Posted on 02/21/2005 2:06:27 PM PST by Constitutionalist Conservative
Lindsay Allen, of the US Agricultural Research Service, attacked parents who insisted their children lived by the maxim "meat is murder".
Animal source foods have some nutrients not found anywhere else, she told a Washington science conference.
The Vegan Society dismissed the claims, saying its research showed vegans were often healthier than meat eaters.
'Development affected'
Professor Allen said: "There have been sufficient studies clearly showing that when women avoid all animal foods, their babies are born small, they grow very slowly and they are developmentally retarded, possibly permanently."
| There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans Professor Lindsay Allen, US Agricultural Research Service |
"If you're talking about feeding young children, pregnant women and lactating women, I would go as far as to say it is unethical to withhold these foods [animal source foods] during that period of life."
She was especially critical of parents who imposed a vegan lifestyle on their children, denying them milk, cheese, butter and meat.
"There's absolutely no question that it's unethical for parents to bring up their children as strict vegans," she told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Missing nutrients
She said the damage to a child began while it was growing in the womb and continued once it had been born.
Research she carried out among African schoolchildren suggests as little as two spoonfuls of meat each day is enough to provide nutrients such as vitamin B12, zinc and iron.
The 544 children studied had been raised on diets chiefly consisting of starchy, low-nutrition corn and bean staples lacking these micronutrients.
Over two years, some of the children were given 2oz supplements of meat each day, equivalent to about two spoonfuls of mince.
Two other groups received either a cup of milk a day or an oil supplement containing the same amount of energy. The diet of a fourth group was left unaltered.
|
HAVE YOUR SAY A wide-ranging mixed diet with exercise is essential for any child James, Cornwall, UK |
These children grew more and performed better on problem-solving and intelligence tests than any of the other children at the end of the two years.
They also became more active, talkative and playful at school.
Adding either meat or milk to the diets also almost completely eliminated the very high rates of vitamin B12 deficiency previously seen in the children.
No quick fixes
Professor Allen stressed that although the study was conducted in a poor African community, its message was highly relevant to people in developed countries.
She accepted that adults could avoid animal foods if they took the right supplements, but she said adding animal source food into the diet was a better way to tackle malnutrition worldwide than quick fixes with supplements in the form of pills.
"Where feasible, it would be much better to do it through the diet than by giving pills," she said.
"With pills it's very hard to be certain that the quantity of nutrition is right for everybody and it's hard to sustain."
In Africa, good results had been obtained from giving people a dried meat on a stick snack which proved both nutritious and appealing.
Professor Montague Demment, from the University of California at Davis, said more emphasis should be placed on animal source food to combat global malnutrition.
Vegan defence
However, the claims have been dismissed by the Vegan Society in the UK.
In a statement, it said increasing numbers of people were opting for a plant-based diet.
Kostana Azmi, the chief executive officer, said: "The vegan diet can provide you with more energy, nutrition, and is bursting with goodness."
She said plant sources were sometimes a safer, and cheaper source of nutrients.
For instance, animal sources of omega-3 oils, needed for the development of the brain and nervous system, were often contaminated with pollutants, such as mercury in fish.
In addition, the vegan diet was often a healthier alternative. She said dairy and meat products were rich in saturated fat, while plant based diets were low in it.
The society does recommend that vegans supplement their diet with vitamin B-12 pills.
The US Agricultural Research Service is part of the US Department of Agriculture.
crickets chirping
I guess I shouldn't hold my breath on this one.
Growing children need all or most of the basic food groups.
After their teen years vegan might be OK if they are healthy.
BTTT
Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.
Where's the beef is appropriate. PETA has given the vegetarian/vegan diet a very bad name. Heck they're against vegetarians many of whom eat eggs and drink milk, even goat's milk! Their chief goal isn't better health, but to seize control of society and command everyone to followe their dictates.
Where's the beef?
Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism for delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green, leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable slop.
What the heck? Isn't that like saying you can eat grapes, just without grape juice in it?
Most Hindus are vegetarian, and conservative.
I have been a student of Ayurveda for quite a number of years. According to this very ancient system, milk needs to be boiled and drunk hot or warm, and if there is any mucous problem still, add spices like cinnamon, cloves, or cardamom. Virtually no problem then.
And cold dairy products should be avoided especially in the winter.
Makes all the difference.
I said my allegations were unsubstantiated. But there is also the question of what is meant by conservative. It's not just a belief in free markets or social issues. When an American-style football team composed of veggie Indians wins the Super Bowl, then I'll have to give up my unproven suspicions about vegan and vegetarian diets.
People who don't enjoy pork tend to be grouchy. Is that what's wrong with you ? :)
Humans are omnivores. We were meant to eat a variety of foods, including meat. That's why we have a taste for it.
BTT!!!!!
Well, yeah, if you want a really stupid analogy. You could say it's analogous to being told to squeeze the juice out of a grape before eating it.
Gentiles were allowed by God to eat unbled meat. Deut 14:21. Jews were not allowed because of the symbolism of blood to life which foreshadowed the substitute sacrifice that Jesus would make for us.
For all practical purposes, the meat that you buy in the grocery store has been drained of blood.
Well your post #22 seems very PETAish. FWIW, not all omnivors look like the kids at McD's. My kids eat meat and are not even close to being heavy for their height, let alone overweight. My wife is a little on the heavy side, but I attribute that to too many carbs (she loves her pasta). To her mac and cheese is a meal, to me it is a side dish. We try to eat a balanced diet, there are times we don't but we don't live on fast food either.
BTW, I knew you were a veggie from your first post.
This could be Genetic, as folks who follow strict Vegan diets and then force them onto their kids as well.. really aren't very bright.
very interesting... thanks. I don't remember having these problems when my mom used to make spiced milk for me, or raw cocoa. Today kids are guzzling down cartons of cold milk with cheese sandwiches,etc. eating all kinds of junk.
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