Food and diet habits are one’s personal choices.
One may prefer a vegan food diet, some others may like a raw food diet, and others may follow food diets from both animals and the plant world.
Sadly and unfortunately, millions of people in poverty-stricken regions of the globe do not even have sufficient food to eat either.
The vast majority of people, in general, do not have any rigid diet habits; they just eat any good and tasty food that is available to them.
Each food diet group has its claims to make on the qualities and benefits of the dietary habits that they follow and propagate.
It is also true what is good for one may be bad for another.
But as per the scientific studies on the human diet and nutrition, we must include healthy food from both plants and the animal kingdom.
The PETA community (you may be a member of this group) strongly condemns the cruelty to animals and does not approve of eating the meat of animals or fish.
I do personally agree that cruelty to animals should be avoided….but in the evolution process of the universe, human beings are designed to be omnivores.
When you avoid ‘animal food’, it will certainly cause some ramifications for your health as our body also requires some of the essential vitamins that are naturally found only in food from animals. All-inclusive food is best for good health.
If you are a staunch follower of a vegan food diet or raw food diet…you just continue with what makes you most happy and contented in mind and body.
As for me, it is important to be an omnivore for good health reasons based on the history of human beings and the modern health sciences.
In this article, I am just bringing home to you some of the reasons vegan and raw vegan food diets are not entirely healthy and complete.
Vegan Vs. Raw Vegan Food Diets
Vegans eat only foods exclusively sourced from plants. This diet contains only vegetables, nuts, fruits, grains, and tuber foods.
Pure vegetarians do not eat any food that comes from animals… not even dairy products and eggs.
Raw veganism is an extreme diet habit that combines veganism with raw food diet habits. They will not eat even vegetarian food that is cooked above 480C (1180F). Raw vegans are happy to survive only on raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, nut pastes, legume sprouts, plant oils, seaweeds, fresh juice, and herbs.
What Makes Raw Vegan Food Diets Unhealthy
There had been a lot of arguments and counter-arguments on a vegan diet and raw food diet. Every exclusive type of diet plan has some drawbacks that are unhealthy in the long run.
One of the best-known ‘raw vegan food diet’ propagators is Kristen of ‘Kristen’s Raw’ blog. After years of being a vegan, she confessed that all is not well with a totally vegan diet as it has taken a toll on her health.
She couldn’t admit it herself for long as her beliefs in a vegan diet had taken deep roots in her. She carried on as a vegan by constantly reaffirming her full-time immersion in the understandably self-reinforcing vegan culture.
Kristen always thought that some of her fellow vegans complained of a lack of libido, lack of iron, lack of energy, etc. because they were not doing it right….but actually, Kristen was only lucky that it took more years for her to experience the same health issues as others did much earlier.
Currently, she is back on an omnivore diet again.
All is not well with vegan diets and raw veganism which look so glossy and noble….and several vegans themselves have realized the shortcomings of this vegan diet plan.
There are more reasons to say that food vegan diets are incomplete in themselves.
Vegan Diets Are A Way Of Life
Vegan diets are a way of life mostly chosen out of compulsion or religious taboo.
Many vegans choose a raw vegan diet or veganism because certain animal foods were causing weaker digestive function or other physical discomforts like a food allergy or constipation.
I know several people who have become vegans because they have a weak digestive system that does not digest meat and dairy products properly.
Some of them are vegans because their parents were that way or because their religious and social-cultural reasons did not permit non-vegetarian foods. Just, for example, most of the Brahmin Hindus, Jain, and Buddhist religious groups in India and Southeast Asian regions consider eating meat as a sin and religious offense.
Food and diet habits are one’s personal choices.
One may prefer a vegan diet, others may like a raw diet, and others may follow food diets from both animals and the plant world.
Unfortunately, millions of people in poverty-stricken regions do not even have sufficient food to eat.
The vast majority of people, in general, do not have any rigid diet habits; they just eat any good and tasty food that is available to them.
Each food diet group has its claims on the qualities and benefits of the dietary habits they follow and propagate.
It is also true what is good for one may be bad for another.
But as per the scientific studies on the human diet and nutrition, we must include healthy food from plants and the animal kingdom.
