My nephew is considering becoming a vegan. Both he and I are concerned about how the diet will affect him.?

Question

We have been told that a low fat vegan diet can lead to reduced testosterone levels and cause significant problems with hormones. At first we thought these were just some sort of scare tactics but after researching have found that these claims are in fact valid. That's pretty scary stuff. And we are also concerned with the other obvious nutritional deficiencies in the diet and would like to know what vitimans and supplements he should be taking. I think becoming a vegan is a noble thing, but do not think it is worth risking ones own health to become one. I would like for people to share with me the problems and dificiencies that they have endured as a result of the vegan diet so that my nephew can potentially avoid them if he does in fact decide to go vegan. I will appreciate your input. I have read many of the answers in this forum and have always been impressed with how helpful people are. I look forward to insight provided by the many thoughtful vegans in this forum.

Answer 1

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

“Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals. Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.“

-ADA’s and Dietitians of Canada position on Vegetarian and Vegan diets

Eat a variety of "whole foods," with plenty of beans, nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid unhealthy foods like trans fats, which are usually listed as partially hydrogenated oils. Deep-fried foods often contain trans fats. Choose margarines that use nonhydrogenated oil, like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. Although a diet consisting of Coke and French fries is technically vegan, you can't be healthy if you eat nothing but junk food. Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, and some experts believe that vegetarians used to get plenty of this vitamin from bacteria in drinking water. Since drinking water is now treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria, it's important to make sure that you get enough vitamin B12 from fortified foods (like most brands of soy or rice milks, some breakfast cereals, and many brands of nutritional yeast) on a daily basis or by taking a sublingual B12 tablet of 10 mcg per day


Iron-beans, dark green leafy vegetables (like spinach),whole grain breads, Also eat something with vitamin c when you eat something with iron, it increases absorption

Calcium-dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli, soymilk)

Protein-Isn't really hard to get, just eat a variety of foods, good sources are beans, brown rice, nuts, whole grain breads, soy foods

Omega-3 fatty acids-flax seeds/oil,walnuts,canola oil

Zinc-pumpkin seeds (best source), beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and whole grain cereals

Selenium-Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium, so try to eat a couple every day. Eating a small bag of mixed unsalted nuts can be a convenient way to get your daily selenium intake, but make sure it contains Brazils. Bread and eggs also provide some selenium.

Vitamin D- Vitamin D, often called the sunshine vitamin, is another common deficiency in those not drinking vitamin D fortified milk. Synthetic vitamin D is added to both cow’s milk and most brands of soy milk today.

Vitamins A (beta carotene),C, K, E and Folate-variety of fruits and veggies

Iodine-Iodine is a trace mineral that's important for healthy thyroid function. Table salt is the most common and reliable source of iodine in Americans' diets. (However, sodium in processed foods usually does not contain iodine.) If you don't consume table salt, you can get iodine from a multivitamin or from kelp tablets.

Answer 2

I didn't become a vegetarian to lose weight or change my body, I became one because I don't believe livestock are treated ethically and I can't afford to buy organic and real free range meat all the time. So my body has not changed too much..but hopefully I can help some. 1. I am never one for good body image. I feel like my body is healthier though. 2. At first I went veg. the wrong way, mostly frozen dinners or not eating right. So my energy levels were not good. Once I ate more balanced and fresh, my energy has been good. Also my sleeping is better, I used to not be able to fall asleep good or stay asleep. 3. Ahh the weight question! Luckily I'm the same weight though:P 4. Honestly it is the same. I get a ton of exercise from my dogs. I just have to make sure I eat enough soy protein so I don't lose muscle. If vegetarians and vegans do not eat enough proteins, they actually gain fat and lose muscle. Their bodies will become flabby.

Answer 3

Well, consider how the typical American diet effects them.
Whatever diet you have, you have to get enought carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. This can be - and is often - done on a vegan diet. 14 years for me.

"In my opinion, becoming vegan is attempting to overturn millions of years of development to make some sort of fadish political statement."

Yes, that is an opinion.....not a fact. All my teeth come in handy for the 30 different foods I eat.
If human teeth are good for tearing meat, why do people cook it. Also, true meat-eating animals don't chew up the meat, they swallow it with little chewing. And their digestive juices - which are alot stronger than humans - disolve the meat. (see, we vegans studied this stuff. It's our area.)

I'm not making a political statement, I'm trying to be the healthiest I can. There's nothing special or unique about meat. I have meat on my body just like cows do, and I get it from the same place: grains. Gorillas don't even eat grain; and are a better example.

I have enough muscle(meat) to exercise 2 hours a day

Answer 4

Well, first; the studies about hormone levels are inconclusive; testosterone fluxuates widely in normal men anyway, unless you chose your vegans carefully to include only knowledgable ones (NOT the idiots who starved their kid!) and did an expensive long-term study would you have reliable data.

It's possible to be a vegan with no vitamins or supplements and remain completely healthy. There are two areas of concern.

1. Protein. Your nephew needs to understand how beans, grains, nuts and seeds contribute different amino acids, and should manage his diet to include good quantities of each of them. The old vegetarian tome "Diet for a Small Planet" is a good resource, although be aware that the book's insistence that you must combine these sources and eat them at the same time to get complete protein is not true--you can eat all your grains in the morning and your beans at night, your body will use what it gets.

2. Folic acid. The primary source of this essential nutrient is in meats for the omnivores among us. It's present in smaller quantities in leafy green veggies and a few other vegan foods. Study up and make certain the diet isn't deficient there.

Note that lots of vegans rely on "meat analogues"--tofurkey and soy-based vegan bologna and such like, manufactured from soy protein or texturized vegetable protein. Those, I think, are not going to provide complete protein (tho' soy is one of the best vegetable sources) nor much folic acid unless it's added as a supplement.

Philosophically, I think it's wrong to insult anyone's dietary choices; a polite critique is more appropriate. If your nephew is going vegan, I'd think a devotion to eating vegatables that taste LIKE vegetables, not like meat, would be a sign of sincerity.

Properly pursued, a vegan diet will be less likely to contribute to cardiovascular diseases. So there are some benefits as well as some hazards--as there are for any diet.

Answer 5

Vegans can have a healthy diet that meets all their nutritional needs.

I recommend getting a vegan cookbook, because you can find one that will have healthy meals to make sure you get all the nutrition you need.

Answer 6

If he learns his nutritional properties properly you've got no worries. Yes, it probably will reduce his testosterone levels a little-simply because he won't be getting all the hormones from the dead flesh he eats.

Answer 7

The human body evolved, or was created, take your pick, to utilize the proteins and nutrients found in meat. Humans are omnivores, take a look at our teeth and compare them to other creatures. We don't have the grinders of ruminants, we have incisors capable of tearing flesh, and molars capable of grinding it.

In my opinion, becoming vegan is attempting to overturn millions of years of development to make some sort of fadish political statement.

If you want to make a useful dietary statement, eat a balanced diet, protest the chemicals added to our food. Protest the growth hormones in some livestock. Protest the unhealthy foodstuffs imported from China and other Asian nations. Exercise, and enjoy life.

Now go ahead and think I'm full of crap if you like, but think about this. If the vegan life-style is so damned healthy, why did a couple in Georgia recently get tried and convicted for negligent homicide because they put their infant on a strict vegan diet, and the poor child died of malnutrition? Your own researches have shown that there are health risks involved in a vegan diet. Quit while you are still ahead.

Doc Hudson