I've immersed myself in ex-vegan and ex-vegetarian stories. Besides it being depressing, it has been a real eye opener. What I'm about to write will piss many people off. Too bad.
With the exception of one story of a person with eczema, which could be indicative of Leaky Gut Syndrome or a severe allergic inflammation from gluten (Celiac disease), many of the failure to thrive vegans were raw foodists (can't they call it something else like "Rawganism" — sounds sexy) and low fat vegan or vegetarian dieters (can't they call it something else like "Malabsorptionism"). Also Macrobiotic based vegan diets have their share of ex-vegans. Can't we rename it "TooMuchGrainism" or "PullingYourYangism".
There is also a fair share of ex-vegans who were not only going low fat, but only doing whole foods. This is the advertised "ultimate diet", but it's really unhealthy! Besides the fact that you barely get the nutrients out of your vegetables if you don't eat them with fat, if you don't eat fortified foods (or you don't supplement) you will not get enough vitamin D and other vitamins added to packaged food. These are added because many people, the vast, vast majority being omnivores, don't get the RDA of certain vitamins and minerals. And, there are some ex-vegans who went the whole foods, low fat, and no supplements (not even B12) route. Really unfortunate. There's many variables. I can't cover them all.
I'm not going to even bother with discussing Rawganism or TooMuchGrainism. To me, they both have their good and bad points, but for the most part: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Too many grains, no cooked food. Are you stoned? No, you just bought the lie. You're not alone, if that's any comfort now. I wish I could apologize for all the misguided doctors, "prophets", and greedy profiteers, but some evangelicals are very sincere, to quote myself:
Just because the Nourishing Traditions worked for you, it doesn't mean that it is the one diet to rule them all either. But seriously, isn't that the way it is with something so intimate such as diet or religion? Jesus is God to millions of people, they pray to Him, get inner and outer confirmation and feel happy. Telling them otherwise is not going to get you anywhere. They want all the people to share in their happiness and joy they get from a close personal relationship with Jesus. Telling them that people also pray to Buddha, or Allah, or my master, Meher Baba, and also feel the same way and get the same benefits, that would freak them out. They would cover their ears and start singing loudly, in a manner of speaking.
I lied, I will share little story about Rawganism: My mother and I went to a talk at a Florida Voices for Animals Dinner years ago and the guest speaker was a devout raw foodist. This woman used to eat such horrible Standard American Diet food and healed nearly all her ailments by going raw. I'm happy for her. But that doesn't mean one should keep doing it forever. On the way out the door, my mother, an RN who aced her Anatomy and Physiology exams, said that some of the stuff this raw foodist was saying defied the laws of science. From then on out I didn't think much about raw vegan diets. There's only one raw food vegan that I know who looks good and healthy, he's a bodybuilder and eats so much variety and lots of protein. He also makes sure his levels are checked. And then there's Brendan Brazier, he's 80% raw. He knows a great deal about nutrition. The omni gals across the street were raving today about his Vega Protein and how good they felt! So take that a whey! ;-) Punny.
What I am going to discuss is Malabsorptionism (a low fat vegan diet). When a person does not add fat to their veggies and other foods (I suspect), the ability to absorb nutrients decreases dramatically.
Chemistry and Biochemistry of Pigments Group, Department of Food Biotechnology, Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC. Av. Padre García Tejero, 4, 41012 — Sevilla, Spain: Bioaccessibility of carotenes from carrots: Effect of cooking and addition of oil
Addition of olive oil to carrot samples during cooking and before application of the in vitro digestion model had a marked positive effect on the release of carotenes, although the design of the model did not allow the correct estimation of this effect. The higher amounts of micellarised carotenes (80%) were found in the digest prepared from cooked carrots containing 10% olive oil. In general, the inclusion of olive oil during cooking increased the carotenoid extraction and micellarisation in a dose-dependent fashion.Yo, there's more:
Seven healthy men and women ate salads of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots topped with Italian dressings containing 0, 6 (0.2 ounces), or 28 grams (almost 1 ounce) of canola oil on different occasions during a 12-week period. Hourly blood samples were taken for 11 hours after the meal and tested for nutrient absorption.Here's some more interesting information about adding oils with your vegetables.
