{"id":12125,"date":"2018-08-01T19:21:15","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T07:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/?p=12125"},"modified":"2019-09-11T18:07:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-11T06:07:09","slug":"10-reasons-to-not-be-vegan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wapf\/10-reasons-to-not-be-vegan\/","title":{"rendered":"10 REASONS TO NOT BE VEGAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 REASONS TO NOT BE VEGAN<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

1. A vegan diet never sustained any traditional culture<\/h2>\n

Dr. Weston Price, a dentist with a passion for nutrition, traveled the globe to discover the secrets of healthy, happy people. He recorded his findings in the 30\u2019s in the landmark book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration<\/em><\/a>. From the Inuit in Alaska to the Maori in New Zealand, Dr. Price revealed that the diets traditional to each culture, although dependent on geography, followed a strict set of dietary laws.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most striking commonality is an unerring reverence for animal foods.\u00a0No traditional culture subsisted on a vegan diet<\/strong>, a fact that Dr. Price found particularly interesting.<\/p>\n

Some cultures, such as the Masai tribe in Africa, consumed almost exclusively animal products. The Masai ate meat, milk and blood from their cattle,\u00a0experiencing profound health and incredible bone structure (which is an indicator of generational health). Cultures \u2013 such as the Inuit \u2013\u00a0that didn\u2019t\u00a0practice animal husbandry caught wild meat or fish. Groups who had the least access to animal products would forage for grubs and bugs.<\/p>\n

The China Study<\/strong> (which is a book title, not a study) has been used to promote the idea that primarily vegan cultures experience better health than omnivorous cultures.\u00a0T. Campbell, the\u00a0author,\u00a0notoriously cherry-picked data to\u00a0arrive at a specific conclusion. Denise Minger, author of Death by Food Pyramid,\u00a0published a scathing\u00a0critique\u00a0of Cambell\u2019s work in her article, The China Study: Fact or Fiction<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more and sources: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration<\/em><\/a>, Nourishing Traditions<\/em><\/a>, The China Study: Fact or Fiction<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Vegan diets do not provide fat-soluble vitamins\u00a0A and D<\/h2>\n

Contrary to popular belief, you can\u2019t get vitamin A from carrots<\/strong>. Vegetables provide carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, while animal sources such as liver and pastured egg yolks provide true vitamin A. Many people believe that carotene can be converted into vitamin A, but this conversion is usually insignificant. First, it takes a huge amount of carotene to convert to a moderate amount of vitamin A. Second, when there is poor thyroid function, impaired digestion or a a\u00a0lack of healthy fats in the diet, this conversion won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

In the same way,\u00a0useable vitamin D (natural vitamin D3<\/em>) is only found in animal products<\/strong> such as pastured egg yolks, cod liver oil and dairy products from grass-grazing animals.\u00a0Traditionally, ancient cultures that lived in darker environments relied heavily on these vitamin-D rich foods\u00a0(for example, Scandinavians ate copious amounts of salmon and grassfed butter).\u00a0The myth that we can obtain vitamin D from mushrooms is false\u2026\u00a0mushrooms contain vitamin D2, which is extremely poorly absorbed.<\/p>\n

Vitamin A and Vitamin D are particularly essential for immune regulation, digestion, fertility and hormone balance.<\/p>\n

Read more and sources: True Vitamin A Foods<\/a><\/em>, The Vitamin A Saga<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Vitamin D in Mushrooms?<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0Vegan diets\u00a0often rely heavily on soy<\/h2>\n

Soy, soy, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more\u2026 your hormones go berserk!<\/p>\n

10 years ago, a vegan diet equated to vegetables interspersed with\u00a0soy milk, soy cheese, soy bacon, soy protein, soy cereal, tofu, and tempeh. Now, the health problems with chronic soy consumption are becoming more mainstream an\"edemame<\/a>d many vegans have reduced their soy consumption. Even so, a vegan diet often relies on a moderate amount of soy products \u00a0\u2013 especially soy protein powders and soy protein bars.<\/p>\n

The primary concern with consuming soy in any form is the phytoestrogen<\/strong> content. Phytoestrogens can mimic estrogen in the body, causing a chain reaction of hormone imbalances.\u00a0Although studies showing the hormonal effects of consuming soy are controversial, I believe the research indicates that we should play it safe rather than sorry. For example, one study showed that infants consuming soy formula had concentrations of blood estrogen levels 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than normal estrogen levels!<\/p>\n

Read more, studies and sources: Exposure of infants to phyto-oestrogens from soy-based infant formula<\/a>,\u00a0Studies showing the adverse affects of dietary soy<\/a>,\u00a0Is Soy Bad for You or Good For You? <\/em><\/a>\u00a0(a great summary of research on soy and why it may be biased)<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0Vegan diets do not provide vitamin K2<\/h2>\n

Vitamin K2 is the shuttle that transports calcium into your bones. You can eat as much calcium as you want but it won\u2019t strengthen your bones unless it is accompanied by vitamin K2. This is one reason why calcium supplementation has been\"cheese<\/a> shown to increase the risk of\u00a0plaque formation \u2013 the body can\u2019t use the calcium for building bones so it stores it in the arteries.<\/p>\n

Unlike vitamin K1, plants do not provide vitamin K2.<\/strong> (The one and only exception to this rule is natto, a fermented soybean product.\u00a0One problem, however, is that natto is, for the majority of humans and animals, repulsive to eat). Like other fat-soluble vitamins, Vitamin K2 is found fatty sources \u2013 Mother Nature packages the vitamin with the cofactors required to absorb it. You\u2019ll get vitamin K2 in pastured egg yolks, milk and cheese\u00a0from grassfed animals, liver, beef, and chicken.<\/p>\n

Read more and sources: Vitamin K2 and The Calcium Paradox<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0Ethical omnivorism supports a healthy planet<\/h2>\n

What is ethical omnivorism? I define it as choosing\u00a0sustainably-raised animal products from small, local producers. With a little planning and careful selection, can be relatively\u00a0budget-friendly. I think people should eat less meat, but a much higher quality to support the demand for pasture-raised meats. $1 hamburgers have no place in an ethical omnivore world.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our ecosystem relies on a self-regulating\u00a0balance of \u00a0predators and prey. This system worked well with humans and their prey until we began inhumane farming practices that compromise the wellbeing of animals, the health of humans, and the health of the planet.<\/p>\n

But just like Confined Feeding Animal Operations aren\u2019t the answer to a healthy planet, neither is veganism. Vegan diets ten to demand\u00a0a higher quantity of cereal grains and soy, crops which wreak\u00a0havoc on our ecosystem due to mass farming techniques. On the other hand, grass-grazing animals can nourish stripped soil and even reverse desertification<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Read more and sources: Joel Salatin on Grassfed Beef <\/a>(video), Reversing Desertification with Grassfed Cows<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Eat the Yolks<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0Real Food > Fake Food<\/h2>\n

How do you create\u00a0cheese, milk and meat without cheese, milk and meat? With a slew of non-foods<\/strong> including stabilizers, gums, thickeners and highly processed protein extracts. Yummy.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u00a0consider the example of Earth Balance<\/strong>, a non-dairy butter\u00a0often used in vegan diets.<\/p>\n