THE DEADLY DANGERS OF VEGANISM

THE CASE AGAINST VEGANISM - 2






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 There are many examples of vegans getting into deficiency trouble after some years on a 100% plant based diet, especially when no supplements are taken. Below are some examples. 

EXAMPLES
MAHATMA GANDHI AND 22 COMPANIONS FAIL AS VEGANS - 1946 
DR. GIAN-CURSIO ABOUT DISEASES DUE TO VEGAN DIET 
VEGAN ATHLETE & ACTOR DIES FROM HEART ATTACK 
OUR VEGAN CHILD WAS DEFICIENCY-DAMAGED 
RICKETS IN VEGAN INFANT 
FAMILY WITH SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STRICT VEGAN DIET 2001 
THE VEGAN HEALTH PROBLEM SURVEY 
INTERVIEW WITH ESSENE VEGETARIAN 
THE SAD SIDE OF DIETARY PURITY 
VEGAN MOTHERS - BRAIN DAMAGED INFANTS by Dr. Fielder 
FAMILY DEVELOPED SERIOUS DEFICIENCY ON VEGAN/FRUITARIAN DIET 
STRICT VEGAN DIET - DANGEROUS 
BABY DEATH BY VEGANISM - Atlanta Vegan Couple Gets Life in Prison After Baby Dies of Starvation 
VEGAN INFANT STARVED TO DEATH - Florida trial 
VEGAN BABY TRIAL - Queens parents sentenced to prison 
VEGAN CENTENARIANS – WHERE ARE THEY? by Brian White 
VEGANISM IS IMPOSSIBLE IN THIS WORLD by Swami Narayanananda 
VEGANISM CAUSING PARKINSONS by Joel Fuhrman 
VEGAN TURN-AROUND in a book by Lierre Keith 
BEYOND BROCCOLI - a book by Susan Schenck in 2011 
MORE EX-VEGAN HEALTH TESTIMONIALS - summary at Julianne's Blog 


Note: INHS' diet position is based on these case examples and many more, of humans who have been damaged by vegan diets. 

THE CASE AGAINST VEGANISM - 1

BACK to "What is the optimal diet in NH?"

CONTINUE to "The Vegan Health Problem Survey"
  



MAHATMA GANDHI AND 22 COMPANIONS FAIL AS VEGANS
 by Arnold DeVries

 CONCLUSION: 
• Gandhi was unable to live on a vegan diet 
• he finally declared vegan claims fraudulent 
• those who insisted that veganism was possible he defined to be "enemies of India" 


 "The late Mahatma Gandhi devoted much of his life to the advocacy of strict vegetarian diet, and for years he experimented on his own body to find a suitable selection of plant foods on which to sustain health. 

 But all attempts were failures. In 1929, Gandhi and 22 companions went on a diet consisting of a limited selection of uncooked plant foods. Whereas the diet worked out well for a time and led to marked improvement in consumptive cases, it failed to prove adequate on a long-range sustenance basis. One by one Gandhi's companions were forced to depart from the diet, and Gandhi himself had to add goat milk to his fare in order to regain health. 

 "For my companions I have been a blind guide leading the blind," declared Gandhi after the experiment was over. Gandhi still felt, however, that "the hidden possibilities of the innumerable seeds, leaves and fruits" of the earth could be explored and found to provide mankind with adequate nourishment. He never stopped trying to experiment along these lines, but he always had to turn back to goat milk to regain his strength. 

 In the end he had to acknowledge the necessity for animal food. In 1946 he declared: "The crores of India today get neither milk nor ghee nor butter, nor even buttermilk. No wonder that mortality figures are on the increase and there is a lack of energy in the people. It would appear as if man is really unable to sustain life without either meat or milk and milk products. Anyone who deceives people in this regard or countenances the fraud is an enemy of India."

 These are strong words from a man who devoted most of his life to the search for a satisfactory vegetarian diet. But Gandhi's experience is not unique in the field of nutrition. Many others have also gone through the experience of believing that man could thrive exclusively upon a limited selection of uncooked plant foods, only to find in the end that animal products were necessary for sustenance. ...." 

 excerpt from "Arnold DeVries: The Elixir of Life"
drsbass.com/mice.html
 




54 YEAR OLD BODY BUILDER & ACTOR DIES FROM HEART ATTACK AFTER 3 YEARS AS VEGAN

 From: anthonycolpo.com/green-mile-star-dies-after-becoming-vegetarian/ 

 SUMMARY:
 Sept. 2012: Anyone who's watched The Green Mile will undoubtedly remember the massive 290 lb physique of Michael Clarke Duncan. While his bulging musculature made eyes pop and jaws drop, his acting performance alongside Tom Hanks earned him a string of accolades, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actor. 
 Duncan's role was especially noteworthy given it was one of the few instances where a massive bodybuilder was given a "serious" and prominent role in a Hollywood feature film, instead of the usual typecasting as dumb goon or trigger-happy action hero.
 Sadly, Michael Clarke Duncan – described by many as a "gentle giant" died on September 3, 2012, aged 54, after having suffered an initial heart attack in July. "Duncan "suffered a myocardial infarction on 13 July and never fully recovered", said a statement issued by a spokesman. In 2009, Duncan succumbed to vegan propaganda and began eating a meatless diet. Only two months prior to his heart attack, Duncan showed off his huge physique in a new PETA ad campaign featuring the slogan, "I Am Michael Clarke Duncan, and I Am a Vegetarian".
 Whether Duncan's switch to vegetarianism accelerated his early demise or not, one thing's for sure: It certainly didn't help him. All the outlandish health benefits claimed for vegetarian diets clearly failed to materialize for Duncan. While the powerful actor may have been getting stronger in the gym, there was one muscle that kept getting weaker. And when that (heart) muscle stops pumping, how much you can squat or bench doesn't mean diddly. Continued here. 



66 YEAR OLD VEGAN PROMOTER DEAD FROM HEART ATTACK

 Hom Jay Dinshah (November 2, 1933 – June 8, 2000) was founder and president of the American Vegan Society and editor of its publication, Ahimsa magazine.
 In 2000, Dinshah died of a heart attack at age 66. A lifelong vegetarian, Jay Dinshah became vegan in 1957. Continued here 





NATURAL HYGIENE DR. GIAN-CURSIO WARN ABOUT DISEASES DUE TO VEGAN DIET

 CONCLUSION:
• veganism caused diseases in Dr. Cursio's patients in the 1950's, e.g.:

• children got skeletal & tooth problems, hernia, nearsightedness, muscle-problems, deformed heads

• young adults got dental caries, gum line recession, multiple sclerosis, blood chemistry problems, some deaths 
• some deaths of babies 
• Dr. Cursio discontinued vegan diets by adding eggs and dairy, which solved the problems 



With Three Generations of Vegetarian Hygienists 
 Interview with Dr. Cursio for Shelton's Hygienic Review 
 by Dr. Stanley S. Bass


 "Dr. Cursio: ... I'm speaking now how these changes took place – especially in the care of children - so that we have here problems that came up in the children when I followed the strict fruit program with nuts, and minimal amounts, compared to what I use now, of green stuff (salads). These children, the skeletal development wasn't right, the dental arches were not well-formed, teeth came in crowded because of it. I noticed a great deal of boys that were born who were herniated – who had what we call hydroceles. So, with the noticing of these conditions and other miscellaneous... 

Dr. Bass: Can you state specifically what diet they were on? 

Dr. Cursio: Their diet would be predominantly fruit, nut proteins, and a relatively small amount of salad compared to what they get now – they used to get one salad a day. They'd have a fruit meal in the morning, a fruit meal at noon, and a salad at night. In the morning, they'd have just fruit; at noon they'd have the fruit and nuts, and at night they'd have the salad, sometimes with nuts and sometimes with vegetables – but on this kind of a setup, I've been noticing the inadequacies in these children. Then I made the drastic changes! First I noticed the hydroceles, nearsightedness, the skeletal development. And the musculature was not developed in these children. But, at any rate, I started to think. In line with this of course were other things that I noticed with other individuals – people who had been living this way and living, I know, 100%. One of them – I don't think he's [Dr. Shelton] going to publish this – with Miss Natural Hygiene. There were two Miss Natural Hygienes. One of them came to me with multiple sclerosis. And gum recessions, dental caries I noticed. But a great deal of gum recession and marginal erosion of the gum line of the teeth. Now, at first I ascribed this to the citrus fruit, so I cut it down. I cut down on the amount of fruit, without making any relative increase in the green stuff (salads). Then, I finally found that though there were slight improvements, they were not sufficient. So then I figured there's got to be an additional factor here. There's got to be, what, I had talked to Weston Price about it – he was one of the men I spoke to. And, I said this is an X-factor that's missing – I don't know what it was. Later on, you know this work done on B 12 , I came to the conclusion that this perhaps was one of the factors that could lead to this kind of pathology. 

Dr. Bass: Deficiency in B 12? 

Dr. Cursio: Yes! It was only after adding green stuff that I started to see in the pregnancies that followed, and also in the children that were grown, that came from these pregnancies, the difference. Round heads instead of pear-shaped heads, better-formed teeth. And all the aberrations I had noticed – the near-sightedness, the hernias, the hydroceles, and the musculature that was weak – that all disappeared. There was never another case after this. I was also able to witness an increase, for example, in the blood chemistries, the improvements in the mothers and in the adults, who were put on this kind of a setup." 

Dr. Stanley S. Bass
drsbass.com/generations.html
 
 
 
 

OUR VEGAN CHILD WAS DEFICIENCY-DAMAGED
 by Andrew Foote
 Hallelujah Health Minister 


 CONCLUSION: 
• vegan baby could not lift head 
• & could not crawl 
• & had minimal muscle strength 
• enamel missing from first tooth 
• not enough to add vitamin B-12 
 



The Hallelujah diet consisted of 85% raw fresh fruits and vegetables and 15% cooked, while eliminating: all meat and dairy products, refined sugar, salt, and refined white flour products.  
 
 In the spring of 2001, while attending a Hallelujah Acres Health Minister Reunion, we learned that there was possibly an important ingredient missing in the Hallelujah Diet, an essential nutrient called Vitamin B-12. They now recommended those on the Hallelujah Diet take a supplement to make up the difference for the lack of this vitamin in the diet. 

 Had God forgotten this key vitamin in His "ideal diet" so that it required supplementation? We discovered that this vitamin was primarily found in meat and other animal products but were told that B-12 could also be produced from sources such as friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract. 
 ... 

 Several months following the birth of our child named Andrew Aaron, we began to notice some symptoms that concerned us. His muscle strength and motor skills were far behind for his age of nine months. He could neither crawl nor hold his head up. 

 After doing some research into the symptoms of Vitamin B- 12 deficiency, we realized our child was likely deficient. We also found out that the most accurate testing for Vitamin B-12 deficiency is done through the urine, not the blood. So we had a urine sample tested and the results consequently showed positive for B-12 deficiency. 
 We began Vitamin B-12 supplementation and saw some immediate improvements. After a few weeks he could hold his head up and began to scoot around on the floor on his belly. 
 Up to this time, this child was solely breast-fed but realizing Romsey wasn't supplying the baby with the nutrients he needed, we began to add raw goat milk to his diet. 

At one year, he cut his first tooth only to have most of the enamel missing off the front of it. This revealed more evidence of Hallelujah Diet deficiency beyond Vitamin B-12.

This past summer, we learned that Greg Westbrook and his family, former Health Ministers and founders of the Weigh of Wisdom Workshop, also suffered from numerous deficiencies after following the Hallelujah Diet for a number of years. They amended their diet to include some animal products in order to correct their deficiencies. 

 ...
 It makes sense now -- after seeing Dr. Donaldson's study in which 139 of the 141 Hallelujah Dieters were deficient in their calcium intake -- why our child had the enamel missing off the front of his first tooth.
 It was especially enlightening to us that after adding the raw goat milk to his diet, his other five teeth came in with complete enamel. 

 Continued here:
http://chetday.com/hallelujah-diet-baby.htm  

 
 
 

RICKETS IN VEGAN INFANT
 by Ward Nicholson 


 CONCLUSION: 
• 2 1/2 year old vegan infant developed rickets / bow legs 
• problem disappeared with added animal foods

• there isn't much margin for errors on vegan diets

 

*** "Another sobering occurrence was that in the most recent issue of the M2M, one of our participants reported that their two or three-year-old infant son--who was still breastfeeding (or had been until recently) and who, along with the mother, was eating vegan Hygienic foods, including getting sunlight regularly--had developed bowed legs as a manifestation of rickets due to vitamin D deficiency."

Case of rickets in vegan toddler. This example of serious nutritional deficiency was criticized by one vegan raw-food advocate online, who made the accusation that crucial information must have been purposely withheld from my account, and suggested the rickets could have been due to an induced calcium deficiency from the binding action of phytates if the diet were rich in grains. For the record, here are the particulars of the father's and his son's diets:
 
•Family environment and parents' dietary beliefs/practices. (From issue #23 of the N.H. M2M): The father himself had been vegetarian for 13 years, and for the last four had maintained a diet of "80% living foods"--which we can take to mean roughly no more than about 20% of the diet (probably by volume since calories were not mentioned) would have been other than raw (but possibly juiced, or blended) foods. He also mentions eating potatoes and rice occasionally in this and another issue of the M2M. If we are being fair in making an estimate, we'd probably have to say that at most, rice would have constituted no more than, say, 10% of the father's own diet (half of the 20% non-living foods, given the mention of potatoes as a similarly occasional item).