The PETA community (you may be a member of this group) strongly condemns animal cruelty and does not approve of eating the meat of animals or fish.
I agree that animal cruelty should be avoided….but in the evolution process of the universe, human beings are designed to be omnivores.
When you avoid ‘animal food,’ it will certainly cause some ramifications for your health as our body also requires some of the essential vitamins naturally found only in animal food. All-inclusive food is best for good health.
If you are a staunch follower of a vegan or raw food diet…you just continue with what makes you most happy and contented in mind and body.
As for me, it is important to be an omnivore for good health reasons based on the history of human beings and the modern health sciences.
This article explains why vegan and raw vegan food diets are only partially healthy and complete.
Vegan Food Are Disadvantageous
Vegan food diets are proven to be disadvantageous in the long run.
Normally the human body can adapt and survive…people who take vegan diets don’t feel any weakness in the initial stages. Still, later on, the body will be unable to withstand the shortage of a few essential nutrients and proteins mostly found in animal fats.
A common health issue most vegans will face is the lack of fat-soluble nutrients like K2, retinol, etc. (if no supplements are used to compensate for the same).
In the initial stages, the body uses the nutrients from the fats storage. Still, when those stocks are over, the lack of nutrient supply gives rise to hormonal imbalance, hyperthyroidism, and toxic oxidation of the cells.
You will come across many vegans who boast of the health benefits they are getting from their newly discovered vegan food diets.
But these success stories do not have any scientific backing, and the ramifications of those diets will prop up only at a much later time…it may even take a few years.
There is no doubt that vegan diets are healthy with less cholesterol…but at a later stage, they will have to start taking a few essential nutrient supplements to carry on with the vegan diet.
Some of the best principles in vegan diets I like most are the insistence on giving up refined carbohydrates, carbonated sweetened drinks, soda, added sugar, trans-fats, and processed vegetable oils.
These food restrictions in veganism are apparently helping improve the vegans’ health.
But these suggestions are followed not only in veganism but also in all good diet plans.
The required nutrients and vitamins supply for the body is completed only when, along with the vegan diet required amount of animal foods like whole eggs, fish oil, and fatty acids are also consumed.
Vegans Seriously Lack Nutrients
From the pre-historic evolution periods, human beings have progressed to the current state of life as omnivores.
Our body requires certain vitamins found only in plants, and others found only in animal foods.
Let us look at some examples of Vitamins found only in non-vegetarian diets.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin required for the function of every body cell. This can be naturally obtained only from foods sourced from animals.
One of the studies conducted on vegans discovered that 92% of the participants suffered from a lack of Vitamin B12. Ultimately, you may need to take vitamin B12 supplements.
Again, the essential amino acids in the right amount are found in the animal protein. That is why we usually find that meat eaters normally have better muscle mass and stronger bone health. Vegans and raw vegan food enthusiasts can suffer from a lack of essential amino acids.
Creatine and Carnosine found in animal foods are again missed by vegans. The former helps energy storage and protects the body from aging.
The omega-3 fatty acids are mostly found in fish, the best Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) source. The body cannot convert the Omega-3 fatty acids in the plant sources into DHA. I hope the vegans are listening to this fact.
Vegans and raw food eaters suffer from lower testosterone levels. Because the saturated fats and cholesterol from animal food mostly enhance this steroid hormone.
Vegans Have Protein Deficiency
Protein deficiency is quite common among vegan food diet enthusiasts.
The proteins from animal foods and pants sources have a lot of differences in quality. Some of the lab tests and research have shown that protein from plant sources is 15 times lower in quality than the best protein from meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Vegans may have a lot of protein-rich foods like beans and nuts, but the liver does not sufficiently respond to the thyroids for their poor protein quality.
The liver’s ability to detoxify the body largely depends on the quality of the protein that the body receives.
Lack of protein affects muscle mass building and leads to lower sperm count and mobility.
An alternative option for vegans is to adopt dietary protein supplements like edamame, tofu, soy protein powder, etc. However, these supplements containing soy protein are difficult to digest and suppress thyroid and estrogenic due to their phytoestrogens.
Most plant-sourced protein diet staples have phytic acid that hinders the assimilation of nutrients.
