Nutritionist for Vegans?

Question

Have any of you vegans out there ever visited with a nutritionist?
If so, was the nutritionist helpful in creating vegan meal plans?
Did the nutritionist check your vitamin levels to see that you were getting enough nutrients?
Was the nutritionist critical of your vegan lifestyle?
Did you feel better after seeing the nutritionist?

Answer 1

I'm married to a Registered Dietitian.

Sometimes the term "nutritionist" and "dietitian" are used interchangably, but dietitians are the real nutrition experts recognized by health care professionals.

Some people call themselves "nutritionist" without having any real credentials. Check if this person uses the title LD (Licensed Dietitian) or RD (Registered Dietian) after his or her name.

A good dietitian is not going to be critical of a vegan or vegetarian diet as long as the individual has a well balanced diet and there is no history of metabolic disorders or other medical conditions that might require special care in diet planning.

There are, of course, good dietitians and bad ones, like any other profession, though. My wife is an excellent dietitian, but maybe I'm a little biased.

Answer 2

Actually nutritionists are very helpful and professional. Most are able to divorce their personal preferences from the problem you are encountering.
They also are knowledgeable about the interaction of diet with certain health concerns.

They are healthcare professionals and one should be suspect of any advice to the contrary that they do not know what they are talking about, you can get the same information from the internet, or they "promote an ominivore diet".

These are credentialed, knowledgeable people as opposed to uncredentialed persons flying by the seat of their pants.

VicStevens' story is a common one, but the nutrtionists tried to find an optimum diet. It really isn't easy and those that seem to be doing well on a vegan diet often have severe and chronic health concerns showing up later in life. Well-balanced, moderate diet, exercise, and meditation. A winning combination AND you can enjoy life worry free.

Answer 3

You can get a well balanced and healthy meal plan from the internet.

It might be a good thing to get your vitamin levels checked, but it is expensive to get all that stuff done.

I think you can feel secure that you are healthy if you are eating enough fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, soy, and soy milk. You will be getting the proper amount of every vitamin, calcium, and proteins if you stick to a healthy balance of these foods.

There are also meatless meats such as meatless beef, sausage, hotdogs, turkey (tofurkey), meatless chicken patties etc, etc. All these meatless meats are made of soy.

(Veggie burgers are awesome!!!)

Go to ANY search engine and type in "Vegan Diet", or "Vegan Diet Meal Plans", and you can get TONS of FREE information!

Here, I'll give you some links.
http://www.vrg.org/
http://veg.ca/content/blogcategory/35/112/
http://www.chatelaine.com/english/food/article.jsp?content=20050705_122113_5948


Cheers

Answer 4

I've been pondering this question a lot myself lately. Not that I'm at all unhealthy (I've lost twenty pounds and my skin has cleared up since being vegan) but I've been thinking a lot about having children lately, and I know that it's very important for them to get all their nutrition while they're growing. That and I've heard of CPS KIDNAPPING children being raised vegan and prosecuting the parents for "neglect". Such a sad world.

Answer 5

Good question. Im in the same boat as you. I want to go vegetarian myself but did not get alot of help from my specialist or dietitian.
I have decided to eat eggs because if there is no rooster to fertilise the egg then I see it as just an egg and not a living being. I know about battery hens but my friend keeps her own chooks and Im going to get some from her.
It is a tricky thing to figure out and I put on a lb a week for the last 6 weeks but thats because I havent got my balance sorted yet. I ve bought a heap of vegetarian books of ebay and now I have to go through them and figure out what and how to eat.

Answer 6

i have never seen a nutritionist, and have been vegan on an off for 5 years. i have never encountered any health problems as a result of my choice, if anything, ive had more energy than ever...and never felt healthier.

your best best would be to live off of 70% fresh fruits and vegetables....and the other 30% whatever vegan junk food you desire....

broccoli and spinach both have 50% protien content....

dairy products, especially are nowhere to think you are getting nutrition from. they are the milk escretoins from another species....which humans stupidly consume beyond the point of needing them, around 3 years old. cow's milk is made for cows, not humans,
could you imagine a baby cow nursing on your breasts??


trust me...
one can thrive living off of fresh produce, beans, nuts..etc on a vegan diet.

nutritionists dont know wtf they are talking about as they were trained to promote an ominvorous diet.

Answer 7

Look at the food pyramid. You're only taking out something that accounts for 4-6 servings of food per day by being vegan, and the amount of good things in those food is limited. Get your B12 from a supplement. Get your protein from vegetables or soy protein powder. If you want saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol...no, you don't want those things. :P

Answer 8

I have visited (that is paid for) 2 nutritionists while a vegan. Both nutritionists were conventional and not thrilled with veganism. They tried to help me figure out how to get nutrition as a vegan; it's not easy. You can survive as a vegan but it takes a lot of work to get full and proper nutrition while watching the sources of your nutrition. Good luck. Veganism is a political lifestyle choice. There are few if any cultures on Earth that support veganism, it may seem right to you, but it's not practical without a lot of effort on your part. I am no longer a vegan. I gave up - it was very difficult and I gained 40 pounds because I was always hungry.

Answer 9

www.veganoutreach.org for vegan eating guidelines.