•Particulars of father's diet (reflected to some degree in toddler's diet). The father also gave the following rundown of the particulars of his own diet (which, as we'll see, has an influence on the character of his son's as well) and to some extent his family's diet. (Little information was available for the mother's diet, except that it was influenced to some degree by her husband's diet, and the implication is hers too was likely vegan, or mostly so.) A typical breakfast would consist of bananas or grated apples with reconstituted raisins and a little tahini. Or alternatively a fruit smoothie consisting of fresh-squeezed apple juice, tahini, dates and bananas. Lunch was a salad of various vegetables at hand such as the usual items we are all familiar with: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, celery, onion, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, sprouts, all topped with a nut or seed dressing--often tahini--and/or avocado dressing. Fruit was a favored item for snacks later. Dinner was another raw salad for the whole family with the possible addition of steamed vegetables or potatoes.


•The son's diet was not much different, though perhaps heavier in fruit. Like the father's, his was "a mostly living foods vegan diet." The father also states that his son was unvaccinated--a sign generally indicative in the vegan community of serious commitment overall to these types of dietary/lifestyle regimes. The son was still breastfeeding at the age of 2 years and 8 months. Dietary consumption consisted of "6-8 bananas a day, apple juice, oranges, kiwis, apples, celery, dates, steamed potatoes, all sorts of vegetables, organic spelt bread, ricecakes, and his favorite spread right now is made with avocado, raw tahini, lime juice, raw cider vinegar, kelp, and a couple of capsules of bluegreen algae." 
 Note that the father's statements quoted above depict a diet with a regular though not excessive level of grain consumption, would which tend to refute our critic's idea of an induced calcium deficiency stemming from inappropriately high levels of phytate in the diet.
....
Elimination of problem using supplements/animal foods demonstrates insufficiency of diet, regardless of exact cause.
 ...
That even informed advocates acknowledge vegan diets should be carefully planned suggests that less margin for error is a real issue. Unfortunately, however, as we see above, some individuals simply don't do well on vegan diets even when conscientious attempts may be made. Often, more scientifically oriented vegan advocates will object in such cases that the diet wasn't "intelligently planned" enough. Yet if one must go to such lengths to be so conscientious and careful, what does this suggest?

The most logical conclusion is that there isn't as much margin for error on vegan diets in terms of nutrient deficiencies, while with the inclusion of animal products--a part of the natural human diet--or with the addition of artificial supplements to compensate for their absence, there is. (I do not mean, of course, to suggest that milk is ideal as an animal food. In view of the evolutionary and clinical evidence regarding potential long-term problems due to high saturated fat levels in dairy (among other things), flesh food would be the logical choice as the animal food we are most fit to eat. However, the vegetarian way of life does not permit this, so dairy (or eggs) often becomes the only choice available for those vegetarians who are willing to consider any animal products at all.)

 http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview3g.shtml#Updates%20Part%203 
 

 

 

FAMILY WITH SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED BY STRICT VEGAN DIET 2001
from chetday.com
 CONCLUSION:
• strict vegan 85% raw diet caused serious health problems in all 5 family members

• similar problems also occurred in others on the same vegan diet 
• typical problems were e.g. scattered thinking, looking old, chronically tired, loss of muscle, feeling cold, thyroid problems 
• strong reluctance in admitting the problems 


CRASHING ON THE HALLELUJAH DIET 
by Greg Westbrook
 
Gathering Storm Clouds
 It can be devastating to realize that "God’s perfect diet" has run out of gas. When we transitioned to an all-raw vegan diet in 1994 and then to the Hallelujah Diet (an 85% raw vegan diet) in 1997, we were so pleased with the results that we never dreamed our diet would one day let us down. 
 ..........
 In the summer of 2000, we were in the midst of producing the Weigh of Wisdom Workshop that teaches the Genesis 1:29 Diet. At that time, we believed in the Genesis 1:29 Diet with every fiber in our beings. We were so convinced of the virtue of the Genesis 1:29 Diet that we didn't make the connection between our ever increasing health problems and the Genesis 1:29 Diet. Judie was beginning to have chronic headaches. In fact, during the filming of the Weigh of Wisdom Workshops, she was having horrible headaches nearly every day. There were several days when we couldn't film simply because Judie wasn't well.

 My weight had dropped to 120 pounds, and I was only a ghost of my normal weight of 155 pounds. We heard from the grapevine that people were talking about how old and tired Judie and I were looking.

 I had also lost almost all my digestive power as well as five teeth to decay on the Genesis 1:29 Diet. And I was always cold, the result of slowing metabolism. Things were not looking good for us, but we still did not make the diet connection at that time. Since we thought we were on "God's Ideal Diet," we decided to try even harder at the diet. More raw food, more juicing, more dehydrating, and soaking nuts and sprouting seeds, more Barleygreen, more exercise. And this is what we did for another year. 

 We worked harder at the diet than ever, but to no avail. 
 We were rewarded with even more severe health problems.


•Judie's head and neck-aches became unbearable, almost making her an invalid. 
• I was extremely cold, and eating food always seemed to drag me down, rather than pick me up. 
• Our daughter Sarah had no stamina or energy, and her food cravings had become almost unbearable. 
• Our sons had problems too: Tim had no desire to do physical work any more, and 
• Terry was beginning to suffer constantly from anxiety and depression. 

 Worse yet, we were beginning to see the same problems in others outside our family who were on the Genesis 1:29 Diet. By the spring of 2001, it began to dawn on us that we had better take another look at our diet. We each had a brand new set of health problems that we didn't have before the Genesis 1:29 Diet. 

 My dentist told me that if I didn't change my diet, I would probably lose all my teeth. In fact, my dentist was doing a land-office business with vegetarians, and told me that the vegan diet (Genesis 1:29 Diet) did not provide the nutrients necessary for strong teeth. I had ignored his advice and lost five teeth. Could it be that we were actually missing something in our diets?

....
Genesis 9:3 to the Rescue
 We began by adding raw goat's milk into our diets. After a few months, we tried turkey, chicken and eggs. Mind you, none of these animal products were standard grocery store fare. Fortunately, we have a health food store in our area that sells veggie-fed and organically fed animal products. Gradually our health began to improve. However, we still seemed to be missing something, as Judie's headaches continued to persist. It wasn't until we took the quantum leap and added beef back into our diet that we finally saw the breakthrough we were looking for. 

http://chetday.com/hallelujahwhathappenedreview.htm 
http://chetday.com/genesis129dietcrash.htm 

 
 

 
 

THE VEGAN HEALTH PROBLEM SURVEY

 CONCLUSION:

• the Westbrooks developed a survey to identifiy the most common problems developed on the vegan Hallelujah diet 
• 54 health problems were identified 
• at first, the failing health of those on the diet typically collides with a strong belief in the theory

• the vegan Hallelujah diet is now judged adequate for 3 months use only



THE SURVEY
 by Greg Westbrook

 "Since the early days of our health ministry, we've had our share of emails and phone calls reporting hair loss, muscle loss, slowing metabolism, dry skin and a host of other problems. In those days we just recommended Udo's Oil or vitamin B-12 and sent them on their way with admonitions to be more faithful to the diet, eat more raw food, bigger salads, etc. 

	But, as our own health problems became overwhelming, we began to sit up and take notice. Being a scientist at heart (an electrical engineer for 30+ years), I wanted to get a handle on the scope of the problem. So, we created a survey.

	So far, we have identified the most common fifty-four health problems people have developed on the Genesis 1:29 Diet, and have incorporated these symptoms into the survey. The survey is an invaluable tool because it lays out all these long-term symptoms on two pages and enables people to really understand how much health they have lost. We've been keeping track of data from the surveys, and continue to update the database as new surveys come in.



IMPROVED GEN 1:29 DIET VERSION - EVALUATION
 (improved to include enough calories)
 ....
 Exactly what nutrients does the above diet contain? Placing all the above food into the Diet Power10 computer program, the ideal model of the diet looks pretty good; certainly a lot better than the 141 Hallelujah Vegetarians, but still has some problems:

Pros to “Ideal Diet:”
Selenium and zinc are only slightly deficient. Most (90%) of my protein needs are met (13% of diet is protein) It has enough calories to meet my needs (2000 calories) 

Cons to “Ideal Diet:”
Vitamin B12 and vitamin D are still non-existent Diet is 72% carbohydrate (way too high)· Fats are low at 15% 

 The fact that the diet now supplies almost all my micronutrients and needs (except for vitamins B12 and D) is impressive. But there is still one insurmountable problem. Who can eat 5 quarts of chopped vegetables and salad? It is virtually impossible. This diet, if done 100% by the book, is impossible! 

http://chetday.com/hallelujah-diet-dangers.htm 
  
 
 We have been absolutely shocked at the survey results. Here are just a few examples: 
•55% reported loss of muscle and muscle tone on the diet 
•55% also report difficulty staying warm, a thyroid problem 
•59% are plagued with food cravings 
•A whopping 67% report scattered thinking. 
•46% feel they are looking older than they should. 
•54% feel run down, chronically tired. 
•59% don't feel like exercising or working on the diet. 

	As you can see, these numbers are too significant to be ignored. ... 

About Face
	We are no longer teaching the Genesis 1:29 Diet as a long-term diet. For a cleansing diet, it is appropriate only for short periods of time only; no longer than three months as a general rule. Our new materials are based on what we call the “Plan B Diet,” which includes animal products, but none of the junk in the Standard American Diet. ... 

Reflections
	The worst mistake we can make as leaders is to reverence a theory (Genesis 1:29) so highly that the theory becomes more important than the health of our students. When we saw failing long-term health on the Genesis 1:29 Diet, it was time to rethink the theory." 

IMPORTANT!! ---   Click here for survey results.

Greg Westbrook
http://chetday.com/hallelujah-diet-dangers.htm 
http://chetday.com/genesis129dietcrash.htm 
 
 
 

INTERVIEW WITH ESSENE VEGETARIAN

 CONCLUSION:

• Essene raw foodist got pain and paralysis problems after 5 years on vegan diet 
• raw fermented dairy removed the problems - of probable B12 deficiency 
• several cases of vegan deaths due to nutrient-starvation known



AN INTERVIEW WITH NAZARIAH
 by F. Patenaude, 3/2004

First Experiences With the Raw Vegan Diet 
What is your background with the raw food diet? 

 I’m 46 now and I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 17. At that age, I not only became a vegetarian but also a raw foodist. I included raw dairy into my diet because I had met an elderly Essene teacher who recommended that. Historically, that used to be the Essene diet. The Essenes, for the most part, were not vegans. They were vegetarians and many of them were raw foodists, but they ate fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir. So that was my diet was for 7 years. During that time, I did great — no problems at all. 
 Then, when I had moved to another location, I became very attracted to the vegan philosophy, because it is a beautiful philosophy. I then became a raw vegan. 

After 5 years on a raw vegan diet, I lost the ability to walk. All of my extremities — my hands, my fingers and my feet — were in such pain that I couldn’t move. I had central nervous system problems and I was B12 anemic. All of that happened after 5 years on a raw vegan diet. 
 So I switched back to eating the raw fermented dairy products. At that point, being as nerve-damaged as I was, I also included eggs. I healed myself by reintroducing those products. 
 At that point, I was wondering whether this was an experience unique to myself, or whether other persons had had problems on the raw food diet in the long-term. In the short term, you don’t have those sorts of problems. They’re nutritional deficiencies that take several years to manifest themselves. 
....

Noted speakers/experts/authors & the Truth 
 Because I was by this time a "noted raw food speaker" and intimate with other famous raw food speakers/experts, I was often at their homes and getting to know them. I found that many of these noted speakers/experts/authors were experiencing anxiety attacks, panic attacks, clinical depression, and various muscle tissue problems and other problems.
 However, what was most troubling, is that they didn't want the public to know. I won't name names because that would be betraying confidential interactions, but many of them called me when they were needing some sort of advice for dealing with these ailments. Then, at the next big raw food conference, there that person would be, preaching the amazing benefits of the 100% raw vegan diet, signing copies of their books, and speaking negatively about cooked food eaters and those who eat only partially raw or are not vegan. 
....

Deaths in the Raw-Vegan Movement
 Here, in the Eugene area, where I live, a man in the local raw food support group died about two years ago. He was only in his forties. For two weeks before his death, he’d been telling the leader of that group that he was having bad chest pains, but she just kept telling him, “oh, it’s just detox, it’s just cleansing.” 
And he had been into this for a long time? 
 Yes, for a long time. He was one of the funding members of the raw food support group there. His doctor, when he died, told his wife (the man’s wife) that her husband had died of starvation. His body just starved to death, even though he was eating raw foods everyday. He wasn’t absorbing enough nutrients from it. 
 I was telling that story to a woman in Santa Monica who is part of a raw food support group there, and she responded by saying: “Oh yeah, we recently had a guy who died the same way, and he wasn’t very old either. The doctor said that his body just starved for lack of nutrients.” 
Then I was telling another woman in Florida who’s member of a raw food support group there the same story about both these people, the one in Eugene and the one in Santa Monica, and she responded by saying, “Oh yeah, we’ve had two die that way." 
Continued here 



An Interview with Nazariah by Frederic Patenaude 
 also see this interview: Letter to M2M

 Also - read about Natural Health Gurus Ate Animal Foods by Chet Day 
http://chetday.com/healthgurus.htm 
 
 
 
 

THE SAD SIDE OF DIETARY PURITY

 CONCLUSION:

• A doctor tells of experiences with severely malnourished vegans 
• Example: a patient's teeth were visibly rotting, hair was noticeably thin and brittle, nails were covered with cracks and deep ridges, and he was extremely gaunt. 
• This patient probably deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc, iron, DHA and EPA, and healthy protein and fat 
• Patient unable to let go of his obsession with doing long water-only fasts and sticking to a strict, raw vegan diet 



The Sad Side of Fasting and the Pursuit of Dietary Purity
 by Ben Kim, D.C.