Vegans usually consume a lot of nuts, especially to meet the body’s protein requirements. The nut is slow to break down, especially in persons with low digestive acids and enzymes. The nuts also contain a good bit of polyunsaturated fats that contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid, which block the absorption of minerals.
Humans Are Omnivores
Humans evolved as omnivores from the beginning.
Looking back on the progress in human evolution is a good way to understand the health of human beings.
The good foods that sustained man throughout the centuries mostly comprised a healthy mixture of plant and animal foods. For millions of years, humans have been habituated to eating meat.
If we were vegetarians by nature’s design, it would not have been possible for the human body to digest meat and absorb its nutrients and vitamins.
Everyone agrees that processed meat is bad. It is also unhealthy to have an animal food product from “factory farming’ where animals are given antibiotics and growth hormones to grow faster and produce more meat, milk, or eggs.
Meat and milk from animals that are reared in the natural environment and have natural foods are most suitable for our bodies.
Studies show unprocessed meat from naturally grown cattle will not cause diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Meat does not cause cancer, as it is wrongly understood by many. Health risks from the meat have much to do with how it is cooked. Deep frying and burning meat are not ideal for good health.
Most recent research on saturated fat from meat showed NO evidence for causing heart diseases.
For a healthy body, we require fish, meat, dairy products, eggs, and a variety of vegetables, whole grains, and fruits.
They should be avoided if your body is not tolerant of animal foods. In the case of being a total vegetarian, you need good supplements to get those high-quality proteins, vitamins, and minerals found mostly in animal foods.
Lacks Scientific Evidence
There are no scientific studies that support the credibility of a vegan diet.
The vegan diet and raw food diet propagators do not have any extensive proven studies to back their claims.
Let a few controlled trials show that the vegan diet is superior to a wholesome diet that includes both vegan and animal foods.
Modern health science teaches us that low-carb and moderately fat diets are healthier than high-carbohydrate diets that vegans usually have.
It is found that the Atkin diet, which has low-carb and high-fat content, is superior to the Ornish diet, which is mostly vegan. The Ornish diet failed to improve all health markers as much as the Atkins diet.
Some observational studies claim vegan diets are less prone to produce diseases and premature mortality. But those studies cannot be taken for granted as they are based on mere correlation than causation.
Something I like most about all vegetarians is the high health-conscious attitude they have in common. It is probably born out of an inner feeling that they need to be more cautious towards health as they do not eat animal foods.
Study results show that low-carb diets are more beneficial in fighting diabetes than the high-carb diet followed by vegans.
Vegan diets indeed have a slightly positive edge over the rest as regards the health of the heart….but what about a weaker body and imbalanced hormones?
The lack of controlled trials and studies to support the claims of vegans and raw vegan diet supporters are serious drawbacks to their diet idea.
Final Thought
You will find a lot of vegan food supporters who proclaim the virtues of an all-vegan diet.
I am sure nobody can underestimate vegetables for their natural vitamins and nutrients.
But what I dislike in most vegan supports is the bad things they say about eggs, meats, and fish….in some extreme cases, some of them try to create fear and anxiety in people’s minds by falsifying the dangers of eating non-vegetarian diets.
But they forget that 70% of the world population consists of non-vegetarians who are equally or more physically fit than vegans.
Disease and mortality are part of human life regardless of whether you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
I know several people who were inspired by “The China Study” book series on veganism….they took up vegan diets….but soon returned to non-vegetarian diets.
NO scientific studies prove human metabolism and health parameters are exclusively designed for a vegan diet plan.
The new studies countering the precepts of veganism in “The China Studies” say that meat-eating human beings experience a lower risk of heart disease and cancer.
My argument for including animal food in your diet is based on scientific reasons. I am not promoting animal cruelty or trying to offend the vegans here.
The plain truth is that vegan diets have advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages of the vegan diet can be mitigated by including a healthy amount of fish, meat, eggs, and dairy products.
If you are enjoying the best health with exclusive plant foods….go ahead and continue. Enjoy good health!
But the non-vegetarians with healthy eating habits are enjoying great health.
Food For Thought On ‘Vegetarian Myth.’
As a conclusion to this article, I would like to bring to you a popular video that explains the merits and demerits of vegan diets.