Washington Post article on vegetarianism

[Guest guest]

PCRM’s

Susan Levin is quoted.

 

This is the way

dietary change is for most people – a journey rather than all-at-once.

*********************************************************************

 

 

" An Appetizing Reason to Take a

Flexible Stance on Vegetarianism "

By Jennifer

LaRue Huget

The Washington Post

July 14,

2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071300768.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

A

Five Guys cheeseburger. That's about all that stands between me and a

vegetarian diet.

 

I

could easily forgo meat -- most of the time. I rarely eat any during the day

and have only small portions with dinner. I prefer vegetable-topped pizzas to

meat-laden pies and have largely lost my taste for steak. Except for salmon and

tuna, I could even live without fish. But the thought of never eating another

perfect cheeseburger does me in every time.

 

My

interest in vegetarianism is piqued anew, though, by the American Dietetic

Association's publication this month of an updated policy statement. The ADA,

whose earlier position statements had supported vegetarian diets as healthful

but relegated information about some of the age groups for which they're

appropriate to the fine print, now states front and center that a properly

planned and balanced diet can be healthful not only for adults but also for all

children, from infants to teens. So can a vegan diet, with no animal products

whatsover (including eggs, cheese and yogurt, for example).

 

" This

statement gets rid of the idea that grown-ups can be vegetarians, but maybe not

kids, " Ann Reed Mangel, co-author of the statement and accompanying paper,

told me in an interview.

 

The

ADA even gives the vegetarian green light to pregnant and lactating women. (You

can read a summary at http://www.adajournal.org/current -- look under the heading

" From the Association. " )

 

The

research paper accompanying the ADA's statement, written mostly for dietitians

and health professionals, makes a good case for moving to such plant-based

diets as the ovo-lacto vegetarian, incorporating eggs and dairy foods, and the

pesco-vegetarian plan, which includes fish. The paper cites scientific evidence

that these diets can help fight major diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes,

cardiovascular disease and several kinds of cancer. It also provides guidance

on how to orchestrate a healthful diet, focusing on key nutrients that can be

hard for vegetarians to work into their meals.

 

Chief

among those is Vitamin B12, principally found in animal proteins. Susan Levin,

a registered dietitian affiliated with the pro-vegetarian Physicians Committee

for Responsible Medicine, explains that, gross as it sounds, vegetarians used

to ingest more B12 when food wasn't as well washed as it is today; the vitamin

existed in some of the manure residue left on plants. In addition, there was

B12 in organisms found on plants in the days before widespread pesticide use.

So vegans in particular need to take a multivitamin or supplement, or seek out

foods that are fortified with it, Levin says: Because a B12 deficiency can

cause irreversible neurological damage and other health problems, " it's

not something you want to gamble with. "

 

Omnivores

and vegetarians alike are hard-pressed to consume enough Vitamin D; Levin again

suggests supplements. And while meat-eaters and ovo-lacto vegetarians get

calcium from dairy products, vegans can turn to leafy greens, beans and even

tofu, if it's the kind that's " set " in a calcium-based solution.

 

Aside

from that, the ADA's advice is simple: Eat a varied diet that includes whole

grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds and, for non-vegans, lower-fat

dairy products and eggs. Go easy on foods that are highly sweetened, high in

sodium and high in fat, especially saturated fat and trans-fatty acids.

 

Anyone

can do that. Right?

 

Levin

thinks so. " Don't think about 'I can't be a vegetarian or vegan for my

whole life,' " she suggests. " Try it wholesale for three weeks, and

tell me after three weeks you don't feel and look better. " By

" wholesale, " Levin means no cheating; she also warns against filling

up on french fries and whole jars of peanut butter to get through the trial

period.

 

A

vegan for 15 years, Levin is convinced I wouldn't crave that cheeseburger so

much after three meatless weeks. " When people realize how much control

they really have over their lives " -- including their health, general

feeling of well-being, and even the way their skin looks -- through their

diets, they find vegetarianism empowering, she says.

 

Another

option might be following the advice of Dawn Jackson Blatner, a spokeswoman for

the ADA and author of " The Flexitarian Diet. " She notes that

meat-eaters don't have to go cold turkey: Just replacing some of the meat you

currently eat with fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, soy products and

especially fiber can make you much healthier.

 

But

Blatner cautions against filling the place that meat once occupied on your

plate with non-nutritious fare. " I have clients who call themselves

vegetarians but who are cheese-aholics, carbo-holics -- eating too much pasta,

rice and bread -- or processed-food-aholics, " she says. " It's easy to

do this wrong. But when it's done right, it's a very powerful and magical tool

against just about every chronic illness, " she says.

 

So,

under Blatner's scheme, I could still enjoy a cheeseburger now and then. And

maybe, eventually, Five Guys will lose its hold over me. . . .