 A short while ago, we had a fellow with chronic asthma come to fast at our clinic. He ended up staying with us for a week, an experience that made me decide to write this article to discuss the sad side of fasting and the pursuit of dietary purity. 
Upon taking a full history and giving this fellow - I'll call him John - a full physical evaluation, I learned that he had fasted several times before over the past decade. John's first water-only fast more than ten years ago lasted for around 50 days because the doctor supervising his fast felt that successful treatment for his asthma required intensive detoxification and a prolonged period of pure rest. Although he experienced some improvement with his asthma, it was bad enough by the following year for the doctor to recommend that he fast again, this time for a month. 
This pattern of feeling better for a short period during and after each fast, only to have his asthma return and "require" another long fast became a routine pattern for him for more than ten years. Through it all, John faithfully followed his doctor's advice to stick to a 100 percent raw, vegan diet. It was clear that John and the doctor believed that it was only a matter of time before fasting and a raw, vegan diet would completely cure his asthma. 
After understanding John's medical history and completing a comprehensive physical evaluation, I told him that I believed he was severely malnourished. His teeth were visibly rotting, his hair was noticeably thin and brittle, his nails were covered with cracks and deep ridges, and he was extremely gaunt. I told John that I believed he was deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, zinc, iron, DHA and EPA, and finally, healthy protein and fat. 
John was not happy with my assessment. In fact, he became pretty darn angry. Who was I to question what his previous doctor had prescribed for him for ten years? I was in my eighth year of practice while the other doctor had been supervising fasts for more than 50 years. How could I be arrogant enough to question the other doctor's approach? John scolded me for giving medical advice that I had "probably read in a book" and reprimanded me for not having more respect for older, more experienced doctors. "Then why are you here and not fasting with the other doctor?" I asked, genuinely confused about why he had chosen to travel from the States to Canada to fast when the other doctor was in the States, available to supervise another long fast for John. "He charges too much and does way too much blood work," was John's reply. 
That's when I realized that what John wanted was for me to treat him in the exact same way that the other doctor did, minus the blood work, and at half the cost. 
I told John that I felt that a long water fast was not in his best interest, and gave him some recommendations on whole food choices that would provide him with the nutrients that I felt he was deficient in. I also gave him several recommendations aimed at improving the strength of his immune system, which I felt should have been the primary focus in trying to help him recover from asthma. John was unable to let go of his obsession with doing long water-only fasts and sticking to a strict, raw vegan diet. His rigid adherence to a 100 percent raw vegan diet was particularly amazing for me to observe given that he was eating huge amounts of raw tahini (ground sesame seeds) because he was constantly hungry and craving dietary fat. It just didn't occur to him that he may have been eating containers of tahini on a regular basis because his body was in need of nutrients that he wasn't getting enough of, particularly healthy fat and protein. You should know that he was eating tons of romaine lettuce, avocado, celery, broccoli, and other nutritious vegetables that informed vegans know to eat lots of. 
Sadly, John is not alone in being obsessed with water fasting and dietary purity. During the past three years alone, I can think of at least a dozen people who have come through our clinic who have had very similar health histories and health problems. Although I realize adults can make their own choices, I really believe that part of the blame in cases like John's must be placed on practitioners and gurus who lead people down such a path. The big problem that I have with such practitioners and gurus is that they seem to be much more interested in fitting people into their programs and philosophies than they are in carefully considering how each individual responds to specific food and lifestyle choices. Somewhere along the line, the mission seems to become more important than caring for each individual. 
I don't have a problem with a person choosing to be a strict vegan. I was a strict vegan for almost five years until I finally came to the realization that it wasn't working for me. If you are feeling strong and healthy on a strict vegan diet, even a strict, raw vegan diet, I'm happy for you. What I find troublesome is how some people become so focused on promoting the benefits of a strict vegan diet that they lose sight of how they and those they provide guidance to are really doing with their health. I don't care to spend my energy on debating why a strict vegan diet is or isn't the healthiest diet on earth. I prefer to spend my energy on trying to figure out how each person who comes to me for guidance can experience his or her best health. 
Over the past several months, I have received dozens of e-mails from supporters of a strict vegan diet about a book called The China Study. Written by respected scientist, T. Colin Campbell and his son, Thomas Campbell, this book is being referred to by some people as conclusive evidence that any amount of dietary animal protein increases one's risk of cancer and other degenerative health conditions. I had a chance to spend around two weeks with T. Colin Campbell, his son, and his wife during my time in northern California in early 2000. I found their family to be super kind and gentle. Still, I cannot cite The China Study as conclusive evidence that any amount of animal protein is bad for human health. Why not? As far as I know, this study did not take into account critical factors that determine the suitability of animal products for human consumption and health. How does human health respond to eating wild or organic, naturally raised animal products vs. factory farmed animal products? What effect do different cooking temperatures, cooking methods, and oils have on animal foods with respect to human health? Without searching for and considering the answers to these questions, how can we make such a bold conclusion that eating any amount of animal protein causes disease? 
Personally, I have no doubt that eating factory farmed animal products is harmful to human health. I do believe, however, that for most people, regularly eating small amounts of clean animal foods like organic eggs and organic butter is necessary to be as healthy as possible. But please remember, what I believe shouldn't matter so much to you. What matters is how you feel. Please don't ever let anyone or any program become a more important guide for your health than what your own body tells you. 


From one of Dr. Kim's free newsletters. Website:
http://drbenkim.com

 
 
 

VEGAN MOTHERS - BRAIN DAMAGED INFANTS

 CONCLUSION: 

 In Dr. John Fielder's practice outside Cairns, Australia, he has had this experience: 
• vegan women have typically been sterile 
• or had brain damaged babies 
• or had babies who didn't grow 
• or some other abnormal outcome 


Below is something that naturopath John Fielder recently posted to the Rawlife list. He repeats this on his website, http://www.ig.com.au/anl. He said in a later post that he has seen these negative outcomes in about a dozen cases. Mark 

 "My experience with vegans on both a raw food regimen and mixed raw and 
 cooked has been to the effect that when they were on the vegan diet they 
 were either, sterile (unable to reproduce), had children which did not 
 grow, or had children born brain damaged, to mention a few of the outcomes. When 
 they subsequently included some form of animal product in their diet, be 
 it raw eggs, raw yoghurt or koumiss, or raw meat, then the sterility 
 disappeared and pregnancy occurred, with the subsequent birth of a healthy 
 child, the children grew normally, any children born subsequently were 
 healthy and developed normally. 

 If, in the instance of the mother(s) who had been sterile, and 
 subsequently conceived after the introduction of the animal product, then ceased to 
 include the animal product in the diet, invariably the child would be born 
 with brain damage." 

 Dr. John Fielder
http://www.ig.com.au/anl
 
 


FAMILY DEVELOPED SERIOUS DEFICIENCY ON VEGAN/FRUITARIAN DIET 


OUR JOURNEY TO RAW AND BACK 
from INHS email list member 
 5/31/2008 9:28 AM 

 EMAIL: "I'm happy to see some discussion on the safety of the raw diet. 
 I thought I'd share my experiences to add an additional perspective. 
 I was a raw foodist for several years. I first learned about raw foods while on a 2 week semi-fast (the Master Cleanse) and jumped right into a 100% raw diet (very gourmet in the early months and moved to a 80-10-10 raw vegan diet following Doug Graham's approach. I felt awesome for 6 months, then ate an average cooked meal. I then experienced major food addictions for the first time in my life. 
 The next 2 years I was about 80% raw, but it was a constant struggle. In this time, my children's diets changed radically to a mostly raw fruitarian diet. They were both under 7 at the time. 

 But things got progressively worse for all of us. The children kept getting anemic in spite of all my best raw efforts. 
 Then they started to exhibit symptoms of ADHD, Aspergers, and Tourettes (all in the autism-spectrum) along with various other physical, mental & emotional difficulties. 
 I too have felt myself going downhill with many symptoms similar to the children -- problems with memory, focus, eyesight, fatigue, heat & hydration regulation, anger control, mental fog, overwhelm etc. It's been scary -- feels like I'm losing myself. ...

 I discovered that we are all quite deficient in the following trace minerals: calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, iodine, lithium, cobalt, and germanium. My doctor has also determined through other tests and assessments that we are low in the B vitamins, vitamin D (mine is "off-the-chart" low), and essential fatty acids." 

Continued here   With audio analysis by Dr. Bass.

 


STRICT VEGAN DIET - DANGEROUS


http://chetday.com/vegandietdangers.htm 

Upton Sinclair
 A famous writer and ex-vegan by the name of Upton Sinclair, the activist who forced the meat-packing industry to clean up its act many decades ago when he wrote The Jungle, found he couldn't maintain his work levels on a vegan diet. 
 Writing sadly that he hated to give up veganism, Sinclair did so nonetheless because he found his brain just wouldn't function at an optimal level on fruits, vegetables, juice, nuts, and seeds. He turned to Salisbury steak as his answer. 
 Although Upton Sinclair was nearly crucified by his vegan friends for changing his diet and writing about the positive results from the change, he maintained that he went where the truth led him. 
 I feel the same way. 

February 2002 Addendum
 I'm increasingly disturbed by the number of letters coming in from individuals who have had their health and well-being deteriorate after following a strict vegan or raw food program for various lengths of time. 
 In just a minute I'll share with you the most recent letter, this one from a woman who ate a raw food, vegan diet for several years and who developed spleen deficiencies and other problems. 
 The pattern I've been monitoring in email for several years now suggests that the longer a person stays on a strict vegan diet (with little or no "cheating"), the more apt that person is to develop 
• not only deficiency symptoms 

• but potentially even chronic health problems. 
 Although I'm not the only former vegan and raw foodist seeing this pattern, I seem to be one of the few who actually writes about it and discusses it in public. 
 For various reasons, many former (and most current) vegans and raw foodists don't want to publicly confront the problems with their idealistic diets, though many are willing to share their observations and experiences with me in private. But that's a whole different article. 

Most Commonly Reported Problems and Symptoms
 What are the most commonly reported symptoms from long-term vegans and raw foodists who have been forced to add some animal fat and protein back into their diets to regain or maintain superior health, energy, and well-being? 
 Below are the symptoms and problems I hear about in mail from long-term vegans and raw foodists on an all-too-regular basis: 
• inadequate milk production for nursing mothers, as well as retarded physical and mental development in some children who are strictly on a vegan or raw food diet; 
• slow metabolism leading to a much less robust lifestyle; 
• a general lack of vitality; 
• low body temperature (always cold); 
• a weak, touchy digestive system with a loss of digestive strength (unable to metabolize food quickly, have to be careful what you eat, how much, must practice food combining to be able to digest food, etc.); 
• food cravings (especially among women); 
• stalled weight loss because metabolism is too low (predominately in women); 
• inability to gain weight, resulting in shrunken, cadaverous-looking bodies (predominately in men); 
• weight gains from overeating on carbohydrates; 
• amenorrhea (menstrual cycles cease), even in young women; 
• loss of libido; 
• hair loss and nail problems; 
• dental cavities, tooth loss, and gum problems; 
• joint pain; 
• inability to conceive 

Also, compare this longer list of typical symptoms = the vegan diet survey by Westbrook - based on interviews with people who followed the Hallelujah Acres vegan diet.

 .... Wouldn't it be nice to see some truly objective research that would get to the bottom of the relationship between long-term veganism and chronic health problems and symptoms like the ones listed above? 
 Until that kind of research is done (and don't hold your breath waiting for someone to fund it), we'll have to rely on the same anecdotal evidence to show veganism and raw foodism doesn't work for everyone that the vegan and raw food gurus rely on to "prove" their programs do work for everyone. 
Chet Day 

http://chetday.com/vegandietdangers.htm 

 


 BABY DEATH BY VEGANISM


6 week old vegan-fed baby dies of starvation - parents convicted of murder 

The New York Times 
 Nina Planck
 May 21, 2007

 WHEN Crown Shakur died of starvation, he was 6 weeks old and weighed 3.5 pounds. His vegan parents, who fed him mainly soy milk and apple juice, were convicted in Atlanta recently of murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty. 
 This particular calamity — at least the third such conviction of vegan parents in four years — may be largely due to ignorance. But it should prompt frank discussion about nutrition. 
 ... Protein deficiency is one danger of a vegan diet for babies. ... A vegan diet may lack vitamin B12, found only in animal foods; usable vitamins A and D, found in meat, fish, eggs and butter; and necessary minerals like calcium and zinc. When babies are deprived of all these nutrients, they will suffer from retarded growth, rickets and nerve damage. 

