Can a Vegan Diet Lead to Malnutrition?
If So, How can I get proper nutrition?
Malnutrition resulting from a vegan diet is possible, no less so and perhaps more so, malnutrition from a non-vegan diet is possible.
According to the article below citing the findings of Ashkan Afshin, an assistant professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington: "In many countries, poor diet now causes more deaths than tobacco smoking and high blood pressure,"
What we aren't eating is killing us, global study finds
Paraphrasing Dr. Michael Greger from NutritionFacts.org | The Latest in Nutrition Related Research , a diet consisting of beer and potato chips is vegan, but it is not nutritious. One could through bacon into the elements and the diet would be non-vegan and no more nutritious.
The key to assuring proper nutrition, in my experience, is to follow what I call the NO/LOW P.A.S.S. diet (Low P rocessed food, No A nimal products, Low S alt, Low S ugar) and concentrate on enjoying nutritionally rich, fiber dense foods. If you choose not to be vegan, keep the basic criteria in mind and keep your intake of animal products low.
There are a plethora of fantastic sources of healthy nutritional information available across the internet. The aforementioned nutritionfact.org is a fantastic font of information. Here on http://quora.com , associated with questions like yours, there is a great deal of useful information. The place that I trust the least for gaining insight into how to eat with a goal of optimal health is television. Cooking shows, food challenges, and commercials are antithetical to efforts to live a healthy life. There are cookbooks dedicated to healthy vegan eating including:
- The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great
Is malnutrition possible while enjoying a vegan diet? Absolutely. However, as you plan your diet around optimal health and well being you may learn that a mindful vegan diet fits in perfectly!
Thank you again and, Peace and health to You always.
Vegan Gently Blog
