Vegan Health Report

I located this report whilst reading a news report. I've yet to read it both thought I'd share.

Happy reading.😀

vivahealth.org.uk/resources...

[Agoodenough]

Thank you for posting this. I’m going to enjoy reading this at the weekend, when I’m not in a rush👍😁

[Hidden in reply to Agoodenough]

You are welcome and same here, I emailed it to myself but there are a fair few pages so you need time.

[Agoodenough in reply to Hidden]

Hi Alicia I have read this now and really enjoyed it. It’s so interesting and informative and reinforces just how healthy a vegan diet is. Thank you for posting it as I wouldn’t have seen it otherwise 🙏

[Hidden in reply to Agoodenough]

You are welcome and I'm do glad you enjoyed reading it. I have to admit I've yet to read it, I may have been a little busy baking.😉

I'm looking forward to reading it.

[benwl Volunteer]

It looks good, just started reading it.

I've seen nothing especially new here so far to anyone who follows the 'plant doctors' like ornish or fuhrman - which is a good thing as it means it's consistent with these other experts - but the format and presentation is really helpful. Hopefully it will encourage more people to try a healthy vegan diet.

[Agoodenough in reply to benwl]

Yes, it reinforces what we already know which is good. I would be interested to hear your views on anything about it you didn’t agree with or conflicts with other things you’ve read once you have read it, if there is anything and you have time. I was pleased to read it says B12 is the only supplement you need to take which is the conclusion I came to and it’s the only one I do take. Ali

[benwl Volunteer in reply to Agoodenough]

I only take B12 supplements, I do sometimes take D over the winter when there is less sunlight but I forgot this year That seems to be the consensus of the plant doctors. Fuhrman is a bit of an outlier and recommends a few more - K2, Iodine and Zinc - but I think these are very minor differences. Apart from B12, no-one seems really concerned about deficiencies on a generally healthy vegan diet.

However, I've recently started thinking about DHA/EPA supplements as there is some issue about how efficiently our bodies can make them from the ALA in nuts and seeds as we age, but not started taking anything yet.

The more I read the viva health report, the more I like it. In my view they've made the case for a vegan diet from the scientific perspective but without loss of credibility by making claims that are too grandiose. The only thing in the dietary advice I can see that differs a bit from some of the plant doctors, is allowing very small quantities of added oils (1 teaspoon per portion) rather than eliminating them entirely. This is a very small difference, and i think is justifiable conservatism.

One thing that struck me, was how similar it was in many ways to the NHS eatwell guidelines. Which is not really surprising, as although from reading the other forum one might think the NHS is out of date, in the pay of big pharma, pill pushers and so forth, actually the basics of nutritional advice is pretty consistent from most health organizations as they are all working from the same science. Its like the NHS advice with the emphasis dial turned all the way up, saying 8 portions of fruit and veg instead of 5, really cutting down the saturated fats instead of just limiting them, cutting out the things (meat and dairy) we don't need and hurt us and pushing the pulses and grains.

[Agoodenough in reply to benwl]

Thank you for your input Ben some interesting points and I’m glad you liked the report. I agree it was matter of fact without exaggeration or hype. Have a lovely day 😊

[Kai-- in reply to benwl]

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DHA controversy heated up (& accusations ‘let fly’ 😳), benwl/ Agoodenough ( m.youtube.com/user/headveg/... ): healthunlocked.com/veganfoo...

[Lots of ‘to & fro’ postings (articles, videos, statements … ) amongst Jeff Nelson, Joel Fuhrman, T. Colin Campbell, John McDougall, et. al.. Lots of ‘old history’ dredged, drudged, & grudged up & publicly coming to light ☀️🔦 (resurfacing) amongst plant-based leaders. Who to ‘trust’ — who not to trust? 🤔 🤷‍♀️ . . . Swirling 🌪 controversy about DHA/ Omega 3 supplementation 💊, nuts, seeds, etc.. 😳 🤯 🤦‍♂️ . . . A lot to wade though 📚 📹 & arrive at our own conclusions. 🧐 ]

Oh, thank you kindly for ‘The Incredible Vegan Health Report’ ( vivahealth.org.uk/sites/def... ), crazyfitness. Much appreciated! 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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[Hidden in reply to Kai--]

You are welcome

[benwl Volunteer in reply to Kai--]

Thanks for the links, I'd not looked at vegsource for a while, but i've seen the emails from Fuhrman and realized there was an argument going on there. A lot of it feels like a manufactured controversy to get people to click on links. I get a bit upset at the titles of a lot of those stories - i don't expect all vegans to be pacifists, but compassion for living creatures should extend to the language we use, and all that talk of "slamming" and "blasting" makes the discussion seem more violent than it needs to be.

On short chain to long chain fatty acid conversions, the take-away seems that there isn't enough evidence to answer the question either way.

[Kai-- in reply to benwl]

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Agreed. ‘Over-dramatised’ language used for ‘click-bait’ purposes (I’m guessing? 🤔 ) & unfortunately has tendency to undercut the value of actual content presented. And, sadly, adds fuel to fire 🔥 of divisiveness amongst WFPB community. 😔

[A ‘behind the scenes’ fist fight 🤜💥🤛 that perhaps should have remained ‘behind the scenes’ (?) 🤷‍♂️ & instead brought to the forefront, leaving many of us layman befuddled 🤔 & bewildered 😧 as to what to believe. 😳 As, we laymen (non-medics/ non-scientist) are in no position to medically/ scientifically assess which path is best to follow. Instead, it lapses into a sort of ‘cult of personality’(?) (if that’s even the right term) as to who one is going to ‘believe’ has the correct conclusion depending upon if they ‘like’ the person or not . . . 🤦‍♀️ (Hope this babbling makes sense.)]

Anyhoo, agree, benwl. We’re left in limbo as to what’s ‘correct’. The ‘big brains’ 🧠💥🧠 are ‘duking it out’ (in the public arena, for better or worse) to the befuddlement of onlookers. 🤭

If ‘manufactured controversy’ was intended for attention/ ‘clicks’ it certainly appears to have done just that. 🤯 But, perhaps such ‘displays’ have an ‘unintended consequence’ of leaving a residual bad taste 😝 in one’s mouth after seeing the ‘ugly side’ of its participants (lobbing barbs & accusations at each other 🤦‍♂️ ). Yet, on the other hand, perhaps reveals the depth of conviction of each participants ‘belief’ in the ‘rightness’ of their perspective . . . 🤔 💭 💭

Anyhoo, the crux of the controversy ’one short chain to long chain fatty acid conversions’ ‘ (DHA/ Omega 3, nuts/ seeds/ supplementation . . .) is out in the open now, & we’re each ‘left to our own devices’ to figure out what approach makes sense for us to apply (or by-pass). ☺️ 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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Think Jeff Novick ( jeffnovick.com/ ) summarised it best in answer to Chef AJ’s query back in 2011:

Which Veg MD Is Right?:

m.youtube.com/watch?v=DCylt...(Not working as expected?)

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Focus on the center — the perennial philosophy ( en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per... ). 👍👍

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