VEGETARIANISM AND HEALTH

TThinking about adopting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for ethical, health or environmental reasons? Here is a great article I have written being a vegetarian naturopath all my life to give you some information on vegetarianism and how it would impact your health.

In the past decade, there has been a great push in health trends to adopt a vegetarian or a vegan lifestyle for weight loss, improved health and wellness, and saving the environment by reducing our carbon foot print. All of these reasons are great to be a vegetarian or vegan. There are many reasons why children or families may follow a vegetarian diet - including cultural reasons such as being born in families that strictly vegetarian, such as myself.

Younger vegetarians are usually part of a family that eats vegetarian meals for health or other reasons. Older children and adults may decide to become vegetarians or vegans because of concern for animals, the environment, or their own health. Regardless of the reasons, it is a great choice to become a vegetarian or vegan as long as you get the right amount of nutrients and the proteins in your diet.

TYPES OF VEGETARIANS

There are various types of vegetarians:

• A true vegetarian - eats no meat at all, including chicken, poultry, seafood and fish
• A Ovo-vegetarian - eats eggs; but no meat
• A Lacto-ovo vegetarian - eats dairy and egg products; but no meat
• A Lacto-vegetarian - eats dairy products; but no eggs or meat
• A Vegan - eats only food from plant sources

HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF VEGETARIANISM

Scientific data suggest positive relationships between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions, including obesity, coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and some types of cancer. Vegetarian diets, like all diets, need to be planned appropriately to be nutritionally adequate. In 2019, Health Canada produced the new Canadian Health Food Guide, which also supports a higher intake of vegetarian proteins than proteins for animal sources, for better health.

CHOOSING TO BE VEGETARIAN FOR A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE?

If you're choosing a vegetarian diet, the most important thing you can do is to educate yourself. That's why the ADA says that a vegetarian diet needs to be "appropriately planned." Simply dropping certain foods from your diet isn't the way to go if you're interested in maintaining good health, a high energy level, and strong muscles and bones. It is important to intake the right ratios of proteins, carbohydrates and fats with vegetarian or vegan diets, as quite often when people try vegetarian diets without any guidance - they tend to become "carbitarian" - primarily consuming calories from carbohydrates, and not consume enough proteins.

WILL YOU BECOME NUTRIENT DEFICIENT BY FOLLOWING A VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE?

Vegetarians have to be careful to include the following key nutrients because they may be lacking in an unguided vegetarian diet: iron, calcium, protein, vitamins D and B12, and zinc. If meat, fish, dairy products, and / or eggs are not going to be part of your diet, you'll need to know how to get enough of these nutrients, or you may need to take a daily multiple vitamin and mineral supplement, based on your dietary assessment and daily nutritional needs.

BENEFITS OF VEGETARIAN VS. NON VEGETARIAN DIETS

Vegetarian diets low in fat or saturated fat have been used successfully as part of comprehensive health programs to reverse severe coronary artery disease. Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits because of their lower saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein content and often higher concentration of folate (which reduces serum homocysteine levels), antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals.

Not only is mortality from coronary artery disease lower in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians, but vegetarian diets have also been successful in arresting coronary artery disease. Total serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are usually lower in vegetarians, but high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels vary depending on the type of vegetarian diet followed.

Vegetarians tend to have a lower incidence of hypertension than nonvegetarians. This effect appears to be independent of both body weight and sodium intake. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is much less likely to be a cause of death in vegetarians than nonvegetarians, perhaps because of their higher intake of complex carbohydrates and lower body mass index.

CANCER

Vegetarians have an overall lower cancer rate compared with the general population. An analysis from the Adventist Health Study that controlled for age, sex, and smoking found no differences between vegetarians and nonvegetarians for lung, breast, uterine, or stomach cancer but did find that nonvegetarians had a 54% increased risk for prostate cancer and an 88% increased risk for colorectal cancer.

Incidence of lung and colorectal cancer is lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians. Reduced colorectal cancer risk is associated with increased consumption of fiber, vegetables, and fruits. The environment of the colon differs notably in vegetarians compared with non-vegetarians in ways that could favourably affect colon cancer risk.

Lower breast cancer rates have not been observed in Western vegetarians, but cross-cultural data indicate that breast cancer rates are lower in populations that consume plant-based diets. The lower estrogen levels in vegetarian women may be protective.

A well-planned vegetarian diet may be useful in the prevention and treatment of renal disease as well.

