How Vegetarian & Vegan Diet Can Affect People’s Health?
Vegetarianism is an increasingly popular option for people that want to reduce meat intake. This popular lifestyle is the practice of not eating meat from animals. There are several kinds of vegetarian diets that eat different combinations of vegetables and dairy products. A vegetarian diet can be adopted for many reasons including ecological, economic, religious, ethical, and health considerations. Currently, health considerations are the most common of these reasons (Wiesław Pilis, 2014). When people adopt this type of diet, they expect to have a change physically. Many people change their diet to vegan or vegetarian because they want to lose weight or be healthier. However, if veganism and vegetarianism diets are done wrong, vitamin intake, mental health, and growth in children can be negatively affected.
Adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet can lead to good health results for many people. “Vegans, compared with omnivores, consume substantially greater quantities of fruit and vegetables. A higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, which are rich in fiber, folic acid, anti-oxidants, and phytochemicals, is associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations, a lower incidence of stroke, and a lower risk of mortality from stroke, and ischemic heart disease” (Winston J craig, 2009). This means that people that follow a vegan diet have a greater rate of not suffering cardiovascular diseases. Having a vegan diet not only can be beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases, but also cancer. “Vegans consume considerably more legumes, total fruits and vegetables, tomatoes, allium vegetables, fiber and vitamin C than omnivores. All those foods and nutrients are protective against cancer” (Winston J craig, 2009). In other words, the reason vegans are less likely to suffer from cancer is because they consume vegetables that protect the heart and blood vessels and provide anti-inflammatory. However, by excluding food groups people may not get the necessary nutrients for their brain and body. Meat and dairy are rich in Vitamin D, B-12, A, Calcium, Iron and Zinc. Vegans expect they would live long or they would not suffer from diabetes, cholesterol, or cardiovascular diseases. But little do they know, they can suffer from other diseases that can lead to serious health effects if they do not consume the right nutrients. Foods like milk, eggs, liver, and fish are rich in Vitamin D but, vegans do not consume these types of foods. Because of the lack of vitamin D, vegans can have a weak nervous system and their bodies would not have the necessary strength to absorb calcium. Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children. Not consuming red meat, turkey, and shellfish can lead to a deficiency of Iron, which would contribute to anemia. There are three major groups that are more associated in having a lack of Iron which are women, children, and vegetarian/vegans. Foods like salmon and dairy products are rich in vitamin B- 12. “Vegans typically have lower plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations, higher prevalence of vitamin B-12” (Winston J Craig, 2009). Vitamin B12 deficiencies can damage the nervous system and brain. It can produce dementia, mood disturbances and difficulty with concentration. Cheese, yogurt and milk are rich in calcium. This mineral supports bone structure and harness. Calcium deficiencies can lead to bone fracture and weak teeth. Zinc deficiency as well as Vitamin D can lead to a weak immune system which can produce an increase risk of infection in adults as well as children. Food like fish is rich in vitamin A. There are many cases in which people that have a vegan or vegetarian diet have problems in their health because they do not consume foods that are rich in vitamin A. A famous case is a 6 year old boy that adopted a vegan diet. For not consuming the right amount of vitamin A, this child was affected by a disease called Keratomalacia. Keratomalacia is an eye condition that usually affects both eyes that results from severe deficiency of vitamin A.
The lack of nutrients can not only affect physical problems but also mental issues. “Depressive symptoms are associated if any food groups are excluded from your diet” (Joane Matta, 2018). As such, one mental health problem that a person can face if they do not have a proper vegan/vegetarian diet is depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms not only can affect people mentally, but also can begin to affect them physically as well. Having depressive symptoms can cause a variety of changes such as a change in their behavior, energy levels, and a higher risk of suicide. Although people with a normal diet can face depressive symptoms, this is more common in people that exclude different food groups. The reason vegan diet groups are the most associated with having depressive symptoms is because they exclude many nutrients. “A high quality protein diet contains all essential amino acids. Foods rich in high quality protein include meats, milk and other dairy products, and eggs. Plant proteins such as beans, peas, and grains may be low in one or two essential amino acids” (M. R. Asha, 2008). In other words, a proper diet must have a good amount of amino acids intake. People who follow vegan diets do not get the proper amount of amino acids from plants. In order for vegans to have a high amount of amino acids they should consume products like meat, eggs, milk and dairy products. Different studies have been proven that “supplements containing amino acids have also found to reduce symptoms, as they are converted to neurotransmitters which in turn alleviates depression and other mental health problems” ( M. R. Asha, 2008). These types of supplements are rich in Omega- 3, B- vitamins and minerals. This is why people that are vegan tend to have depression, because they do not consume the products that are rich in amino acids.
As we have seen, adults suffer health consequences from a vegan diet, but the effects on children may be more serious because it affects their growth. In many cases, there are parents who teach their children from a young age to have a vegetarian diet, not knowing that this diet is not necessarily adequate for all developing children. “Some cases of rickets, growth, retardation and stunting have been observed in Vegans” (Allan Hackett, 1998). Many children with vegan diets do not get enough nutrients in order for them to successfully develop and grow. Compared to other children that eat meat, children that have a vegan diet tend to be shorter and thinner. “Consumption of dairy products more than 3 times per week was associated with significantly better heights and weights compared with children who consumed such products less frequently” (Allan Hackett, 1998). This shows how dairy products can impact children’s growth since vegan children do not consume these types of products, and do not get the necessary nutrients for their growth. However, a vegan diet can have good results for children with obesity. Alexy et.al. lays out how to have a healthy vegan diet. The nutrients of meat and dairy can be replace with vitamin D and B12 supplements, iodized salt, whole grains, soy milk and large amounts of beans and legumes. However, this can be very hard, especially for low income household because these items can be expensive and difficult to find in poor neighborhoods. If families are not able to acquire these items they are back to negative health effects. Vegan children can face different diseases such as anemia if they do not consume the right nutrients. This not only affects children but also adults as well. “In addition diets were deficient in iron, calcium, vitamin D and B12” (Allan Hackett, 1998). This means that by having a deficiency in these nutrients, children may face anemia. Children that have anemia feel more weak and have less energy for their daily activities. Having a vegan diet means that children can not consume milk. If they do not consume milk, that means that they do not get calcium. This mineral strengthens children’s bones and makes it healthy in order for children to growth. Children from the time that they are born need their nutrients so their body and brain can develop. Not consuming products that are rich in protein not only can affect their growth but we can also say that it affects their mental health. Every child should have a high amount of energy so they can do their daily activities. Without energy how would they perform well at school? How would they play with other kids if their energy levels were low? These problems can affect children’s academic and social future. Every parent needs to have in mind the harm that they are potentially causing their children by adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet. When people are still children, they should eat a good balance of all the food groups so they can get all the nutrients that they need.
It is clear that the vegan diets can bring serious negative health effects on adults as well as children. A lack of nutrients can cause mental health problems for everyone and growth issues in children. In my opinion, the negative health effects are more important in children. When children are affected in their growth and mental health, there will be consequences for the future. If children do not do well in school they will not be able to have a career which would impact the economy of the country. Depressed children will not be able to contribute to the community when they grow up by volunteering and being politically active. If they are not well physically and mentally they will not be able to be leaders of the country and the community in which they live. Nutrition education about veganism can play a big role on people that want to adopt a vegan diet. In this way they can get the proper knowledge in order to have a healthy diet. This education could be implemented in schools, doctors offices, health fairs and in nationwide health campaigns. If vegans get the right education they can adopt the right diet and not suffer from health issues. Until this could happen people should consume small amounts of meat for the health of their children and for themselves.
Work Cited
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