 Responsible vegan parents know that breast milk is ideal. ... Yet even a breast-fed baby is at risk. Studies show that vegan breast milk lacks enough docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, the omega-3 fat found in fatty fish. It is difficult to overstate the importance of DHA, vital as it is for eye and brain development. 

 A vegan diet is equally dangerous for weaned babies and toddlers, who need plenty of protein and calcium. ...
Children fed only plants will not get the precious things they need to live and grow. 

 Read the story here: Vegan Couple Gets Life in Prison After Baby Dies of Starvation 


- the third such conviction of vegan parents in four years - 

 


 
 VEGAN INFANT STARVED TO DEATH 

Baby Woyah Was 6 Months Old and Less Than 7 Pounds When She Died in 2003 

Oct. 18, 2005 
 ABC News
 
 A Florida couple accused of starving their baby to death are scheduled to face two of their surviving children in court today. 
 Joseph Andressohn, 36, and Lamoy Andressohn, 30, are charged with aggravated manslaughter and neglect in the death of their daughter, Woyah, who was 6 months old when she died in May 2003. ... 

 Paramedics found Woyah's lifeless body on the floor of her parents' living room in May 2003 after her parents placed a frantic 911 call. The little girl's body was described as "emaciated" in a medical report, with ribs clearly visible through her stretched skin. An autopsy showed Woyah never learned to sit, stand or lift her head on her own. In the weeks before her death, she had trouble keeping her eyes open, and they would spontaneously roll back into her head. 
 She weighed less than 7 pounds when she died, just a few ounces more than when she was born and less than half of an average 6-month-old. 

 Prosecutors say the Andressohns starved Woyah to death by restricting her to a raw food diet, also known as a vegan diet or a "living foods lifestyle," feeding her only wheat grass, coconut water and milk made from almonds. 
 "Those parents caused their child Woyah to suffer malnutrition so severe that it turned that child into a bag of skin and bones," said assistant Florida state attorney Herbert Walker in court. 
 "Baby Woyah's body was eating itself because it wasn't getting enough nutrients." 

Read the story here 


- malnutrition so severe that it turned that child into a bag of skin and bones - 

 


VEGAN BABY TRIAL IN QUEENS 

15 month old baby almost dies of starvation - parents sentenced to prison 

Couple Guilty Of Assault In Vegan Case 
 By GREG RETSINAS 
 April 5, 2003 

 A Queens couple who fed their baby daughter a strict vegetarian diet, including homemade infant formula, were convicted yesterday of nearly starving her to death. 
 ... The case, described in some headlines as the Vegan Baby Trial, attracted widespread attention beyond the couple's Queens Village neighborhood. Prosecutors said that as exotic and sensational as it sometimes seemed, the facts were plain enough: a diet with no dairy products or infant formula is not adequate for a newborn child, and the parents should have known better. 

 ... The results of the Swintons' care, prosecutors and medical experts said, were disastrous. By the time the authorities intervened when the child was 15 months old, she was toothless, had rickets, broken bones and internal injuries. 
 She was severely malnourished and weighed 10 pounds -- less than half the normal weight for a young toddler. 
 ... doctors suspect that she has neurological damage. 


Read the story here 


- severely malnourished and weighed less than half the normal weight for a young toddler - 

 


VEGAN CENTENARIANS – WHERE ARE THEY?

 CONCLUSION:

• The beauty and simplicity of Veganism and Fruitarianism sounds appealing, but .... 
• Of 60,000 centenarians in the United States, there are no vegans or fruitarians 
• Many well-known vegans have died early after battling severe illnesses for years 
• Short-term, raw vegan diets offer enormous benefits in overcoming serious health problems. 
• Long-term, physical and psychological deterioration will almost certainly occur. 


Vegan Centenarians – Where Are They?
 by Brian White

 In recent years, I’ve noticed a growing trend among young people to follow the teachings of vegan ‘gurus’ like David Wolfe, Douglas Graham, Paul Nison and Gabriel Cousens. Many of these followers are obsessed in their dietary beliefs and have unrealistic expectations of ‘living to 100 in a perfect state of health.’ They overlook the fact that most vegan leaders have died prematurely after battling severe illnesses for years. They also fail to produce a single authenticated vegan centenarian to validate their beliefs. 
While the beauty and simplicity of Veganism and Fruitarianism sounds appealing, there’s just one tiny flaw ….. the vast majority of people who attempt these diets will fail. Eventually, chronic health problems caused by nutritional deficiencies will force them to add animal foods into their diets. Sadly, many misguided health- seekers will ignore this warning and suffer the consequences. How do I know this? Because 30 years of research and experience tells me so. 
Think about this for a moment; if the utopian claims made about these dietary regimes are genuine, where are all the vegan/fruitarian centenarians?? 
There are an estimated 60,000 centenarians in the United States, 9,000 in the United Kingdom, and 3,000 here in Australia. Most are meat eaters and a few are vegetarian, but I’ve never heard of any who are vegan or fruitarian. 
In fact, in one of the world’s longest-running studies of authenticated centenarians ever undertaken, it was found that none of the participants were vegan, fruitarian or even vegetarian! The Okinawa Centenarian Study has been ongoing since 1976 and examined the lives of over 600 centenarians who were living their traditional lifestyle. Their diets included fish, pork, poultry, dairy products and eggs. 
While I acknowledge they only represent a small percentage of the population, vegan and fruitarian groups have existed for a long time, so they’ve had ample opportunity to establish their longevity bonafides ….. 


•David Wolfe claims, “My mom is from Persia, and in that country they have vegan communities dating back thousands of years. They also have raw-vegan communities with similar traditions.” 
Then why isn’t every television station in the world reporting on this super-race? After “thousands of years” of dietary and genetic purity, you’d expect to hear of hundreds of fully verified, healthy centenarians living today. Where are they? 


•The Arnold Ehret Health Club has operated in the U.S. since the 1920’s, so there should be plenty of 100 –120 year old fruitarians running around. Yet, when I contacted the club, they admitted they were not aware of any Ehret devotee who has reached 100. It seems that fruitarian centenarians are rarer than Bigfoot! 


•H. Jay Dinshah was the founder and president of the American Vegan Society. Although a vegetarian from birth, then a vegan for 43 years, he died from a heart attack at just 66 years of age. 


•Herbert M. Shelton was the most influential Natural Hygienist of the 20th century. For six decades he preached the superiority of a raw vegan diet of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Did he enjoy a long and vigorous life? No! He was in a declining state of health in his sixties, and was bedridden for the final 13 years of his life due to Parkinson’s disease. He died at just 89. 


•His protégé, T.C. Fry, taught the infallibility of a raw vegan diet for 26 years, yet he died at the ridiculously young age of 70!! However, even more disturbing is the fact that he suffered from numerous health problems long before his death. According to Dr Bernarr Zovluck, a close friend for 30 years, Fry died from coronary embolism. He also had multiple atherosclerotic thrombi of his lower legs, edema, a lesion on his left lung, anemia, high acid blood pH, breathing problems, constipation, osteoporosis, teeth and gum problems, etc. 
Yes indeed, his vegan/fruitarian diet certainly worked miracles for his health! 


•George R. Clements (AKA Hilton Hotema, AKA Kenyon Klamonti) claimed he became a vegan at 9 years of age after reading a book about health at school. He also claimed he lived as a breatharian-fruitarian for almost 80 years and would “live to be 150 years of age.” He only managed to reach 92. 


•Hereward Carrington, author of The Natural Food of Man, believed that a strict diet of raw fruits and nuts could “sustain man in a perfect state of health”. He died at 78 years of age. 


•Dr O.L.M. Abramowski was a German born doctor who immigrated to Australia in 1884. While working at the Mildura District Hospital, he successfully treated patients with fresh fruit and juices. He wrote several books including Fruitarian Diet and Physical Rejuvenation and thought his diet of raw fruit, nuts and grains would enable him to reach 100 –120 years. He died at 58.


•Ross Horne, Australia’s most famous raw food author, believed his fruitarian diet was superior to all others. I met Ross in 1983 and corresponded with him periodically over the years. Despite rigidly adhering to his tropical fruit diet for 22 years, he died last year of Prostate Cancer. He was only 79. Ironically, his final book was titled Cancerproof Your Body. 

Summary:
As an 18 year old searching for the secrets of perfect health and long life, I had a voracious appetite for knowledge and devoured every book I could find; from Vilhjalmur Stefansson to Adelle Davis to Arnold Ehret; from carnivorous to omnivorous to frugivorous. Over the past three decades I’ve read hundreds of books and scientific studies relating to diet, nutritional supplements and natural therapies. In addition to experimenting on myself, I’ve also observed the practical, long-term effects various diets have on people. Along the way I’ve encountered charlatans, liars and delusional individuals who make ridiculous and unsubstantiated claims about therapies, diets and products. 
After 30 years of research, I have no doubts that the foundation of a healthy diet should be fresh, raw, organically grown vegetables and fruits (and their juices), plus sprouts, nuts and seeds. Short-term, raw vegan diets offer enormous benefits in overcoming serious health problems. However, long-term physical and psychological deterioration will almost certainly occur unless animal foods such as eggs, fish or dairy products are consumed. Those who refuse to do this should supplement with B12 (methylcobalamin), folic acid and flax or hemp seeds. Copyright © 2005 Brian White 

About The Author: 
Brian White has been researching health related topics for over 30 years and has authored several controversial articles on Diet, Nutritional Supplements and Natural Therapies – using scientific evidence.

This article courtesy of http://www.wholefooddirectory.com.  


 FOLLOW-UP:
• Well-known hygienist Jo Willard, who had a health radio program for many years, died from brain hemorrhage, after being a vegan/fruitarian for over two decades. She went for a 30 day fast at Dr. Scott's place, came down with Alzheimer's symptoms after the fast, and died shortly after. One of her favorite foods was a banana wrapped in lettuce.

• 2007 - Harvey Milstein died from colon cancer (in his sixties), very quickly, shortly after being checked into a hospital. He was the leader of the NH movement in Houston for 20 years, a fruitarian/vegan, after NH helped him get rid of migraines, kidney stones, & more, in 1984. He was a follower of TC Fry. See his story here.

• 2008 - a young Houston vegan (around 30) also died from cancer - very quickly, within 2 weeks of diagnosis. 

• May, 2008 - A leading member in ANHS, Max Huberman passed away at age 86 following a fall at home, after getting Parkinsons (the same disease Dr. Shelton got before his death). ANHS first advocated a raw vegan diet, which later changed to today's cooked/raw vegan diet with supplements. His son Mark was the lawyer of ANHS for many years, and now is the lawyer of NHA. 
 Max overcame polio in 1950, a health crisis that led him and his wife to embark on a lifestyle of vegetarianism and natural living, a program that ultimately led them to open a health food store in 1958 originally called Natural Health Foods, one of the first in the nation to sell organically grown fruits and vegetables. He was a 55-year member of the National Health Association (ANHS/NHA) and served on its Board of Directors. 
• Youkta, 30 year raw vegan wife of Victor Kulvinskas, M.S., who died a few years ago in Costa Rica of colon cancer associated with other, e.g. emotional, problems. 
• The late Helen Jean Story of California, who created one of the first raw foods newsletter via snail mail before the Internet. She worked hard in her later life publishing this newsletter and arranging gatherings and trips. She died after having a stroke a few years ago. 
• Long term vegan Elder Victor Kulvinskas, M.S., who is now reported to be the father of the modern raw food movement, had two car accidents in the state of Arkansas prior to moving to Costa Rica. The last accident running a stop sign. Victor K. has also had cataract eye surgery a few years ago, and was hospitalized for a hernia operation in 2006 in Little Rock AR. 
• Mrs. Davison, 88 years old, developed heart disease as a raw vegan, and was forced to close the health resort, she had kept for 30 years, in 2005. She lived in Arkansas with her husband, on a Tilley farm where they raised 5 children. She was a 40 year raw eater, and resort director. After a car accident she damaged ribs & collar bone, and died a year later. 
• A South African, 30 year raw fruit eater, Morris Krok, author, died of cancer. His leg was amputated. 
 
 

 
 
 

VEGANISM IS IMPOSSIBLE IN THIS WORLD - ACCORDING TO INDIAN SWAMI


Swami Narayanananda: In this world perfect Ahimsa is impossible 

 Killing is a sin without doubt. Even to injure another in thought and word is also a sin. Not a single recognised religion asks its followers to kill mercilessly or to be unkind to any living being. In its code of moral-conduct every religion lays much stress on love and compassion for all living beings. 
 But then, in this world one life subsists at the cost of other lives. The lower life serves as food to higher life. In water, air, etc., there are innumerable living things which are invisible to the naked eye. In mere breathing, walking, talking, drinking and eating vegetables, grains and fruits one kills millions and millions of microscopic organisms. 
 Taking all this into consideration, it would be clear that one can observe perfect Ahimsa only in Nirvikalpa Samadhi; in which state the body becomes almost a corpse devoid of breathing, moving and thinking. Apart from this state, life can continue only at the cost of other lives. 
 That being the case, it is the circumstance and the attitude of the mind which make an act sinful. If the ego or "I" idea is absent while doing an act, one commits no sin. It is the idea of "I" and "Mine" alone that forges the fetters of bondage and makes one suffer hell fire. 
Continued here.

