems caused by amino acid imbalances that can thwart optimum health.

Vegetarian and vegan diets can provide everything you need unless you have some rare disease or condition that stops your body from processing protein into all the amino acids your body needs to thrive.

There are some excellent sources of plant based protein for when you are building muscle and may need a little more protein than normal or if you are trying to lose weight and want to curb your appetite and teach yourself to eat less sugar rich carbohydrates.

Answer 3

You are correct about amino acids being used to build cells. Do you know where amino acids come from in the first place?

All nutritive material is formed in the plant kingdom; Plants can synthesize amino acids from air, earth, and water, but animals including humans, are dependent on plant protein aether directly by eating the plant, or indirectly by eating an animal that has eaten the plant. There are no essential amino acids in flesh that the animal did not derive from plants, and that humans cannot also derive from plants. The human body can produce 15 of the 23 amino acids, the other 8 must be eaten in foods for your body to create protein cells That is why animals of great strength get all the protein they need. They build it from the abundance of amino acids they consume eating plants. Look at some of these powerfull animals, they ate no meat and it looks like they are healthy to me. http://www.dreammooreranch.com/talisman3.jpg
http://www.hedweb.com/animimag/elepbull.jpg
http://www.americazoo.com/kids/graphics/gorillas2.jpg

As long as person eats a varied diet including foods rich with amino acids (fruit, vegetables, grain, nuts, seeds etc) getting enough protein is not a problem look at this vegan body builder (no supliments or steroids) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvEH7W_w1NA
http://www.veganfitness.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=723

On top of that a humans protein requirments a quite low, the time in our lives that we need it the most is between the age of 1 day and 6 months. In this time a human baby will double its birth weight, human breast milk which is the perfect food for a human baby has only 5% protein. On average an adult human body will lose 4/5 of an ounce of protein in a day thats about 23 grams. You would have to realy starve yourself to not get enough amino acids/protein. The average american eats 2 to 5 times more protein than what is good for them, if you read the website I gave you down here you will understand why an over consumption of whole proteins is unhealthy.

Here is some more information from a vegan doctor "Dr John Mcdougal" http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hot_protein.html
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/031200puprotein.htm

I have been a vegetarian for nearly 8 years, and now became a vegan (no meat, dairy, eggs) for about 10 weeks now, I am in great health and have noticed even more benifits on a vegan diet, more energy and endurance, better sleeps, an old skin rash I used to have is gone. I would never turn back

You say

1. If veg diet is very healthy, could new born babies survive if fed with plant proteins? Many years ago, several babies died in Israel from feeding with soy-based baby formula. Isreali doctors liked the death to the deficiency of Vit. Bs but no one knows the truth.
2, A human does not survive if he/she lacks cholesterols. How do vegitarians and vegans make them in their bodies since they do not eat meats?

I would think giving any formula could cause health problems thats why mothers milk is best. You also said yourself that the formula lacked in B vitamins, most formulas are fortified with all the proper nutriants. So who says it has anything to do with it being soy based anyway? Man made milk based on soy or cows milk does not cut it both are not healthy for a baby.
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/16/03/02.html
http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/patientcare/healthinformation/diseasesandconditions/maternity/breastfeeding/breastmilk.cfm

Your liver makes its own cholesterols, but if your liver is not functioning properly then that might be a problem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol
http://www.treelight.com/health/healing/Cholesterol.html

Answer 4

Big myth about lack of aminos in Vegan diet.

To be honest look to Dr. Gabriel Cousens and you will see that a healthy balanced Vegan and Whole food diet has more protein then an animal based cooked food diet.

refer to Spiritual Nutrition and Concious Eating. both by Dr. Cousens.

other authors of note David Wolfe and Brian Clement of the Hippocrates Institute.

America needs to wake up and look at the amount of disease that is caused by eating "dead" food.

Not only is a live and whole food diet better for your health it is sustainable and better for the plant.

You will see and hear countless testimonials from patients and health professionals who can speak to the benefits of leaving meat behind.

Dr. Clement and Cousens also speak of eating for your blood type.

Type O can eat virtually anything without ill effect.

Dr. Clement also feels that a diet of no more then 10 % animal products is the way to go.

P.S. have you seen how hot Demi Moore looked in Charlie's Angels? That was due to a raw food regime.
Not just for rich hollywood types.
Affordable and sustainable.

