Vegan Health and Nutrition Issues

 People decide to go vegan for many different reasons. For example because they are concerned about the environment, or because they are interested in animal welfare or factory farming issues. However, many people go vegan simply because they are concerned about their health.

The Health Advantages of the Vegan Diet

There are many health advantages to be gained from following a vegan diet. Studies have shown that when compared with omnivores:
  1. Vegans tend, on average, to be slimmer and are less likely to suffer from obesity and obesity-related illnesses.
  2. Vegans are less likely to suffer from: osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticular disease, arteriosclerosis, non-insulin dependent diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers e.g. colon cancer.
  3. Pregnant vegan women have a reduced risk of developing toxemia in pregnancy.
  4. Vegan children are less likely to develop allergies.
  5. Vegans usually have lower blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol levels.
  6. The breast milk of vegan mothers contains smaller amounts of contaminants such as pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. These chemicals are a potential hazard to the newborn baby whose brain and endocrine glands are still developing after it is born.

As well as preventing the development of certain diseases, the vegan diet has also been used to successfully treat many established diseases, too. In fact, some patients' conditions improve so much, when they are on a vegan diet that they are able to reduce the dose of their medication, or in some fortunate cases even stop taking it completely! Vegan nutrition has been shown to be particularly useful for treating conditions such as: arthritis, eczema, angina, asthma, PMT and it has also been used to lower blood pressure/blood cholesterol levels or to reduce the blood sugar levels in diabetic patients. When used in conjunction with exercise and other techniques, such as stress management, a vegan diet can reopen blocked arteries and can thus reduce the need for heart surgery. And many overweight people find that they no longer suffer from weight problems when they change to a vegan diet. A recent study in Sweden showed that when slimmers were placed on a vegan diet, although they actually consumed more calories than people in a control group following a non-vegan diet, the vegans lost an average of 9% of their body weight.

Vegan Health and Nutrition - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do Vegans Get Deficiency Diseases?

A varied, vegan wholefood diet is able to provide all essential dietary nutrients, as well as sufficient protein and energy and deficiency diseases are, in fact, rare in vegans. However, meals do need to be planned carefully and you will find meal planning easier if you understand the principles of vegan nutrition. I would, therefore, recommend that you read 'Vegan Nutrition Pure and Simple', by Dr Michael Klaper, which contains a lot of useful information as well as many recipes and some sample meal plans. The book 'Vegan Nutrition' by Dr Gill Langley, is also well worth looking at, as it reviews many of the scientific health studies which have been carried out on vegans and is very reassuring reading. You may also like to check out the article 'Veg Out Time?' which was published in the Guardian recently (February 3 1998). This article, which is not so reassuring, covers both vegans and vegetarians and takes the view that the vegetarian diet can be harmful. It highlights some of the areas which can cause problems, but unfortunately it tends to present vegetarians in a rather negative way - as a rather malnourished and anaemic lot - who are sometimes too worn out to cook properly! Illustrated with a photograph of several exceptionally glum-looking vegetarians, it nevertheless provides an interesting contrast to the vital, healthy-looking vegan specimens who are following a vegan, wholefood diet in Dr Michael Klaper's books. A reminder, perhaps, that we all need to pay attention to our diet and make sure that it is well-balanced with plenty of wholegrains, legumes and fresh fruit and vegetables. The article also questions (quite rightly) whether vegetarian convenience foods are healthy. In fact many ready-prepared, convenience foods - whether they are vegetarian or not - contain too much fat, salt, sugar and additives and in my opinion these often expensive and overpackaged products, should be avoided whenever possible. As there are now so many quick and easily-prepared, vegan recipes available it should not be necessary to purchase these products very often, anyway.