 Swami Narayanananda:

 


VEGANISM CAUSING PARKINSONS


 Joel Fuhrman, 2009: 
Leaders of the Vegan Movement Develop Parkinson's: Case Studies 

Prominent Vegetarian and Health Advocate (INHS: Max Huberman), this leader in the natural health movement and a personal friend to me also suffered from and eventually died from a fall related to his Parkinson's disease. During his young adult life he embarked on the path of healthy living and vegetarianism. A follower of Shelton's works, he operated a large health food store, one of the first to sell organic fruits and vegetables in America; he became a leader in the health food industry. Of course he was not at risk of cancer or heart disease with his excellent diet, but he developed Parkinson's which limited the quality of his later years. 

 When he was developing his Parkinsonian tremors, I ordered blood tests and was shocked to see his blood results showing almost a zero DHA level on his fatty acid test, in spite of adequate ALA consumption from nuts and seeds eaten daily. I had never seen a DHA level that low before. 

Since that time I have drawn DHA blood levels on other patients with Parkinson's and also found very low DHA levels. 

Was it a coincidence, that these leaders in the natural food, vegetarian movement, who ate a very healthy vegan diet and no junk food would both develop Parkinson's? I thought to myself-- • could it be that deficiencies in DHA predispose one to Parkinson's? 
• Do men have worse ability to convert short chain omega-3 into long chain DHA? Is that why Parkinson's affects more men than women? 
• Is there evidence to suggest that DHA deficiencies lead to later life neurologic problems? 
• Are there primate studies to show DHA deficiencies in monkeys leads to Parkinson's? 
 The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, yes. .... 


TC Fry (1926 - 1996), another long-term Natural Hygienist, raw foodest, vegetarian-fruitarian, advocated you did not need supplements as food contained all that we need. He died of an atherosclerotic-related embolism at the age of 70. I saw his hospital record at his death and reviewed his blood work drawn immediately prior to his death. It was quite revealing. He had severe B12, deficiency, so long-standing that his B12 levels were almost undetectable and the lowest I have ever seen. It is kind of interesting reading internet interpretations of why he died, such as "did not practice what he preached," "cheated on his diet," "too much sex," "ozone treatments for his vascular disease". He died prematurely simply because long-standing B12 deficiency leads to extremely high homocysteine levels, which can cause intra-vascular inflammation and cardiovascular disease. 
Continued here.



 


VEGAN TURN-AROUND - THE VEGETARIAN MYTH

A good sign: today it seems many vegans are abandoning their former all-vegetarian fare because of health problems. 
For an example of this, plus abandonment due to moral considerations -- see this excellent & well-written 2009 book The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith.
 Another example is former M2M director Bob Avery, a natural hygienist veganism-promoter for many years, who in 2008 started including organic meat in his diet. 


Lierre Keith: 
The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability 

 QUOTES: "In his book Long Life, Honey in the Heart, Martin Pretchel writes of the Mayan people and their concept of kas-limaal, which translates roughly as “mutual indebtedness, mutual insparkedness.” “The knowledge that every animal, plant, person, wind, and season is indebted to the fruit of everything else is an adult knowledge. To get out of debt means you don’t want to be part of life, and you don’t want to grow into an adult,” one of the elders explains to Pretchel. 
 The only way out of the vegetarian myth is through the pursuit of kas-limaal, of adult knowledge. This is a concept we need, especially those of us who are impassioned by injustice. I know I needed it. In the narrative of my life, the first bite of meat after my twenty year hiatus marks the end of my youth, the moment when I assumed the responsibilities of adulthood. It was the moment I stopped fighting the basic algebra of embodiment: for someone to live, someone else has to die. In that acceptance, with all its suffering and sorrow, is the ability to choose a different way, a better way. 

 .... without the check of predators, there will quickly be more grazers than grass. The animals will outstrip their food source, eat the plants down to the ground, and then starve to death, leaving behind a seriously degraded landscape. 

 The lesson here is obvious, though it is profound enough to inspire a religion: we need to be eaten as much as we need to eat. The grazers need their daily cellulose, but the grass also needs the animals. It needs the manure, with its nitrogen, minerals, and bacteria; it needs the mechanical check of grazing activity; and it needs the resources stored in animal bodies and freed up by degraders when animals die.
 The grass and the grazers need each other as much as predators and prey. These are not one-way relationships, not arrangements of dominance and subordination. We aren’t exploiting each other by eating. We are only taking turns.
 That was my last visit to the vegan message boards. I realized then that people so deeply ignorant of the nature of life, with its mineral cycle and carbon trade, its balance points around an ancient circle of producers, consumers, and degraders, weren’t going to be able to guide me or, indeed, make any useful decisions about sustainable human culture. By turning from adult knowledge, the knowledge that death is embedded in every creature’s sustenance, from bacteria to grizzly bears, they would never be able to feed the emotional and spiritual hunger that ached in me from accepting that knowledge. Maybe in the end this book is an attempt to soothe that ache myself."

QUOTES from The Vegetarian Myth: 
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: "Two years into my veganhood, my health ...failed, ... catastrophically. I developed a degenerative joint disease that I will have for the rest of my life. ... years of ever increasing pain... My spine looks like a sky-diving accident. ... Six weeks into veganism I had my first experience of hypoglycemia, ... Three months into it I stopped menstruating, ... My skin was so dry it flaked, and in the winter it itched... At twenty-four, I developed gastroparesis, ... fourteen years of constant nausea, and I still can't eat after 5 PM."

MENTAL SYMPTOMS: "... depression and anxiety... the world was made of a pointless, grey weight, endlessly the same, punctuated only by occasional panic. I would routinely dissolve into helplessness. If I couldn't find my house keys, I'd find myself in a heap on the living room floor, immobilized ... The keys were lost and so was I, the world, the cosmos. Everything collapsed, empty, meaningless, almost repulsive." (page 9 - 10)
 

Review of The Vegetarian Myth by Dr. Michael Eades.

Read the first pages of the book. 

  


SUSAN SCHENCK: BEYOND BROCCOLI - 2011


 Susan Schenck: Beyond Broccoli, Creating a Biologically Balanced Diet When a Vegetarian Diet Doesn't Work 

Summary at Amazon.com:
 Beyond Broccoli is authored by Susan Schenck, who herself was a raw vegan for six years, followed by a year of raw vegetarianism (raw dairy and eggs included). Her journey has culminated with the reintroduction of just a bit of raw and lightly cooked meat. 
 Going raw had originally proved to have so many benefits that Ms. Schenck had already penned the 2-time award-winning, and still relevant, book The Live Food Factor. 
 But after a few years of veganism, she began to exhibit health concerns: deficiencies of vitamin B12, memory problems, muscle tissue loss, bloatedness, irritability, and cravings. 
Her further research, spurred on by Dr. Stanley Bass, led her to conclude that it was a lack of vital nutrients found only in animal products that were causing the problems. Dr. Bass, with his more than 50 years of clinical experience in raw vegan and nonvegan diet counseling, contributed the foreword to the resulting Beyond Broccoli. 
 The book begins with the author's story of why she resumed eating a bit of animal products and how she manages to stay mostly raw even so. It also includes a chapter on other vegans and vegetarians (some who eat raw, others who eat cooked) who made this decision for their own health reasons. 
 This book addresses the following issues: vegetarian myths; why human s brains have shrunk 11% in the last 11,000 years; the importance of animal foods in pregnant and lactating women; man's dietary history of eating meat for 2.6 million years; how the vegan diet affects the brain and emotions; critical nutrients found only in meat, eggs, and dairy, as well as some found only in meat; the difficulty of getting enough healthful protein on a vegan diet, especially raw; the dangers of soy; the different metabolic types, which explain why some succeed on veg diets while others fail; the dangers of overeating animal protein; how to eat meat so that it is not dangerous; the benefits of eating raw or lightly cooked meat and how to do it safely and make it taste good; spiritual, moral, and environmental issues with meat eating; the importance of eating clean meat from compassionately raised animals; eating a high raw Paleo diet, which is what we evolved eating; the importance of eating raw; flaws in the China Study; the benefits of a low-glycemic diet; important foods if you choose to be a vegan or vegetarian; and more. 
 This book also addresses issues such as the fact that not everyone can efficiently convert plant nutrients to critical nutrients needed by the body: omega-3 fats into DHA and EPA needed by the brain; beta-carotene into true vitamin A; essential amino acids into nonessential ones; vitamin D2 into D3; and vitamin K1 into K2. .... 
 


  


MORE EX-VEGAN HEALTH TESTIMONIALS - SUMMARY BY JULIANNE

Health problems on low fat raw vegan and vegan diets The following is from Julianne's Blog: Health problems on low fat raw vegan and vegan diets 
As a nutritionist my primary commitment is to my clients’ health. I see no evidence that making a permanent switch from an omnivorous to a vegan diet would improve the health of any client. 
 In the short term however some people appear to benefit from a change to a raw vegan diet, however long term, health problems from dietary deficiencies and imbalances inevitably catch up with people.  

Example: Denise Minger 
 Denise Minger wrote about this in her article "Raw Gone Wrong, When the Honeymoon is Over" 
 "Almost without fail, the beginning of the diet yields a brilliant honeymoon phase - filled with surging energy, renewed vigor, and zest for your lively cuisine. 
 But somewhere down the line - months for some people, years for others - the wonder starts to wane. Maybe you start feeling like something is inexplicably missing. Maybe your energy takes a dive and noontime naps become the norm. Maybe your weight loss plateaus. Maybe your last dentist visit wasn’t so pretty. Maybe those niggly health problems you had prior to - raw aches and pains, lethargy, allergies, arthritis, skin conditions - start resurfacing out of nowhere. Whatever the reason, raw just doesn’t seem to be working as well as it did in the beginning. Your enthusiasm diminishes, and in its place comes doubt, discontentment, and a plethora of questions. 
 In other words, you start seeing raw foods’ freaky nose hairs and you begin to wonder: what did I get myself into? 
 My own raw honeymoon ended around the one-year mark. Intermittent fatigue, dental woes, hair loss, concentration problems, and some not-so-happy blood test results forced me to rethink the dietary regimen I was so tightly clutching. " 

Here are more stories from vegan’s themselves about the health problems encountered after the honeymoon period: 

Erim Bilgin: Interview with an ex-vegan. 
 "What happened between you being a true-believing 80/10/10 low fat raw vegan and you eating animal products again?
 Sickness happened, and as a result, a whole lot of questioning. I really was a true believer in the low fat raw vegan lifestyle. I totally got the message. I believed in it fully. I followed it perfectly for three years, during which my health didn’t really get any better, but for the first two years, it didn’t get any worse either.
About a year and a half into it, I started to get weak, mentally, though this didn’t become apparent to me for years. I was extremely susceptible to stress. Anything would get to me, and I had to learn about self-mastery and breathing techniques and all that shit. It’s funny, because I was saying I was eating a raw vegan diet because it was “natural”, but here I was depending upon all these "unnatural" techniques. It never occurred to me that mental strength should come naturally. I just thought today’s world was too hectic. 
 ... The problems started to become more physical sometime around the first quarter of 2010. My teeth started getting incredibly sensitive, and there were clear signs of heavy acid erosion. I thought the tips of my teeth were always this transparent and that the darkened spots near my gum line were just stains from all the colorful food I was eating. My gums started to recede, I broke a molar by biting a tiny piece of a hazelnut shell by mistake, and a few months later my dentist would find six cavities in my raw vegan mouth. 
 I started to get more and more fatigued. I would come home from school (if I ever DID manage to go to school that day), and I’d wonder how people manage to still do things after school. Sure, I exercised regularly, but even that was strange. For the life of me, I couldn’t increase the intensity no matter how hard I tried. It was mostly endurance running, the vegan favorite. And it wasn’t TRAINING, it was only maintenance work. I just couldn’t improve my performance. 
 Speaking of performance, I also had no sex drive. Now, believe me when I say that there is a difference between LOW sex drive and NO sex drive. Because I had NONE." Source: interview-with-an-ex-vegan-erim-bilgin 

Kevin Gianni, "Renegade Health": What diet do you eat now Kevin?
 "At one point I was taking 6-10 vegan supplements a day to attempt to override my deficiencies - B complex, DHA, Vitamin D, B12, a mineral supplement, protein powder, chlorella, and more. I also adjusted my diet to add more cooked foods to see if that would change the way I felt as well. This was over a 2 year period. ..... After the introduction of goat's kefir and yogurt, I immediately felt an increase of energy, slept better and many issues started to clear up – my acne started to disappear, my knees stopped aching after a run, I gained back weight lost, I was able to retain muscle mass better, I could get out of bed in the morning, etc." 

Tasha, formerly "Voracious Vegan": A Vegan No More
 "When the doctor first told me that I had numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies, that I was almost anemic, and my B12 was so low she wanted to give me an injection immediately, I refused to believe her. I actually asked her to show me the blood test results because I thought there had to be some sort of mistake. But there was no mistake, it was right there in black and white; deficiencies and abnormalities across the board. 
 The results explained perfectly why I had been feeling weak and exhausted for more than 6 months. ... When I could I slept till noon, I felt lightheaded when I stood up, I couldn't remember simple words or the names of my friends, and I was freezing cold even in the midst of a sweltering Saudi summer. Of the myriad symptoms I've listed here and the ones I will not be describing publicly, the absolute worst of all was my depression. This awful, lifelong foe I've been battling on and off was sneaking back into my life, painting the edges of my world a sickening black and stealing the joy that I had fought so desperately to regain." 

