Vegan diet has all the nutrients?

[AviMar]

I know Steve said he has eaten vegan for only 5.5 years or more and feels great, and I always hear it is much healthier - so is this list of myths... just a myth?
The Myths of Vegetarianism
by Stephen Byrnes, PhD, RNCP
Myths and Truths About Vegetarianism

[Baltar]

Some of the "myths" the article addresses are fairly extreme veg*an claims and are indeed inflated in favor of veg*anism. And some of the things he says are true (vitamin B12 has to be taken as a supplement for veg*ans). However, just as many things he says are not true. What he's saying about vitamin A and vitamin D for instance. He also says that we're not wasting plants to raise livestock which could instead be used to feed people. Most plants we grow are in fact used to feed livestock.

One thing worth noting however is that while humans have certainly evolved to be able to process meat, the same isn't true for dairy. Most of the world's adult population is in fact lactose intolerant. There was a gene mutation that happened around 4,000 years ago in one part of the world that allowed a limited population of adult humans to consume dairy (see lactose intolerance in Wikipedia). Many people think that lactose intolerance is a defect, when in fact it's the correct functionality of the human body.

One more thing is that he says that meat consumption doesn't cause osteoporosis and kidney disease. This is true if you don't eat a lot of meat, but the amount that most people in the US eat is more than enough to cause kidney stones and osteoporosis. Dairy is also very bad for you in that sense. In fact, studies have shown that populations that consume the most dairy also have the most cases of osteoporosis. I posted a thread about this a while ago: warning about consuming too much animal protein. And this is not even mentioning hormones and antibiotics in animal products today, which he briefly acknowledges. Another thing worth noting is that fish contains a lot of pollutants, especially farm raised fish.

Overall, I disagree with him that we must eat animal products to be healthy. The example that he presents is of people who didn't do anything to create a balanced veg*an diet, thinking that just being veg*an is enough to be healthy. It takes more than that. If there's anything worth taking away from that article, it's this fact. For the record I've been vegan for 3.5 years, and I've rarely gotten sick in that time.

[escapee]

One more thing is that he says that meat consumption doesn't cause osteoporosis and kidney disease. This is true if you don't eat a lot of meat, but the amount that most people in the US eat is more than enough to cause kidney stones and osteoporosis.

The most likely factors contributing to the risk of osteoporosis, based on the observation of patients, (including those who got cured) are the following:

Deficiency in vitamins D and C
Diet rich in thermally processed products
Using mainly boiled water
Not enough fruits, vegetables, and their freshly squeezed juices in the diet
Eating fruits and vegetables without peel
Improperly prepared meals (long cooking and frying)
Overeating
Smoking
Lack of exercise
High consumption of milk
High consumption of bread and other flour-based products
High consumption of sugar and sweets
High consumption of animal fats
Taking large amounts of synthetic vitamins ( Esp Vit A)
Eating refined products containing insoluble (non-organic) calcium: pre-cooked grains, pasta, ready-made soups and other
Alcoholism ( Added by myself )- The main cause of Osteoperosis in Eskimo population

Osteoporosis causes and prevention

Note : I'm neither Pro meat or vege , i'm just here to state the fact about the danger of consuming all "human refined food" .

[Cron]

"Dr. Byrnes" was not a medical doctor. Before he died of cardivascular disease at age 40. He held a doctorate in "Alternative Medicines from the Alternative Medicines Research Institute". His undergraduate work was not in a premed curriculum. He had a bachelor of arts degree in comparitive religion.

[escapee]

I would consider him a good doctor anyway because he has apparently saved many strict vegans from fatal deficiency sickness. You got to thanks all these ppl's critics for helping the evolution and advancement of Veganism (B12, D,vegan DHA and etc) . Without them , there would be more of this happening. The reverse can also be said on the junk food processed meat eater. This is the nice thing about healthy debate (Janson Vs Bryne ).

[Cron]

"Dr" Byrnes wasn't a medical doctor at all. He preached that cholesterol and saturated fat are not unhealthy. He died of a stroke at 40. Quack. Quack. Quack.

There are many refutations of his "Myths" essay on the internet and usenet. Let google be your guide.

There is also a wonderful site for anyone with vegan nutrition concerns:
Vegan Health.org : Home

It is written by Jack Norris, RD ( Registered Dietician - that is a real degree unlinke Byrnes matchbook degree in "alternative medicine ).

I'm a year older than Byrnes was at his PREMATURE death from a stroke. I feel great and have no sign of heart disease. Like Stephen Byrnes I am not a medical doctor either. So, all else being equal I will trust my judgement over his.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

@escapee - I just wanted to say that your "this" happening is because they fed the child homemade soymilk, herbal teas, flax seed oil and fruit juice. This has nothing to do with being vegan. There are plenty of healty vegan babies either breastfed or fed soy formula. When the natural age for solids comes around they are fed a wide variety of foods and are arguably much healthier than their meat and junk food eating counterparts. There is nothing wrong with the vegan diet if practiced with common sense. It was the execution of their veganism that caused that poor little girl to be malnurished. Even a baby fed only cows milk from birth would be malnurished! Babies need breast milk or formula...period.

[The David]

I think the first paragraph is enough to raise some eyebrows. Why did she miscarry? We don't know. There could be any number of reasons, but the article seems to imply it was her diet. There are omnivores who miscarry. There are vegans who bear children. Then it goes on to say that 'plentiful amounts of animal fats and meat' made her 'a happy parent'. As if she couldn't have done that already.

The spirituality argument is probably the worst I've heard. Who defines what is 'spiritual' and what isn't?
I'm sure the people who blew up the WTC thought that it was VERY spiritual. Those of us who were in the WTC probably thought otherwise.

I'm not sure about the rest of the article, and I'm not an expert. I just think the presentation was very deceptive.