NUTRITION CONSIDERATIONS FOR VEGETARIANS

There are a lot of concerns with following a vegetarian diet and lacking certain minerals and vitamins such as iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, essential fatty acids among other nutrients. Here are some food suggestions that may help counter the defiencies that can be caused by following an imbalanced vegetarian diet:

• Iron - Sea vegetables like nori, wakame, and dulse are very high in iron. Less exotic but still good options are iron-fortified breakfast cereals, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, and baked beans), soybeans and tofu, dried fruit (raisins, prunes and figs), pumpkin seeds, spinach, broccoli, and blackstrap molasses


• Eating these foods with a food high in vitamin C (citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, and broccoli) will help you to better absorb the iron. Girls need to be particularly concerned about getting adequate iron because some iron is lost during menstruation. Some girls who are vegetarians may not get adequate iron from vegetable sources and require a daily supplement. Check with your naturopathic doctor about your own iron needs based on your health, lifestyle and laboratory results.

CALCIUM

Milk and yogurt seem to be the go to for calcium needs if you're eating dairy products; otherwise, tofu, fortified soy milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, green leafy vegetables, and dried figs are excellent choices. Remember that as a teen you're building up your bones for the rest of your life. Because women have a greater risk for getting osteoporosis (weak bones) as adults, it's particularly important for them to make sure they get enough calcium. Again, talk to your naturopath if taking a calcium supplement may be necessary to ensure this.

VITAMIN D

Cow's milk and sunshine are high on the list for this vitamin. Vitamin D is needed to get calcium into your bones.Vegans can try fortified soy milk and fortified breakfast cereals, but they may need a supplement that includes vitamin D, especially during the winter months. Everyone should have some exposure to the sun to help the body produce vitamin D.

PROTEIN

Protein intake is one of the the biggest concerns when it comes to vegetarianism or veganism. Some people believe that vegetarians must combine incomplete plant proteins in one meal - like red beans and rice - to make the type of complete proteins found in meat. Current recommendations are that vegetarians eat a wide variety of foods during the course of a day. Eggs and dairy products are good sources of protein, but so are nuts, nut butters, tofu, beans, seeds, soy milk, grains, cereals, and various vegetables to get all the protein your body needs.

VITAMIN B12

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin found in animal products, including eggs and dairy. Fortified soy milk and fortified breakfast cereals also have this important vitamin. Nutritional yeast and various other foods are great sources for vitamin B12.

ZINC

If you're not eating dairy foods, make sure fortified cereals, dried beans, nuts, pumpkin seeds and soy products like tofu and tempeh are part of your diet so you can meet your daily requirement for this important mineral.

MEAL PLANNING FOR VEGETARIAN DIETS

• A variety of menu-planning approaches can provide vegetarians with adequate nutrition. If you are planning to become a vegetarian or vegan, We offer this service as part of our initial naturopathic consultation. Here are some ideas for vegetarian meal planning


• Choose a variety of foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds and, if desired, dairy products and eggs


• Choose whole, unrefined foods often and minimize intake of highly sweetened, fatty, and heavily refined foods


• Choose a variety of dark colored fruits and vegetables


• If animal foods such as dairy products and eggs will be part of your diet, choose organic or grass fed versions of these foods


• Cheeses and other high-fat dairy foods and eggs should be limited in the diet because of their saturated fat content and because their frequent use also displaces plant foods in some vegetarian diets


• Vegans should include a regular source of vitamin B-12 in their diets along with a source of vitamin D, if sun exposure is limited


• Solely breast-fed infants may need supplements of iron after the age of 4 to 6 months. If sun exposure is limited, a source of vitamin D may be required. Breast-fed vegan infants may also need vitamin B-12 supplements if the mother’s diet is not fortified. Please talk to your naturopathic doctor regarding supplementation and dosing.


• Do not restrict dietary fat in children younger than 2 years. For older children, include some foods higher in unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters, avocado, and vegetable oils) to help meet nutrient and energy needs

If you or a family member are planning to become a vegetarian, but not sure if it would be appropriate for your health or how to go about transitioning into vegetarianism or veganism, I can help you as a naturopath to assess your dietary needs and deficiencies, and provide you with a nutrition plan based on your health assessment. Please call us at 416 913 4325 (HEAL) to schedule your initial naturopathic consultation or email us at [email protected].

Please ask your doctor or naturopath before starting on any supplements or diets. Its is better to first identify the cause and then treat it with the right remedies, even though those mentioned above have minimal side effects.

* DISCLAIMER: The information on this article is the property of Dr. Sushma Shah, Naturopathic Doctor, and is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any diseases or promote any services or products mentioned on the website.