Holly Paige: How our vegan diet made us ill - Holly Paige thought her family's food regime would boost their health - but stick-thin legs and rotten teeth made her think again. 

Chris Masterjohn: Vegetarianism and nutrient deficiencies - an excellent article on this subject, at Weston Price Foundation, which draws from numerous clinical studies: or click here. 

 IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE VEGETARIAN DIET
 by Dr. Stanley S. Bass, 1996
 
 MICE AND THE FRUITARIAN DIET
 I put a group of mice on a fruitarian diet. But they didn't seem to be eating very much fruit, and they certainly weren't crazy about it. .....
 ..... When I returned them to the fruitarian diet, after the second day they started the cannibalistic behavior again. They grabbed another young mouse and this time they ate it. The poor thing. I saw it happen. I was shocked. I'd never seen anything like this. "What happened here?" I asked myself.
 I had given them a fruitarian diet, a diet that some natural health practitioners fervently believe in. Then I added corn, then avocado, foods that fruitarians are not supposed to include, and still I ran into trouble. It really scared me to witness what had happened to my mice. I worried then and still worry about people who attempt to be fruitarians.

 DEFICIENCIES FROM THE FRUITARIAN DIET
 ..... To relate the results to humans, this trial seemed to indicate that after being a fruitarian for the human equivalent of three months, humans would show deficiencies and imbalances and health problems. My results suggested that if a fruitarian lived strictly without cheating he would be able to do so for three months before deficiencies began to show. But since the average fruitarian cheats, he doesn't know the diet doesn't work. If he didn't cheat, after three months his body would start breaking down. He wouldn't necessarily die, but problems would start to develop.
 I immediately added greens, lettuce leaves, and carrot tops. I was stunned by this experience. I determined that the cause of death was due to protein deficiencies, mineral deficiencies, and possible sugar poisoning from the excess fruit. This shocked me. I became so disillusioned that I stopped fruit in all the cages. I had about five cages at the time with about 150 mice. From there on no mice got fruit anymore. Only later, after many months, equivalent of several human years, did I gradually re-introduce a little fruit. ....

 TESTING EGG YOLK AND EGG WHITE
 ..... Interestingly, in the raw food vegetarian cage of mice, when I substituted egg yolk instead of cheese, the growth was even more rapid.
 ..... And all the books were saying, "Egg yolks, stay away from them. You'll die of cholesterol. They'll give you heart attacks." For me, I considered one egg a good maximum. Two only for emergencies. Even though Dr. Cursio used daily as many as four egg yolks on some patients, their blood pressure dropped steadily. I found the same to be true. Lecithin in egg yolks appears to negate cholesterol deposition in arteries.
 When I saw the results with the mice, I changed my opinion about eggs.

 ..... Every time I made a discovery with the mice I introduced it with my patients. I found with each discovery that when I introduced it into the diet of a patient, greater improvements resulted. I was excited. I was into new territory, and I saw no limit to the tremendous 

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration 
 A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects 
 by WESTON A. PRICE, MS., D.D.S., F.A.G.D., 1939

 EXCERPT
 During these investigations of primitive races, I have been impressed with the superior quality of the human stock developed by Nature wherever a liberal source of sea foods existed. These zones of abundant marine life were largely in the wake of the ocean currents drifting from the ice fields of the poles. The Humboldt Current is probably the most liberal carrier of marine life of any of the ocean currents. It leaves the ice field of the Antarctic and bathes the west coast of South America from its southern tip nearly to the equator, where the coast line changes direction and the Humboldt Current is deflected out into the ocean. It meets here a warm current coming down from the coast of Central America, Panama and Columbia. If the superb physiques that Nature has established among the Maori of New Zealand, the Malays of the Islands north of Australia, the Gaelics of the Outer Hebrides and the natives on several of the archipelagos of the Pacific, owe their superior physical development to sea foods, we should expect to find that the tribes which have had contact with the great Humboldt Current food would also have superb physiques. .... 

 In many of the primitive tribes living by the sea we found emphasis on the value of fish eggs and on some animal forms for insuring a high physical development of growing children, particularly of girls, and a high perfection of offspring through a reinforcement of the mother's nutrition. It is also important to note that in several of the primitive tribes studied there has been a consciousness that not only the mother should have special nutrition, but also the father. In this group very great value was placed upon a product obtained from a sea form known locally as the angelote or angel fish, which in classification is between a skate and a shark. The young of the angelota are born alive, ready for free swimming and capable of foraging for themselves immediately at birth. Twenty to thirty young are born in one litter. The eggs of the female before fertilization are about one inch in diameter, slightly oval but nearly spherical. They are used as food by all, but the special food product for men is a pair of glands obtained from the male. These glands weigh up to a pound each, when they are dried. They have a recognized value among the natives for treating cases of tuberculosis, especially for controlling lung hemorrhages. The sea foods were used in conjunction with the land plants and fruits raised by means of irrigation in the river valleys. Together these foods provided adequate nutrition for maintaining high physical excellence. ....
------
 We may divide the primitive racial stocks into groups, classified according to the physical environment in which they are living and the manner in which the environment largely controls their available foods. It is significant that I have as yet found no group that was building and maintaining good bodies exclusively on plant foods. A number of groups are endeavoring to do so with marked evidence of failure. The variety of animal foods available has varied widely in some groups, and been limited among others.

 In the preceding chapter we have seen that the successful dietaries included in addition to a liberal source of minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and water-soluble vitamins, a source of fat-soluble vitamins.

 Vitamin D is not found in plants, but must be sought in an animal food. The dietaries of the efficient primitive racial stocks may be divided into groups on this basis: in the first place those obtaining their fatsoluble activators, which include the known fat-soluble vitamins, from efficient dairy products. This includes the Swiss in the high Alps, the Arabs (using camel's milk), and the Asiatic races (using milk of sheep and musk ox). In the second place there are those using liberally the organs of animals, and the eggs of birds, wild and domesticated. These include the Indians of the far North, the buffalo hunting Plains Indians and the Andean tribes. In the third place there are those using liberally animal life of the sea. These include Pacific Islanders and coastal tribes throughout the world. In the fourth place there are those using small animals and insects. These include the Australian Aborigines in the interior, and the African tribes in the interior.

 Many of the above groups use foods from two or more sources. Each of the groups has provided an adequate quantity of body-building material from both animal and plant tissues. It does not matter what the source of minerals and vitamins may be so long as the supply is adequate. In our modern life, the location of a group will determine the most efficient and most convenient source for obtaining the essential foods. Clearly, for those near the coast, the sea may be most convenient, while for those in the interior or in the far North, dairy products or the organs of animals may be the only available source. ....

 Since the sea foods are, as a group, so valuable a source of the fatsoluble activators, they have been found to be efficient throughout the world not only for controlling tooth decay, but for producing a human stock of high vitality. Unfortunately the cost of transportation in the fresh state often constitutes a factor limiting distribution. Many of the primitive races preserved the food value, including vitamins, very efficiently by drying the fish. While our modern system of canning prevents decomposition, it does not efficiently preserve some of the fatsoluble activators, particularly vitamin A.

 Since the organs, particularly the livers of animals, are storage depots of the vitamins an important source of some of the fat-soluble activators can be provided by extracting the fat of the livers and shipping it as liver oils. Modern methods of processing have greatly improved the quality of these oils. There are some factors, however, which can be provided to great advantage for humans from dairy products of high efficiency.

 I have shown in the preceding chapter the quantities of several of the minerals that are essential in suitable chemical form to maintain an adult in good health and make possible tissue repair. The dietaries of the various primitive groups have all been shown to have a mineral content several times higher than that which obtains in the inadequate food eaten by modernized primitives and the people of our modernized cultures. 

 WESTON A. PRICE, 1939   www.westonaprice.org/


VEGAN DIET SURVEY
 These results are from people who strictly followed the Gen. 1:29 diet (85% raw, 100% vegan) in the long-term:

 The results are from the Weigh of Wisdom website
http://www.weighofwisdom.com/rethinking/results.html 
(Note: this site may be out of service)

 Read about the background for the survey on our website - click here.
 Quote: "But, as our own health problems became overwhelming, we began to sit up and take notice. Being a scientist at heart (an electrical engineer for 30+ years), I wanted to get a handle on the scope of the problem. So, we created a survey. So far, we have identified the most common fifty-four health problems people have developed on the Genesis 1:29 Diet, and have incorporated these symptoms into the survey." 




The Hallelujah Gen. 1:29 diet consists of 85% raw fresh fruits and vegetables and 15% cooked, while eliminating: all meat and dairy products, refined sugar, salt, and refined white flour products.  
 



Symptom with Reported Percentage 

 Scattered or foggy thinking 67 
 Cravings for cheese, other dairy and/or nuts 62 
 Don't feel like exercising or working 60 
 Lack of stamina, endurance and strength 60 
 Plagued with food cravings 60 
 Eating lots of fruit or breads 60 
Dry skin 58 
 Loss of muscles and muscle tone 56 
 Difficulty staying warm 55 
 Adding supplements to your diet 55 
 Memory loss 55 
 Constantly snacking, never satisfied 51 
 Low tolerance to stress 51 
 Ridged fingernails and/or thin fingernails 49 
 Losing look and glow of health: pale skin, dull hair and eyes 45 
 Food drags you down rather than picks you up 45 
 Hair loss 44 
 Joint pain 44 
 Slumping posture 44 
 Negative thinking 44 
 Mood swings 40 
 Grouchy 40 
 Depression 40 
 Dry, burning eyes 38 
 Inability to concentrate 38 
 Trouble coping with certain food combinations 38 
 Lack of motivation for daily tasks 36 
 Eating less, but no weight loss (common in women) 36 
 Snacking on nuts constantly 35 
 Headaches, neckaches and/or shoulder pain 33 
 Salt cravings (sign of adrenal fatigue) 33 
 Unable to digest food quickly 33 
 Run down, chronically tired 31 
 Diminished sex drive 29 
 Cravings for meat 29 
 Look older than should 27 
 White spots on skin (or loss of skin color) 25 
 Leg or foot cramps 25 
 Skinny neck, arms, or legs 24 
 Heartbeat irregularities 24 
 Blood pressure too high or too low 24 
 Whites of the eyes becoming yellow or bloodshot 18 
 Excessive dental cavities 18 
 Low thyroid 15 
 Bleeding gums 15 
 Too skinny, can't put on weight (common in men) 13 
 Panic attacks, paranoia 11 
 Tooth loss 11 
 Retarded growth (too small for their age) 2 
 Retarded mental development 2


 Neck muscles atrophied to the point that they were only pencil thin:
http://chetday.com/genesis129dietcrash2.htm
Why "failure to thrive" on vegetarian
 diets is rarely talked about 


When not everyone does well on the diet, the easy answers provided by the vegetarian movement are no longer so simple.

 If you find yourself facing one of the six problem scenarios mentioned previously, you aren't alone--though you might not think so, given the positive press vegetarian nutrition often receives today. In fact, where health is concerned, most people do well, often quite well, on vegetarian diets when they first switch. (Certainly they usually do better, at least, if they had previously been following the "standard American diet"--often referred to as "SAD" by people pursuing healthier alternative diets.) And the positive press with respect to the long-term impact on certain degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease and so forth is well-deserved. Numerous studies have shown that diets higher in fiber, fruits, and vegetables and lower in saturated fats (such as vegetarianism, though it is not the only such diet, of course) are considerably healthier than the SAD when looking at certain degenerative diseases.
"Failure to thrive" is usually mild and unrecognized as such at first. However, there is another side to the vegetarian story that rarely gets talked about, which is the phenomenon known as "failure to thrive" (FTT). Normally this term is used to describe infants who fail to do well or to meet minimum standards for growth and development, due to some shortfall in the standard of care received. However, the term can also be applied to anyone not doing well health-wise when they might otherwise be expected to.

Where vegetarianism is concerned, it means that despite following prudent recommendations for the diet, some people simply do not experience the best health, or, put differently perhaps, "well-being." This can range anywhere from mild symptoms such as:


•Lassitude or "being hungry all day" and "not feeling satisfied," as described above; to

•Poor sex drive or poor-quality sleep; to

•Behavioral effects such as not being able to get one's mind off food (not uncommon if one is not feeling physically satiated or otherwise satisfied on the diet), or

•The yo-yo syndrome of not being able to stay on the diet consistently due to cravings; to

•Emotional effects such as a vague, nonspecific loss of zest for life (which is usually more apparent to other people than to the person themselves); to

•Actual deficiencies in some cases.


