Vegetarianism and veganism

Did you know?

For practically all diseases, vegetarians fare better than the general population.

Vegetarians, vegans and omnivores

While 94% of New Zealanders are ‘meat eaters’ who regularly eat animal products as part of their diets, 1-2 % are semi-vegetarian who avoid meat except for chicken and maybe fish, and 2.3% are ‘lacto-ovo’ vegetarians who do not eat meat but will eat other animal derived foods, like eggs and dairy products. There are no figures for the numbers who are vegan, and avoid animal products altogether.

Cutting animal products from our diets appears to be more of a young female thing to do in this country - it’s estimated that 2% of young women 15-24 years of age describe themselves as vegan, 2% lacto-ovo vegetarian and 5% semi vegetarian.

A vegan diet is considered by nutritionists to be the most extreme nutritional restriction on which someone can survive. Anything more restrictive can lead to life-threatening disorders and deficiencies.

Reasons for being vegetarian or vegan

As they aren’t in the majority, or even close to it, vegetarians and vegans come under more intense scrutiny for their diet than omnivores. Meat eaters are often intrigued about why others ‘deny’ themselves so many food types.
Generally accepted reasons, include:

• animal welfare – no person has a right to own or exploit another animal
• human welfare – it is better to plant food to feed people than to feed stock
• environment – wasteful land use: 13.18kg plant protein makes 0.45kg beef
• religious grounds
• poverty
• health – eg, lower bowel cancer rates
• eating disorders – a potential reason in young women
• revulsion and/or dislike of the taste of meat or animal products.

Health status of vegetarians

For practically all diseases, vegetarians fare better than the general population. Nutritionists put this down less to the avoidance of meat and more to the fact most vegetarians generally have a healthier lifestyle than most non-vegetarians – they tend to smoke less, exercise more, attend screening programmes, etc.

This belief is supported by research that shows vegetarian health status is no different from a healthy population of non-vegetarians. The exception being that vegetarians have a slightly lower ischaemic heart disease rate.

Important considerations

Health risks are minimal for people choosing not to eat meat, but there are some things to be aware of. To be healthy, it’s important to follow national guidelines to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, breads and cereals and a range of beans, dairy foods and eggs.

Vitamin C is an especially important nutrient for non meat eaters. While vegetarians have similar iron levels as non-vegetarians, their iron stores can be low – plant derived iron isn’t absorbed as well as meat-derived. For this reason they should choose foods rich in vitamin C at each meal to improve iron absorption.

Vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits, rock melon, tomato, capsicum, cabbage and broccoli, with iron-containing foods such as wholegrain cereals, dried beans and lentils, and green vegetables.

Potential health issues for vegans

Protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12 are the nutrients most likely to be harder to get when animal products are completely excluded from the diet. Plant protein is often referred to as incomplete, because it lacks some essential amino acids. But eating a variety of plant foods can provide you with the full complement.

Plant proteins include: nuts, cereals (preferably whole meal, such as bread, rice and pasta) and legumes (lentils, dried beans and peas). Soy beans and wheat germ contain protein, too.

Good sources of iron are lentils, soy beans, pumpkin seeds and many beans and greens and fortified cereals. Spinach and other green vegetables are not good sources; the iron in it is not in a form that we can easily absorb. A good intake of vitamin C is important for iron absorption.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient involved in brain and nerve development that comes mainly from animals and animal products, but there are small amounts found in mushrooms grown on manure and some types of yeast. Good sources for vegans are yeast extract and fortified soy milk and fortified margarine. A non-animal derived vitamin B12 supplement can boost your intake.

Good vegan sources of calcium, include spring greens, kale, almonds and calcium-set tofu. You can also drink soy milk fortified with calcium.

Fish get their omega 3 from microalgae – and so can vegans, usually in the form of supplements. Ground flax seed (linseed) or flax oil is also an excellent source of omega 3.

Vegan children

It’s important for vegan children to get enough fat and not too much fibre in their diet to grow properly. Our bodies are very good at getting micronutrients from food and keep a good balance – so take care with supplementing, and try to get nutrients from your food.