Sun and Daughter (Vitamin D for Vegans)

June 9, 2008

Glasgow: “A girl of 12 brought up by her parents on a strict vegan diet has been admitted to hospital with a degenerative bone condition said to have left her with the spine of an 80-year-old. [...]

“The youngster, fed on a strict meat- and dairy-free diet from birth, is being treated at the city’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children. She is said to have a severe form of rickets and to have suffered a number of fractured bones. The condition is caused by a lack of vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium and is found in liver, oily fish and dairy produce.”

So, that’s the spin. Here’s the truth:

The vitamin D found in dairy is artificial. It’s been fortified. You know why? Because omnivorous children were getting rickets. So the US government started fortifying dairy with vitamin D.

And now, many other foods are fortified with vitamin D, too, such as SOYMILK, orange juice, and breakfast cereals. Even mushrooms and nutritional yeast may be good sources of vitamin D for some people.

Oh, yeah, and vitamin D can be absorbed through sunlight. It’s recommended that everyone spend some time outdoors everyday to get a good, healthy dose of vitamin D. (Hello? One of the reasons I love Vegas: sunlight is good for humans.)

However, dark skin pigmentation makes vitamin D absorption through sunlight more difficult, so some people with darker skin may want to pay extra attention and make sure they get vitamin D in their diet.

Also, vitamin D requires some dietary fat. The best sources of dietary fat are vegan sources.

Also, one can receive too much vitamin D. You can overdose on vitamin D. So it’s not always a good idea to use supplements for vitamin D because of that risk. Simply spend some time outdoors and eat a wide variety of vegan foods. However, if you live in the north, you should probably take a supplement during the winter.

Oh, and if you read The China Study you’ll learn that a diet that contains animal products tends to inhibit the production of a special feature of vitamin D. the resulting trend is that people with low exposure to sunlight (living at northern latitudes, like Scotland) who also eat animal-based diets (meat-centric) are more likely to get Multiple Sclerosis than people who have higher sunlight exposure and eat plant-based diets. (See the appendix starting at page 361.)

What’s the take-away? Well, duh, if you care about your health or the health of your children (or other people you feed) you need to do a little research about nutrition and learn about food. Everyone needs to learn about nutrition, not just vegans!

Anyone can create a poor diet that results in a vitamin deficiency. Don’t think that eating meat will protect you, it won’t. In fact, it will only hurt you. Studies consistently show that people who eat plant-based diets (when given a choice) are healthier than people who eat animal-based diets. Moreover, people who eat whole, unprocessed foods are more likely to get adequate nutrition than people who eat processed foods.

For more information on a healthy, vegan diet, please read these sources:

Hat tip to Increasing Veganicity, who found the pro-meat propaganda.

Posted by Elaine Vigneault | Filed Under Family, Kids, & Friends, Food, Health, Fitness, & Beauty, veganism