Prudent vegetarian diets are sufficient "on paper." Usually, since well-planned vegetarian diets are sufficient on paper, overt deficiencies are rare (other than of vitamin B-12 occasionally in pure vegans not taking a supplement). However, there is much that is still being discovered about nutrition, and--as is discussed elsewhere on the site--given that vegetarian diets are not the kind of diet that the human species evolved on, it may be there are dietary factors, particularly micronutrients, that don't measure up on diets that significantly deviate from our natural one. Or some elements in the diet may not be extracted as efficiently from plant foods, whether in general, or by certain individuals. (See Timeline of Dietary Shifts in the Human Line of Evolution for a footnoted discussion of dietary developments indicating the diet the human species is naturally adapted to. Also see Key Nutrients vis-a-vis Omnivorous Adaptation and Vegetarianism for a discussion of differences between plant and animal foods in absorption efficiency of certain dietary nutrients.)
But even allowing for the somewhat "covert" or subliminal nature of the above kinds of early or mild symptoms that might predispose people to believe FTT is not really real in the first place, what are the other reasons why FTT doesn't get talked about much? There are a few separate ones:


•The self-selection effect among long-term (successful) vegans screens out awareness of failure to thrive. This first reason generally underlies the other additional reasons FTT is seldom acknowledged or discussed. Most people who try vegetarian diets usually do not stick with them for a long period of time, and go on to something else. At any point in time, therefore, the pool of currently practicing vegetarians is composed mostly of long-term vegetarians. This sets up a "self-selection" effect that filters awareness, whereby most of the vegetarians you talk to are inevitably either the most motivated or the most "successful" ones who do the best on the diet long-term.
Yet ironically, many more people are ex-vegetarian than currently vegetarian. But since practicing vegetarians tend to be far more vocal, those are the voices most people hear about vegetarianism from. Thus, the ex-vegetarian population is something of a "silent majority" that doesn't get heard from much compared to current vegetarians, because most often, they simply go on to something else that becomes their focus instead, and the subject is dropped before it has much of a chance to make an impact on others.



•The large number of "social dropouts" diverts attention and is a scapegoat for the actual cases. Why do people "drop out"? Oftentimes, of course, it is strictly for social reasons having to do with peer pressure from family, friends, or workmates, or just the social inconveniences of not being able to find good vegetarian meals outside the home. Or people may simply like animal foods, and eventually find they don't want, or have trouble trying, to give them up despite the proposed benefits of doing so (not surprising given the evolutionary heritage of Homo sapiens, with meat being a natural food that most of us enjoy). And vegetarianism often is an enthusiasm of younger, more idealistic people that doesn't last or doesn't "stick" as they get out into the world, and start dealing with the everyday vicissitudes of life that make idealism of any sort difficult.
However, the foregoing primarily tends to describe people who haven't practiced vegetarianism for a very long time before dropping out--often before there would be much likelihood of developing FTT anyway. And since most people who embrace vegetarianism do at least passably well on the diet at first, and FTT--if/when it occurs--may take anywhere from a few months to a few years to several years (sometimes longer) to develop, dropouts of this particular variety don't really tell us very much about failure to thrive. I.e., despite the way in which "social dropouts" are brought up as a refutation of FTT, they are a "red herring" and mostly irrelevant to the question.



•Moral ostracism marginalizes willingness of FTT dropouts to speak out. But it would be erroneous to conclude that the FTT population will automatically be insignificant just because there are a lot of "social dropouts" or because there is no publicity about the phenomenon. In addition to the "self-selection" effect discussed above about why FTT is not heard about much, there is also a strong tendency toward moral ostracism toward ex-vegetarians by current vegetarians. (Anyone who doesn't believe this should listen in on a conversation among "ethical" vegetarians about some failed ex-vegetarian sometime. So much for "compassion" as one of the underlying values of vegetarianism, if it doesn't apply to fellow human beings.) This quite commonly results in either blackout of contrary information (within the vegetarian community), or failure to take it seriously when it does surface.


•Pat answers. But of course, not all cases of FTT completely escape attention. Instead they may be rationalized. Usually this happens by explaining away all examples of FTT as failures to "intelligently plan," or adhere to, the diet instead. While in some cases this might well be true, most often what occurs is that the people making such comments don't really know if it is or not, because rarely do people explaining away FTT bother with finding out all the particulars of the cases that come up. (For more on how morally based ostracism operates to screen out awareness of FTT in the vegetarian community, see both Drawbacks to Relying Exclusively on Clinical Studies of Diet [go about halfway down the page] and Failure to Thrive: Your Health is More Important than Dietary Dogma.)




Failure to thrive is real, but its extent unknown.

After adopting the diet, cases of FTT are small in the beginning, but increase over the long-term. Now that the vegetarian and alternative diet movement has had almost three decades to mature since it began mushrooming in the U.S. with the contingent of baby-boomers who began adopting it starting in the late 1960s and early 1970s, results contrary to the standard healthy script of what is supposed to happen have had time to surface and undergo more close re-examination. Based on anecdotal reports, the number of people who experience FTT is small in the beginning after the diet is adopted, but will increase over time. Some begin not doing well within just a few months. For others it may be a decade or longer before they realize their state of health is not what it once was. Sometimes people find they have very slowly adjusted to a lowered sense of well-being without realizing it until some years later. It would be nice if one could put a percentage figure on the rate of FTT among those who try vegetarian diets, but unfortunately this number is unknown at present.

(Note: Vegan advocate Michael Klaper, M.D. has been attempting, since about 1997/1998, to put together what appears to be the first-ever study on failure to thrive in vegans, and also appears to be one of the very few vegan advocates to acknowledge it publicly as a worthwhile issue. It is a prospective study and not longitudinal, and thus will not be able to determine rates of incidence; but it is a start, and those who are interested in this topic may want to check out the web page for the study at http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/study.htm.)
  Most individuals with FTT make changes quietly, and go on to other diets. Some of these individuals who have had extensive firsthand experience from which they can speak have been forced to seriously question their diets--or at the least, the claim that they will work for everyone. And in some cases these individuals have even gone so far as to re-introduce animal foods back into their diets (some including carefully chosen portions of flesh) and are experiencing improved health. Others who haven't seen fit to make that kind of change may nevertheless have made compromises in the area of adding supplements or other auxiliary items to their diets formerly eschewed. (You can read stories of a few such individuals here on the website: see Dietary Problems in the Real World.)
What happens if vegetarian diets
 are not best for everyone? 


That vegetarian diets are more "natural" is no longer defensible, and that they are "best" is debatable.

Rise of evolutionary research has shown hominid ancestors to be omnivores from the beginning. In recent years evolutionary science has been delving more closely into the prehistoric human past. Recent consolidation of findings in the field of research coming to be known as Paleolithic diet (or "Paleodiet," for short) has in the last 10-15 years been confirming that ancestors in the human line have been serious omnivores going all the way back to the inception of the human genus Homo over two million years ago. (Again, see Timeline of Dietary Shifts in the Human Line of Evolution for an overview of this information, as well as Corrected Anthropological Survey Data Shows Meat Averages Over 50% of Hunter-Gatherer Diets.) This means the rationale for vegetarianism as the most "natural" diet for human beings (for those who have presented it that way) has been getting the rug pulled out from under its feet, and must now rely more on other appeals.
If vegetarian diets are not necessarily the healthiest above all others, then the appeals become primarily ethical in nature. The wave of clinical studies in the 1970s and 1980s critical of excessive fat and particularly animal fat in the diet--which have themselves been coming under criticism in recent years as the fat issue is being explored in more depth--have in reality never been an argument against omnivorous diets anyway. Rather, they are an argument against the high-saturated-fat SAD diet--which should not be equated with all omnivorous diets. (See Which Omnivore Diet? The "Omnivorism = Western Diet" Fallacy for more on this point.) This may end up leaving primarily a spiritual/ethical/environmental rationale for eating veggie, particularly if it cannot be shown nutritionally superior not just to the SAD, but to other alternative--but omnivorous--diets as well (which it probably cannot be).

Some, of course, believe the spiritual or ethical rationale that is their primary motivation for a vegetarian diet is in itself quite reason enough, while others find the wisdom of doing so very debatable. But if the diet does not work for some people, then that leaves vegetarian individuals--even those promoting just the ethical/environmental rationale--new questions the movement needs to look at that haven't been faced till now.




When answers are no longer clear-cut, open-mindedness requires the willingness to question and rethink the issues.

 And that's the reason for Beyond Veg--to provide a place staking out territory where those who were open-minded enough to have embraced vegetarianism in the first place can also be open-minded enough to explore the problems and limitations that we may find have surfaced, now that enough time has passed for us to draw on past history over larger numbers of people. As a vegetarian pioneer, Herbert Shelton, the founder of the modern "natural hygiene" self-care movement, once said and took as his motto: "Let us have truth though the heavens fall." When you have put your heart and soul into following as all-encompassing a lifestyle as vegetarianism can often be, it is not easy to find that sometimes information you may have relied on with implicit belief in its authority is later found to be superseded or contravened by experience or additional data.
When there is too deep an emotional investment in diet, open-mindedness is more difficult. For those of us whose diets are based not just on nutritional ideas but on philosophical principles or beliefs that may underlie an entire lifestyle, the toughest aspect of making a transition to a different diet that may serve you better is not food. It is being able to transcend your emotional identification with the philosophy or worldview underlying the diet you may have lived by for many years. This can often be very difficult psychologically, because our food habits help to comprise a literally "visceral" sense of who we are. Integrating a new or more all-inclusive dietary vision based on new information that one may only be beginning to realize the implications of, takes not only intellectual understanding and assent but also patience and emotional honesty. Even when one is faced with well-corroborated research like what is presented in some sections of this site, we recognize it is difficult to change the beliefs of a lifetime, or half a lifetime.

The mirror of self-recognition. Hopefully you will find interesting--and perhaps may note a shock of self-recognition in--the kinds of games outlined here that we often play with ourselves when faced with information we do not want to hear. Those of us here writing about them know about them because in many cases we have played them on ourselves before. We hope the candor and occasional humor with which we approach our common human foibles here will help you to consider these issues for yourself.




For lurking skeptics

 We want to make clear here that it is not our intention to simply--or categorically--impugn vegetarianism. One of the main writers for this site is a long-term vegetarian and intends to remain so. We recognize that such diets do work depending on the individual, and from regular contacts with a range of vegetarian individuals we know that for some they work well. However, we also are painfully aware from ongoing contacts with this same range of various individuals that the number of individuals they work for--or at least work well for long-term (a key issue)--is probably less than most vegetarians like to think, particularly the more strict the practice; and the margins for error can sometimes be thin on this "straight-and-narrow" path, depending on which byway you are walking.
The illusion of an "ideal" for "everyone." Perhaps the hardest "ideal" for anyone believing in the superiority of a single diet over all others to have to give up is the cherished assumption that a "perfect" or "ideal" diet will work the same for EVERYONE. However, due to our own ongoing contacts with a range of vegetarian individuals, making that admission is eventually what we have had to do, at first against a felt sense of "what was (or 'ought' to be) right."

Thoughtful comments welcomed, flames not. In the spirit of balanced inquiry, we invite those of you who may disagree with what you will read here to send in your objections and counterarguments if you can do it in the spirit of civil debate and inquiry. Most flames we get, however, will likely hit the bit-bucket fast. As former or current vegetarians, and/or observers for many years, rest assured those of us putting the site together are familiar with most if not all of the standard objections against animal foods. (As well as cooked foods: An important part of what we present here on the site addresses the cooked vs. raw debate.)

If you are vegetarian and wish to comment or respond, please take the time to familiarize yourself with the various standard objections covered here on the site before emailing us your own, so as not to waste your time bringing up issues already dealt with elsewhere on the site. Due to time constraints, we will not answer broadsides unless they bring up new information and are not simply repetitions of time-worn mantras. If you have objections to what is presented here, send us NEW objections. Those which are well-thought-out and supported, we will certainly consider posting here--in the spirit of "let us have truth though the heavens fall." Those that are not new will be dumped straight into the bit-bucket for a thorough digital composting.




The crucial yet problematic role of our own "anecdotal" stories in exploring dietary practices that lack current scientific investigation.

Real-world reports as a corrective to traditional "theory" not backed by research. After a number of years having been swallowed up by alternative dietary theories often infested by mesmerizing double-think that effectively insulates the individual from any possible counterargument, one of our primary interests here is in what WORKS and what happens in the real world when the food hits the gullet, and the results are stripped of obfuscating rationalizations. To that end, we are interested in controlled studies and scientific research on alternative diets, but just as importantly your own case histories.
In poorly explored areas, anecdotal evidence is helpful in opening up inquiry. We include in "case histories" personal stories, but we should note that as far as research is concerned these constitute "anecdotal evidence," and we should attempt to proceed carefully with as much objectivity--or at least honesty--as we can muster given that fact. Cross-examination here can be helpful in attempting to weed out biases that may color the way we relate our stories. We do not automatically reject "anecdotal evidence" out of hand here, like many investigators sometimes do, because the way a new line of inquiry gets started in the first place is very often due to the suggestive nature of initial anecdotal reports. If we never investigated anecdotal reports, some lines of inquiry would rarely ever get started except by accident.

Criticizing anecdotal evidence is unproductive when it is primarily what is available. Thus, if you are someone with professional research interests reading over these pages, we ask for your patience with the case histories or "stories" presented here. Because you will discover if you have any interest in this subject matter that in certain cases (fruitarianism, all-raw-foodism, etc.) there simply ARE no controlled studies (or exceedingly few, or not germane to a particular issue at hand) that have been done on some of the questions we will be highlighting. If one cannot abide such "anecdotal" evidence and is interested in these questions, then the only logical response is to begin designing and conducting studies to test and either verify or falsify the hypotheses and tentative conclusions presented here. If one isn't willing to help do this, then sniping at one of the only ways we currently have of attempting to look into some of these questions with the state of knowledge as it currently exists is simply closed-mindedness or irascibility. It only contributes to the problem, not the solution.