The study found that only negligible amounts of alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene were detected in the blood after eating a salad with fat-free dressing. Significantly more of these substances, known as carotenoids, were detected in the blood after eating salads with reduced-fat dressing or full-fat dressings.
WebMD: fat helps the vegetables go down
Another interesting fact: Since mammals synthesize a small quantity of Vit K2 forms from vitamin K1, then eating lots of green vegetables should provide substrate for some quantity of K2 conversion. However, work by Schurgers [laboratories of Drs. Vermeer, Geleijnse, and Schurgers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands] have shown that K1 absorption is poor, no more than 10%, but increases significantly when vegetables are eaten in the presence of oils. (Thus arguing that oils are meant to be part of the human diet. Does your olive oil or oil-based salad dressing represent fulfillment of some subconscious biologic imperative?) — Dr. William Davis, MD
When you don't eat your food with oil, you don't extract the nutrients nearly as well as you could with the addition of fat. Long term adherence to some variation of "Malabsorptionism", I'm conjecturing here, probably builds scar tissue in your intestines, or messes them up in general. Your stool will be bulky, like you didn't digest the food as well. No fat is just like having sex without any lubrication. Not good at all! Yes, it's an analogy that is very effective in getting my point across.
Genetics plays a vital role too, I honestly believe that some people are not cut out to be vegans, they can certainly cut down a lot on their animal product consumption, but they don't make certain enzymes or their intestines are not healthy enough (even with fat), and so forth. This is just my opinion, but it kind of makes since since obviously we are not clones of each other. Some people have type 1 diabetes and some people don't. Recall Don Gorskey, from the Super Size Me movie. He ate two Big Macs a day, for years on end, and had total cholesterol of 140mg/dL.
Here's what I think many of the vegan health failures stem from:
Not Enough Vitamin D
If you don't eat fortified food, get enough sun exposure, take a D supplement with a good dosage for your body weight and age, and/or consume a whole lot of mushrooms exposed to UVB light, you are probably deficient in vitamin D on the vegan diet. Most of the world, according to many sources, is vitamin D deficient too. That's why it's added to many packaged foods. Most of the world is not vegan. However, if you eat a low fat vegan diet, your cholesterol is also low. If you increase your fat, your cholesterol rises. "Cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in humans. When ultraviolet light from the sun hits the leaf of a plant, ergosterol is converted into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. In just the same way, when ultraviolet light hits the cells of our skin, one form of cholesterol found in our skin cells-called 7-dehydrocholesterol-can be converted into cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D3. (source)"
Ideas for Vegans: Eat fortified foods, take a D3 supplement, eat fat and go in the sun for the appropriate amount of time per day. See VeganHealth.org on Vit. D. look in the second column. These are still conservative levels, I take much more. I think that vegans and older people should get a vitamin D test to see what's up.
Not Enough Vitamin K2
If you can't enough of the K1 out of your kale and other vegetables, due to lack of fat, you won't even have a chance, even with healthiest of intestines, to convert this form of K (K1) to the fat soluble version called K2. One ex-vegan had nose bleeds when he was vegan, this is an indication of a severe K deficiency. According to Dr. Alan Inglis, MD: "Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium while vitamin K2 tells your body where to put it - into the bones where it belongs, not the delicate inner lining of the blood vessels that serve the heart." Even if you are eating your veggies with fat, if you take antibiotics, are stressed out, and eat lousy sugar laden food, your ability to produce the bacteria in the human gut to make vitamin K2 is seriously impaired.
Not Enough Vitamin K2
If you can't enough of the K1 out of your kale and other vegetables, due to lack of fat, you won't even have a chance, even with healthiest of intestines, to convert this form of K (K1) to the fat soluble version called K2. One ex-vegan had nose bleeds when he was vegan, this is an indication of a severe K deficiency. According to Dr. Alan Inglis, MD: "Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium while vitamin K2 tells your body where to put it - into the bones where it belongs, not the delicate inner lining of the blood vessels that serve the heart." Even if you are eating your veggies with fat, if you take antibiotics, are stressed out, and eat lousy sugar laden food, your ability to produce the bacteria in the human gut to make vitamin K2 is seriously impaired.
