Vegan Diets Deficient in Three Nutrients? Well, Meateaters are Deficient in Seven!

[Guest guest]

Vegan Diets Deficient in Three Nutrients?

Well, Meateaters are Deficient in Seven!

Dr. Michael Greger's Monthly Newsletter

September 2003 issue

 

The latest data on the dietary intakes of vegans was just published

last month.[1] The diets of about 100 vegans were recorded for a week

and were found deficient in calcium, iodine and vitamin B12. Using

the same standards, though, the standard American diet are deficient

in 7 nutrients! The diet of your average American is not only ALSO

deficient in calcium and iodine, it's deficient in vitamin C, vitamin

E, fiber, folate, and magnesium as well.[2]

 

Not only does the American public have over twice as many nutritional

deficiencies in their diets, vegans were shown to have higher intakes

of 16 out of the 19 nutrients studied, includeing calcium. The vegans

were getting more than enough protein on average and three times more

vitamin C, three times more vitamin E, three times more fiber. Vegans

got twice the folate, twice the magnesium, twice the copper, twice

the manganese.

 

And of course the vegans had twice the fruit and vegetable intake and

half the saturated fat intake, meeting the new 2003 World

Health Organization guidelines for fat intake and weight control.[3]

Almost 2/3 of Americans are overweight.[4] In contrast, only 11% of

the vegans were overweight. Almost one in three Americans are

obese.[4] Zero of the 98 vegans in this study were obese.

 

So when a meateater asks you " Where you get your B12? " You can

counter with " Where do YOU get your vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber,

folate, and magnesium? And while you're at it, you can ask them how

they keep their sodium, saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol

intake under control (not to mention their weight).[5]