Reports of research welcomed from those with constructive criticisms to offer. We want to emphasize that we are desirous of input from people aware of or involved with research addressing these questions scientifically, but please attempt to be critical in a constructive way rather than merely be derisive if you find something said here that doesn't square with studies we are not yet aware of. If you are aware of such studies, then send us the abstracts for possible summary here. We expect that not all of what we have to say here will, or can at present, be proven. Much of it is in the nature of hypotheses to be looked into further. If you cannot be helpful with constructive suggestions that point us toward data to clarify or modify or test these hypotheses, you will find we have no response to you. For now, a good portion of the evidence we have to go by is anecdotal, but it will not always be this way if those with research agendas begin investigating these questions.




Increasing public awareness of vegetarian diets (and beyond) demands better exploration of neglected issues about them that can lead to problems.

 As the planet gets more crowded, the reputed economic advantages of vegetarian diets and their presumed more-efficient use of land and resources than heavy animal-food diets will continue to attract more attention. This motivation for considering vegetarian diets on an economic level has also been accompanied by the more personal motivations people have to improve their own health as well. These stem, of course, from historical trends in scientific research on fat in the diet and the value of substances in diets high in fresh fruits and vegetables in preventing disease.
Much research on alternative diets is not yet sufficiently informed about long-term issues apparent to seasoned veterans. Currently the pendulum of scientific study has been swinging in the direction of vegetarian-like practices without knowledge of the extremes to which people often go. Also, much current research seems to be proceeding without knowledge of the pitfalls that have been experienced by many who have been on vegetarian diets for lengthy periods of time--problems which tend to be known only to seasoned veterans who have learned through hard personal experience. It is possible (indeed it happens often) to go far enough that vegetarian practices can result in ruined or poor health of the individuals who try them, and who end up collecting the arrows in their backs.

Ethical considerations about vegetarian diets too often proceed under the simplistic assumption the diet will work for everyone. Particularly when failure to thrive is an issue, then whether to be vegetarian becomes a question only the individual can best decide or not, and the issue loses any sacrosanct status as a social agenda that some may believe it to have. The idea of vegetarianism as a social solution for environmental concerns, or for the so-called moral problem of killing animals for food (which is not made into an issue where other omnivorous animals are concerned) is based on the idea that vegetarianism can work for everyone. But if such presuppositions do not hold, then the questions become more complicated, and there are no longer any easy answers (if there ever were anyway).

Tough questions often not faced. Can the health and well-being of an omnivorous animal who may depend on animal food for optimal health be measured against the lives of the animals that are sacrificed for such food? Only the individual themselves can answer such a question; and supposing that the question can, should, or ought instead to be made a prescription for society is seen as presumptuous. How does one weigh the "right" of an omnivorous animal to eat omnivorous food against the "rights" of its prey? These are questions that have no definitive answers, and perhaps should not have to be asked in the first place.

What if "planetary" or "trans-species" interests conflict with health of the individual human? Aside from the pets we own, few bother presuming to ask the preceding questions for other omnivorous animals--whom we seem to believe have a right to the normal everyday elements of their natural life, if they desire them. Easy answers cannot be generalized for these questions, since the ecological problems we face, and the extinction of other species, are at root due to human overpopulation--a species-wide or better yet, planetary, question. Yet what may be in the best overall interest of the planet (trying to eliminate the effects of human overpopulation such as reigning in the human desire for animal food) may not be in the best interest of any particular individual human being or their health.

In the interest of individuals making their own decisions, the Beyond Veg website is geared toward openly addressing and presenting information about the problems that can arise on vegetarian and other alternative diets, as well as going beyond the "party line" and exploring other dietary options, including research with a bearing on the concerns that so often bring people to consider a vegetarian or other alternative diet in the first place. There is a considerable lack of research on some of these questions and bull-session topics which are of concern to many long-time vegetarians and/or ex-vegetarians that, in many cases, have yet to reach the ears of the scientific community. These are in large part what we'll be focusing on here.

So heave ho! And when you have had time to digest these issues, we hope to hear from you here at the feedback department of Beyond Veg.

--Ward Nicholson
function. Several studies have shown that both vegetarians and vegans are prone to deficiencies in B12, calcium, iron, zinc, the long-chain fatty acids EPA & DHA, and fat-soluble vitamins like A & D.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these nutrients on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

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Are plant-based diets missing nutrients required for optimal health? Find out!

Vitamin B12

B12 deficiency is especially common in vegetarians and vegans. I’ve covered the prevalence of B12 deficiency in vegetarians and vegans at length in another article. The takeaway is that the most recent studies using more sensitive techniques for detecting B12 deficiency have found that 68% of vegetarians and 83% of vegans are B12 deficient, compared to just 5% of omnivores. (2)

Vitamin B12 works together with folate in the synthesis of DNA and red blood cells. It’s also involved in the production of the myelin sheath around the nerves, and the conduction of nerve impulses. B12 deficiency can cause numerous problems, including:
•Fatigue
•Lethargy
•Weakness
•Memory loss
•Neurological and psychiatric problems
•Anemia
•And much more…

The effects of B12 deficiency on kids are especially alarming. Studies have shown that kids raised until age 6 on a vegan diet are still B12 deficient years after adding at least some animal products to their diet. In one study, the researchers found:

…a significant association between cobalamin [B12] status and performance on tests measuring fluid intelligence, spatial ability and short-term memory” with formerly vegan kids scoring lower than omnivorous kids in each case. (3)

The deficit in fluid intelligence is particularly troubling, the researchers said, because:

…it involves reasoning, the capacity to solve complex problems, abstract thinking ability and the ability to learn. Any defect in this area may have far-reaching consequences for individual functioning.

A common myth amongst vegetarians and vegans is that it’s possible to get B12 from plant sources like seaweed, fermented soy, spirulina and brewers yeast. But plant foods said to contain B12 actually contain B12 analogs called cobamides that block the intake of, and increase the need for, true B12. (4)

Calcium

On paper, calcium intake is similar in vegetarians and omnivores (probably because both eat dairy products), but is much lower in vegans, who are often deficient. (5) However, calcium bioavailability from plant foods is affected by their levels of oxalate and phytate, which are inhibitors of calcium absorption and thus decrease the amount of calcium the body can extract from plant foods. (5a) So while leafy greens like spinach and kale have a relatively high calcium content, the calcium is not efficiently absorbed during digestion. 

One study suggests that it would take 16 servings of spinach to get the same amount of absorbable calcium as an 8 ounce glass of milk. (5b) That would be 33 cups of baby spinach or around 5-6 cups of cooked spinach. There are a few vegetables listed in this paper that have higher levels of bioavailable calcium, but it’s important to note that all of the vegetables tested required multiple servings to achieve the same amount of usable calcium as one single serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt. This suggests that trying to meet your daily calcium needs from plant foods alone (rather than dairy products or bone-in fish) might not be a great strategy.

Iron

Vegetarians eat a similar amount of iron to omnivores, but as with calcium, the bioavailability of the iron in plant foods is much lower than in animal foods. Plant-based forms of iron are also inhibited by other commonly consumed substances, such as coffee, tea, dairy products, supplemental fiber, and supplemental calcium. This explains why vegetarians and vegans have lower iron stores than omnivores, and why vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce non-heme iron absorption by 70% and total iron absorption by 85%. (6, 7)

Zinc

Overt zinc deficiency is not often seen in Western vegetarians, but their intake often falls below recommendations. This is another case where bioavailability is important; many plant foods that contain zinc also contain phytate, which inhibits zinc absorption. Vegetarian diets tend to reduce zinc absorption by about 35% compared with omniovorous diet. (8) Thus, even when the diet meets or exceeds the RDA for zinc, deficiency may still occur. One study suggested that vegetarians may require up to 50% more zinc than omnivores for this reason. (9)

EPA and DHA

Plant foods do contain linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), both of which are considered essential fatty acids. In this context, an essential fatty acid is one that can’t be synthesized by the body and must be obtained in the diet. However, an increasing body of research has highlighted the benefits of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA & DHA. These fatty acids play a protective and therapeutic role in a wide range of diseases: cancer, asthma, depression, cardiovascular disease, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

While it is possible for some alpha-linolenic acid from plant foods to be converted into EPA & DHA, that conversion is poor in humans: between 5-10% for EPA and 2-5% for DHA. (10) Vegetarians have 30% lower levels of EPA & DHA than omnivores, while vegans have 50% lower EPA and nearly 60% lower DHA. (11) Moreover, the conversion of ALA to DHA depends on zinc, iron and pyridoxine—nutrients which vegetarians and vegans are less likely than omnivores to get enough of.

Fat-soluble vitamins: A and D

Perhaps the biggest problem with vegetarian and vegan diets, however, is their near total lack of two fat-soluble vitamins: A and D. Fat-soluble vitamins play numerous and critical roles in human health. Vitamin A promotes healthy immune function, fertility, eyesight and skin. Vitamin D regulates calcium metabolism, regulates immune function, reduces inflammation and protects against some forms of cancer.

These important fat-soluble vitamins are concentrated, and in some cases found almost exclusively, in animal foods: primarily seafood, organ meats, eggs and dairy products. Some obscure species of mushrooms can provide large amounts of vitamin D, but these mushrooms are rarely consumed and often difficult to obtain. (This explains why vitamin D levels are 58% lower in vegetarians and 74% lower in vegans than in omnivores.) (12)

The idea that plant foods contain vitamin A is a common misconception. Plants contain beta-carotene, the precursor to active vitamin A (retinol). While beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in humans, the conversion is inefficient. (13) For example, a single serving of liver per week would meet the RDA of 3,000 IU. To get the same amount from plant foods, you’d have to eat 2 cups of carrots, one cup of sweet potatoes or 2 cups of kale every day. Moreover, traditional cultures consumed up to 10 times the RDA for vitamin A. It would be nearly impossible to get this amount of vitamin A from plant foods without juicing or taking supplements.

But don’t vegetarians live longer than omnivores?

At this point you might be thinking, “Well, so what if plant-based diets are lower in some nutrients. Everyone knows vegetarians live longer than omnivores!” While it’s true that some observational studies suggest that vegetarians and vegans enjoy longer lifespans, these studies were plagued by the “healthy user bias”. The healthy user bias is the scientific way of saying that people who engage in one behavior that is perceived as healthy (whether it is or not) are more likely to engage in other behaviors that are healthy. For example, vegetarians tend to be more health conscious on average than general population; they are less likely to smoke or drink excessively and more likely to exercise, eat fruits and vegetables and take care of themselves. (14)

Of course the flip-side is also true: those that engage in behaviors perceived to be unhealthy are more likely to engage in other unhealthy behaviors. The healthy user bias is one of the main reasons it’s so difficult to infer causality from observational studies. For example, say a study shows that eating processed meats like bacon and hot dogs increases your risk of heart disease. Let’s also say, as the healthy user bias predicts, that those who eat more bacon and hot dogs also eat a lot more refined flour (hot dog and hamburger buns), sugar and industrial seed oils, and a lot less fresh fruits, vegetables and soluble fiber. They also drink and smoke more, exercise less and generally do not take care of themselves very well. How do we know, then, that it’s the processed meat that is increasing the risk of heart disease rather than these other things—or perhaps some combination of these other things and the processed meat?

One way to answer that question is to design a study that attempts to control for at least some of the healthy user bias. In other words, instead of comparing the “average” meat eater (who tends to be less health conscious) with the “average” vegetarian (who tends to be more health conscious), what happens when you compare vegetarians and omnivores that are both health-conscious?

Thankfully, we have a study that did just that. It compared the mortality of people who shopped in health food stores (both vegetarians and omnivores) to people in the general population. This was a clever study design. People who shop in health food stores are more likely to be health conscious, regardless of whether they eat meat, which reduces the likelihood that the study results will be thrown off by the “healthy user bias”. What did the researchers find? Both vegetarians and omnivores in the health food store group lived longer than people in the general population—not surprising given their higher level of health consciousness—but there was no survival difference between vegetarians or omnivores. Nor was there any difference in rates of heart disease or stroke between the two groups. (15) In other words, omnivores who are health conscious live just as long as vegetarians that are health conscious.

Final thoughts

With care and attention, I think it’s possible to meet nutrient needs with a vegetarian diet that includes liberal amounts of pasture-raised, full-fat dairy and eggs, with one exception: EPA and DHA. These long-chain omega fats are found exclusively in marine algae and fish and shellfish, so the only way to get them on a vegetarian diet would be to take a microalgae supplement (which contains DHA) or bend the rules and take fish oil or cod liver oil as a supplement. Still, while it may be possible to obtain adequate nutrition on a vegetarian diet, it is not optimal—as the research above indicates.

I do not think it’s possible to meet nutrient needs on a vegan diet without supplements—and quite a few of them. Vegan diets are low in B12, biovailable iron and zinc, choline, vitamin A & D, calcium, and EPA and DHA. So if you’re intent on following a vegan diet, make sure you are supplementing with those nutrients.

It’s worth pointing out that there are genetic differences that affect the conversion of certain nutrient precursors (like beta-carotene and alpha-linolenic acid) into the active forms of those nutrients (like retinol and EPA and DHA, respectively), and these differences may affect how long someone will be able to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet before they develop nutrient deficiencies. This explains why some people seem to do well for years on these diets, while others develop problems very quickly.