Ideas for vegans: Eat natto, apparently sauerkraut has K2 as well (check this), heal your intestines with probiotics, eat your greens with oil, take a K2 supplement.
Not Enough Taurine (or you lack the enzyme — cysteinsulfinic decarboxylase — to make it yourself)
According to Dr. Leonard Smith, MD "Many humans may not regularly produce a high level of the enzyme needed to make taurine". But let's assume that even if you have good levels of this enzyme, and you are eating enough protein to get the amino acids cysteine and methionine, simply due to a lack of fat, you can't get adequate B6 (Vitamin B6 is the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids), Vitamin A, and Zinc. In some sources, I found that to make taurine you need vitamin C, but the majority of sources indicate vitamin A is a key vitamin. Without the fat, the pro vitamin A (beta carotene) is not easily absorbed and you don't have much of chance of converting that to the actual, fat soluble Vitamin A. All three building blocks to make your own taurine, B6, Pro A, and Zinc are in short supply if you are not absorbing adequate levels from your food due to the lack of fat at the time of ingestion. There was a 1988 study that measured the taurine levels, in urine and plasma, of a group of vegans, members of a Seventh Day Adventist college. The study compared the vegans to a control group of non vegans on a standard american diet. The results of the study indicated that the plasma taurine concentrations in the vegans were significantly reduced to 78% of control values. Urinary taurine was reduced in the vegans to only 29% of control values. That's a big difference. I found this study sited on BeyondVeg and I have no reason to doubt it (you can if you want). My interpretation of their work is not so black and white. I would bet good money that traditional diets followed by genetically adapted peoples, such as Asians following their traditional diet that is mostly plants, starch, and very little meat, and which doesn't skimp on the fat, have the ability to produce taurine in good supply for their particular bodies. Germans, on the other hand, who have relied so long on animal sources, would not be as well adept at this. They could adapt over time. This is my opinion, take it or leave it. However, it would explain a lot. I also want to call your attention to the B6 being the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids, even if you are getting enough protein (amino acids), and you are NOT getting enough of B6, you've got a serious problem.
Ideas for vegans: take a taurine supplement and see how you feel. All over the place I read that Taurine is in Brewer's Yeast, but I haven't verified it. I took 2, 500 mg earlier today and I don't know if it's a placebo effect, because the woman at the health food store said to not take it before bed, but good Gawd, I have so much energy and I felt so much more alert within a 1/2 hour or so of ingestion. Freaking great I tell you!
Deficient in Taurine information at Body Ecology
Not Enough Omega 3 DHA (whether the ability to convert ALA to Omega 3 DHA is impaired or for other reasons) or the Omega 3 and 6 are out of balance.
Dr. Mercola says that most of us can't convert the ALA from flax or walnuts, as examples, into Omega 3 DHA. How does he know? Is he pushing fish oil supplements? Anyway, the likely story is that some people are good at it, some are bad, and some are probably in the middle. That is: not the same with all people.
Idea for vegans: Take Omega 3 DHA from algae as a supplement.
Summation
Craving Fish
How the hell did I figure this little story of mine? I really have no idea if it's accurate, but the clue was that I kept hearing that people craved fish after coming off a vegan or vegetarian diet. Fish (oily fish in particular) contain lots of D, Omega 3 DHA, Taurine, Vitamin A, and iodine (which I didn't list above, but its levels are also low in many vegans and vegetarians). Fish also could contain a lot of mercury, check the NRDC site for list of "safer" fish. IMO, Neurotoxins suck even at low levels. I never enjoyed fish even when I ate lamb :-(, so the first thing I went for when I was a pregnant vegetarian was eggs. Eggs also contain a lot of these nutrients. However, if you wish stay as close to vegan as possible, please consult with a vegan RD and take some supplements.
That should be it for the time being. I had to get this off my chest.
Please visit VeganHealth.org, eat some fat, listen to your heart/intuition, pray, and think for yourself! Go to a doctor if you are at risk for heart disease.
