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.
I'm simple minded - explain? :o)
I have taken all my dogs off foods that contain beef. A couple of them have had skin rashes that cleared up when I switched to lamb and rice.
Oddly enough, I have a family susceptibility to diverticulitis (ugly stuff, look it up) that clears up on a non-beef diet. I have found some "organic" beef that I can eat, but only once in a while.
But dogs are omnivoires and can live without meat if they have to.
Believe me, tho, I only do it cuz she is ALLERGIC as hell. Unfortunately she's so enviro-allergic we can't settle *that* down to look at supplementing food yet!
Thanks for the mention of diverticulitis; we're thinking my Mom has that (as well as other things, doctors trying to map it all out). I'd probably mention that to her.
btw, your screen name cracks me up (no pun intended..well, kinda). :o)
Probably the Goth outfits - that's a fad I truly do NOT understand. I guess the druggies might have been forced to become veggies since they probably don't have much money to buy meat. Just a guess ...
We humans were born with canine teeth and a digestive system - complete with an exit - for a reason.
Freaks....
Doctors never mention beef as a possible cause of problems. I took a hint from pet food labels. All the allergy formulas have one thing in common -- no beef.
I will probably catch hell for saying this without sciene to back me up, but my father, myself, and my son all get acne and worse after eating junk food burgers. And we love them so.
It's not the fact that it's cow meat - it's all the processed crap the beef industry does to it!
My future wife was working as a waitress in a Mexican (one of the large chains) restaurant in Dallas and she was at that time still a strict vegetarian. She was serving some kind of meat burrito to a lady who asked her "Honey, would you mind takin' a taste of this to see if it's ok?". My wife told her she couldn't since she was a vegetarian and didn't eat meat.
The lady replied with a shocked look on her face: "Why darlin', you're lucky to be alive!"
She was actually quite healthy as a vegetarian but that was because she knew how to balance the mix of vegetables, pulses (beans), oils, etc. It's possible but not easy and it helps if you are (or live with) a good cook. She finally gave it up when she became pregnant with our first child and never looked back. Her biggest temptation when she was a veggie? Barbecued ribs.
That's why I currently only eat beef that claims to be produced without hormones. Maverick Farms is the brand in my grocery store.
I don't claim this is science, just my experience.
I have been a vegetarian for most of my life, and I feed raw meat to my dog.
Just damn.
If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
Depends on the patron. We haven't quite worked out all the details yet. (For instance, we're not sure how well I'll be able to see patrons, since the curtains have to be thick enough for them not to see me.)
My question is: did she (your ex) look like a stick? I simply cannot understand the logic of putting at risk the life of child or impose a diet on a pet, knowing that they are, in the case of child or in the case of the pet, unable or unknowlegable in the ramifications of what there being forced to consume.
One word: MODERATION. The movie "Super Size Me" by Mr Spurlock was not an exercise in documentary accuracy, but one of deliberate excess. Take a very close look at the DVD and perhaps the truth will become apparent.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.