2. Does the Vegan Diet Provide Enough Protein?

It has been shown that vegans can easily obtain sufficient protein from their diet, providing that they consume sufficient calories and eat a variety of unrefined grains, legumes, green vegetables and nuts/seeds on a daily basis. Good sources of protein in the vegan diet include: beans, peanut butter, tahini, brown rice, nuts and soya products e.g. soya milk, yogurt, TVP and tofu. Studies have shown that vegans usually obtain an average of 10-11% of their daily energy from protein which is very close to the figure of 10% which is recommended by NACNE. In fact, the amount of protein required by the human body is small - only about 20-40g each day and consuming too much protein can, in fact, be harmful leading to kidney damage or to an increased risk of developing 'brittle bone' disease (osteoporosis).

3. Can the Vegan Diet Supply Enough Energy?

Concern has sometimes been expressed by nutritionists that vegan children may not be able to obtain enough calories from the vegan diet, as it tends to be high in fibre and rather bulky for small stomachs. However, medical studies have shown that vegan children grow up to be just as tall and strong as their meat-eating peers, although they are often slimmer. However, in order to obtain enough calories and protein, vegan children do need to consume more low fibre, energy-dense foods than vegan adults. Suitable energy-dense foods include: nut butters, tahini, fruit spreads, chickpea hummus, pureed beans and avocados.

4. Do Vegans Get Enough Calcium?

Calcium is needed by the human body to make strong bones and teeth and also plays an important role in blood clotting and in nerve and muscle function. It has sometimes been questioned whether the vegans consume enough calcium as their dietary intake of calcium is usually lower than that of other dietary groups. However, calcium deficiency has never been reported in vegans and medical studies have shown vegan calcium intake to be perfectly adequate. It is even thought that the vegan diet may offer some protection against osteoporosis. Good sources of calcium in the vegan diet include: tofu precipitated with calcium sulphate, seeds and nuts - particularly almonds, watercress, blackstrap molasses, dried figs, dates, tahini spread, chick peas, hard water, calcium enriched soya milk and many green leafy vegetables - particularly kale, collards and broccoli. The RDA for calcium differs between countries, being higher in the USA (800 mg) than in Britain (500 mg). Pregnant women and vegans who under 25 need more calcium than this and should check out the recommended calcium levels for their country.

5. Will I Become Anaemic?

Haemoglobin levels are usually higher in vegans than in omnivores and the amount of iron in the vegan diet normally exceeds the RDA. Good sources of dietary iron include: blackstrap molasses, prune juice, apricots, pumpkin seeds, wholemeal bread and green leafy vegetables. Iron-rich foods are best eaten with foods which are high in vitamin C as this increases iron absorption.

6. How Do I get Enough Vitamins?

The best way to make sure that you get enough vitamins is to regularly consume plenty of fresh, steamed, dark green leafy and yellow vegetables and to eat plenty of fresh fruit, as these foodstuffs will supply most of the vitamins which are necessary for vegan health.

However, the two vitamins, which may be in short supply in the vegan diet and could possibly lead to deficiency, are vitamin B12 and vitamin D, as these vitamins are largely obtained from animal food sources. The human body is, however, able to make its own vitamin D in the presence of sunlight and so vegans should make sure that they spend at least 15 minutes outside each day (longer in winter) with the sun or bright light falling onto their face and hands/arms. B12 deficiency is rare in vegans but it is important that all vegans should consume a small amount of this vital vitamin, at least several times a week, in order to avoid nerve damage and anaemia. B12 is added to many processed vegan foods and can be found in some soya milks, soya products such as TVP or soya chunks, some vegan margarines and in yeast extract. It also occurs, in smaller amounts, in many natural foods and less reliable sources of this vitamin include: fermented foods such as miso/soya sauce, nutritional yeast flakes and seaweed. However, if you are not able to obtain an adequate supply of B12 from your food, on a regular basis, then you should make sure that you take a B12 vitamin supplement.

7. Can Vegans Produce Healthy Babies?

Certainly! But, pregnant (and breast feeding) vegans do need to modify their diets, slightly. Nutritional needs increase in pregnancy and it has been calculated that a pregnant women needs to consume an extra 300 calories/day, in the second and third trimesters. The best way to obtain these extra calories is by eating more fruit and vegetables, for as well as providing additional calories, these foods will provide many of the extra vitamins and minerals which are also required in pregnancy.