Answer 5

Well, I am no expert in nutrition, but I am the top expert on my own body and diet. When I ate meat, I was sick and crippled. I was diagnosed with everything from lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and all sorts of wacky things. I was mostly bed bound and in a wheelchair. When I eliminated meat, I healed completely, and am now fine (was crippled for 12 years) I do not need meat. I get all of the amino acids, long chain and all, from grains, leafy greens, quinoa, and other vegetables and fruits. What I don't get from not eating meat, is high cholesterol and excess fat. I also don't get the growth hormones, steroids, antibiotics and other nasty stuff thats in meat. I do not get the diseases that the animals have. I don't get the purines, amines, pus, urine, blood, uric acid, and adrenaline thats in meat. Can't say I am missing out on a thing. I wish I had the 12 years wasted because of it. I will take my homegrown veggies over that nasty stuff any day.

Answer 6

I have been a vegetarian all my life. I have seen numerous nutritionists and doctors, all of whom say my diet is health.
The reason that vegetarianism and veganism are healthy life styles is there are multiple way of obtaining a complete set of amino acids which form protein with out eating meat. On example would be to eat tofu with rice, the tofu has all but two amino acids and those are provided by the rice. As for vitamins, B12 and D are not present in a vegan diet, and Omega 3 fatty acids are not in a vegan or vegetarian diet, there are supplements for all of these.
Veganism and vegetarianism can be very healthy ways of life if the person makes certain that they are receiving everything necessary. It does not impede on cell health as long as the person is well nourished. Not to mention vegetarians normally have low body mass index levels, heart disease and diabetes than their meat eating counter parts.

Answer 7

to answer your questions as best as I can 1) Both of my sons were raised and still are vegan ..they are adults healthy , strong, and active .2) your body produces cholesterol naturally and the older you get it normally produces more .. you do not need any outside sources for cholesterol..so to try to keep this simple and not write a book .......Ask yourself WHY do vegetarians/vegans live an average of 8 years longer then meat eaters ? Also they have less disease especially those directly related to your diet) , heart conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.. ..this is well documented .... the key is to learn as much as you can ...read everything ..take courses or seminars ..You will learn a tremendous amount ..Knowledge is Power!!

Answer 8

Vegetarian and Vegan diets are very healthy. Their are other ways to nutrients. Such as vitamins and supplaments, many other foods contain the nutrients you need. Take tofu for example, there is lots of iron and protein in it. And some lentils contain more protein then meat does. For vegans eating Soy Milk is just as healthy as eating Cow's Milk. Not eating meat also reduces your risks to get medical conditions such as obesity and heart dieases.

And just so people know I am not some specialist in this kinda stuff. I'm just a vegetarian. So there might be some stuff that I left out. But as much as we know today (or atleast from what I have learned), becoming Vegan or Vegertaran is perfectly healthy and is healthier then eating meat.

And also just so no one gets on my back (this has happened before on other websites) I am not trying to convert you to follow my "evil" (or so they say) ways. I am simply trying to inform you and answer this question.

Answer 9

Read anything by Harvey Diamond. Read "Diet For a Gentle Planet" You need to educate yourself about how all the big corporations manipulate us with how you need to eat this and that and not that but this. If you eat a variety of fruit, veg, grain etc you will get all the essential amino acids you need without resorting to meat.

If you cannot stop from eating meat, try to buy it from a local farmer who at least lets his livestock have some quality of life before making the transition to your plate. Happy animals make happy meat.

Answer 10

If this were the case, wouldn't it be difficult to have generations upon generations of vegetarians in India? There are around 100-200+ million of them, which would mean hundreds of years of this lifestyle to get to this population size. They have one of the few religions (Hinduism) where they advocate vegetarianism and many of the people follow it strictly.

If their health was in jeopardy, wouldn't you expect far fewer people to be alive?

The only other major religion that tends to promote vegetarianism is Buddhism. The concentration of Buddhist vegetarians is likely much smaller, or at least more spread out because it is not a requirement. However, in Asia there are a fair number of Buddhists who have practiced vegetarianism for generations, they are still around.

From my understanding, both Hinduism and Buddhism have been "known" in existence before Christianity. If they've been advocating vegetarianism for such a long time, then many people have been vegetarian for quite awhile.

If you read in the history, Pythagoras, the famous Greek in the BC time era was considered to be a vegetarian. So even at that time in Europe the concept existed. It is something that has been around a long time, and not something that just appeared. Which means people have been practicing it for centuries.

Answer 11

sorry but no. i have been a vegetarian since i was a little kid. no health problems for me, i rarely ever get sick and i am a healthy weight. eating meat raises your cholesterol, your saturated fat, your risk of obesity, risk of stroke, and risk of a heart attack. you also have a higher risk of getting food poisoning from bacteria-contaminated meat. and don't forget about all the chemicals and hormones they pump into the animals to make them fatter. that can't be good for you.