NHNE News List
Current Members: 668
Subscribe/unsubscribe/archive info at the bottom of this message.

------------

EDITOR'S COMMENT:

Here's another post that deals with the potential harm caused by strict
vegetarian diets. It comes from Chet Day, a member of our News List who also
happens to be an ex-vegan and raw foodist with years of personal, passionate
experience in the health arena. What follows are excerpts from one section
on Chet's extensive health website (http://chetday.com/).

--- David Sunfellow

PREVIOUS NHNE NEWS LIST ARTICLE:

SHOULD WE ALL BE VEGETARIANS? (7/10/2002):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/3392

------------

STRICT VEGAN DIETS MAY BE DANGEROUS,
ESPECIALLY FOR EXPECTANT MOTHERS AND CHILDREN
By Chet Day

http://chetday.com/vegandietdangers.htm

EXCERPT:

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...

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 Š

* 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);

* 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

You know, one of the things that disturbs me the most about long-term
veganism and raw foodism is that so many of the above problems disappear
when a person initially goes on a strict vegan or raw food diet and begins
the detox process. I know this was true in my case, and I know it's also
been true in thousands of other instances.

ButŠ and this is a very large and loud butŠ unfortunately these health gains
don't last for most people who stick with a strict vegan or raw food diet,
especially when we're talking about adhering to such a program for periods
of years. Indeed, all too often the old symptoms and diseases return or,
just as worrisome, new health problems begin to manifest as a result of what
appear to me to be inherent deficiencies brought about from the lack of
various nutritional factors (both known and unknown by science) that are
only present in foods from the animal kingdom.

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...


... it's clear to me that most people need -- to thrive for an entire life
-- a balanced diet which includes plenty of pure water and whole foods from
both plant and animal kingdoms.

Since we are opportunistic omnivores by nature, it only makes sense that our
bodies will run best on the fuel we were designed to run on: foods from both
plant and animal kingdoms.

Philosophically and morally, I certainly wish otherwise, but, hey, if
wishing could create the world, this old globe would be a much better place
than it is in reality.

And pigs would be able to fly, too.

------------

NHNE News List:

To subscribe, send a message to:
nhnenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To unsubscribe, send a message to:
nhnenews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

To review current posts:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/messages

Published by NewHeavenNewEarth (NHNE)
eMail: nhne@...
NHNE Website: http://www.nhne.com/
Phone: (928) 282-6120
Fax: (815) 346-1492

Appreciate what we are doing?
You can say so with a tax-deductible donation:
http://www.nhne.com/main/donations.html

P.O. Box 2242
Sedona, AZ 86339