Symptoms of malabsorption: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000299.htm
Not Enough Taurine (or you lack the enzyme — cysteinsulfinic decarboxylase — to make it yourself)
According to Dr. Leonard Smith, MD "Many humans may not regularly produce a high level of the enzyme needed to make taurine". But let's assume that even if you have good levels of this enzyme, and you are eating enough protein to get the amino acids cysteine and methionine, simply due to a lack of fat, you can't get adequate B6 (Vitamin B6 is the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids), Vitamin A, and Zinc. In some sources, I found that to make taurine you need vitamin C, but the majority of sources indicate vitamin A is a key vitamin. Without the fat, the pro vitamin A (beta carotene) is not easily absorbed and you don't have much of chance of converting that to the actual, fat soluble Vitamin A. All three building blocks to make your own taurine, B6, Pro A, and Zinc are in short supply if you are not absorbing adequate levels from your food due to the lack of fat at the time of ingestion. There was a 1988 study that measured the taurine levels, in urine and plasma, of a group of vegans, members of a Seventh Day Adventist college. The study compared the vegans to a control group of non vegans on a standard american diet. The results of the study indicated that the plasma taurine concentrations in the vegans were significantly reduced to 78% of control values. Urinary taurine was reduced in the vegans to only 29% of control values. That's a big difference. I found this study sited on BeyondVeg and I have no reason to doubt it (you can if you want). My interpretation of their work is not so black and white. I would bet good money that traditional diets followed by genetically adapted peoples, such as Asians following their traditional diet that is mostly plants, starch, and very little meat, and which doesn't skimp on the fat, have the ability to produce taurine in good supply for their particular bodies. Germans, on the other hand, who have relied so long on animal sources, would not be as well adept at this. They could adapt over time. This is my opinion, take it or leave it. However, it would explain a lot. I also want to call your attention to the B6 being the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids, even if you are getting enough protein (amino acids), and you are NOT getting enough of B6, you've got a serious problem.
Ideas for vegans: take a taurine supplement and see how you feel. All over the place I read that Taurine is in Brewer's Yeast, but I haven't verified it. I took 2, 500 mg earlier today and I don't know if it's a placebo effect, because the woman at the health food store said to not take it before bed, but good Gawd, I have so much energy and I felt so much more alert within a 1/2 hour or so of ingestion. Freaking great I tell you!
Deficient in Taurine information at Body Ecology
Not Enough Omega 3 DHA (whether the ability to convert ALA to Omega 3 DHA is impaired or for other reasons) or the Omega 3 and 6 are out of balance.
Dr. Mercola says that most of us can't convert the ALA from flax or walnuts, as examples, into Omega 3 DHA. How does he know? Is he pushing fish oil supplements? Anyway, the likely story is that some people are good at it, some are bad, and some are probably in the middle. That is: not the same with all people.
For pregnant women and developing babies, DHA is crucial. It's found in every organ of the body as well as in muscle tissue and in the brain. DHA makes brain membranes flexible and optimizes electrical signaling.
Animal studies show that when DHA is drastically reduced in the brain, processing slows.
"From neuron to neuron, or from the retina to the brain, those signals will still go," says Norman Salem, a neurobiologist with the National Institutes of Health. "But they may be slower and not as intense."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15823852
Idea for vegans: Take Omega 3 DHA from algae as a supplement.
Summation
Craving Fish
How the hell did I figure this little story of mine? I really have no idea if it's accurate, but the clue was that I kept hearing that people craved fish after coming off a vegan or vegetarian diet. Fish (oily fish in particular) contain lots of D, Omega 3 DHA, Taurine, Vitamin A, and iodine (which I didn't list above, but its levels are also low in many vegans and vegetarians). Fish also could contain a lot of mercury, check the NRDC site for list of "safer" fish. IMO, Neurotoxins suck even at low levels. I never enjoyed fish even when I ate lamb :-(, so the first thing I went for when I was a pregnant vegetarian was eggs. Eggs also contain a lot of these nutrients. However, if you wish stay as close to vegan as possible, please consult with a vegan RD and take some supplements.
That should be it for the time being. I had to get this off my chest.
Please visit VeganHealth.org, eat some fat, listen to your heart/intuition, pray, and think for yourself! Go to a doctor if you are at risk for heart disease.
Symptoms of malabsorption: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000299.htm
The Truth about Probiotics and Your Gut - Yale Studies
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/probiotics-10/what-are-probiotics