Nutrients which are of particular importance during pregnancy and are needed in larger amounts include: iron, folic acid, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and zinc. Protein requirements also increase slightly during pregnancy and it is recommended that a vegan pregnant woman should consume about 60 g (74 g in the USA) of protein each day. To achieve this intake of protein, make sure that you eat a varied diet which includes high protein foods, such as soya milk/tofu, beans, nuts, grains and green leafy vegetables. Also, try to eat four helpings/day of the calcium-rich foods mentioned earlier and don't forget to expose your face and hands to the sun for a slightly longer time each day than recommended for vegan adults, in order to obtain extra vitamin D. The amount of iron-rich foods in the diet should also be increased, but as it can be difficult to obtain enough iron from the diet alone in pregnancy, a iron supplement is often prescribed for pregnant women. Good sources of zinc include: mushrooms, nuts and seeds, nutritional yeast, wheatgerm and whole grains. Folic acid is needed in substantially larger amounts in pregnancy and it is a good idea to increase your intake of folic acid for several months before you get pregnant. It is found in dark green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts, dates, legumes and oranges.

The vegan diet tends to be high in fibre and quite bulky and so if towards the end of pregancy you find it difficult to eat large meals, then six smaller meals can be eaten, instead. Eating small frequent meals can also help to prevent morning sickness.

7. Do I Need to Change My Diet if I Breast Feed?

In order to produce enough milk, nursing mothers need about 500 extra calories daily and some extra fluid. The nursing mother also needs slightly more protein than recommended in pregnancy and she should make sure that she has an adequate intake of vitamin D and vitamin B12 because breast milk is the sole source of these vitamins for the young infant. However, if you are unable to breast feed your baby, then the only soy infant formula which is available in the UK is 'Farley's Soya Formula' which is made by Heinz.

8. What About Sex?

No thanks, after answering all those questions I've got a headache! Why don't you visit the 'vegan sex' site? - it's listed in the website section, below.

Further Reading:

Other Health-Related Vegan Websites:

  1. Calcium in the Vegan Diet
  2. Osteoporosis
  3. Iron in the Vegan Diet
  4. Vitamin B12
  5. The Vegan Diet in Pregnancy
  6. Pregnancy and Childhood
  7. Vegetarian/Vegan Pregnancy
  8. Soy Protein the Key to Better Health
  9. Soy Protein: Heart Disease and Cancer Prevention?
  10. Clinical Research on Vegan Diet and Health
  11. Senior Citizens Go Vegan
  12. Veganism for the Over 60's
  13. Vegan Sex
  14. Health Study of Vegans in Siberia
  15. Vegan Health Practitioners (UK)
  16. Vegan Nutrition Books - Mail Order.
  17. Amazon Books - Mail Order Books (USA).

Mail Order Book Suppliers:

  1. The Vegan Society (UK), Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Rd, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. Tel: 01424 427393.
    Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet by Dr. Michael Klaper (£7.95), Vegan Nutrition Pure and Simple by Dr. M. Klaper (£7.95), Simply Vegan by Debra Wasserman (£8.99), Vegan Nutrition by Gill Langley (£8.95).

  2. VIVA Books! 12 Queen Square, Brighton. BN1 3FD. Tel: 01273 777688.
    Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet by Dr. Michael Klaper (£7.95), Vegan Nutrition Pure and Simple by Dr. Michael Klaper (£6.25), Vegan Nutrition by Gill Langley (£8.95).

  3. USA.
    The following organisations sell books by mail order, so it may be worth contacting them to see if they stock any of the nutrition books mentioned above:
    • The American Vegan Society, 501 Old Harding Hwy, (PO BOX H) Malaga, NJ 08328. (609) 694-2887.

    • Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. (410) 366-8343.

April 1998 Issue
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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd 1998.