ITAL IS VITAL

Health Food Store Links @ Bottom of Page

No More Excuses

Would-Be Italist worry about not getting an adequate intake of certain nutrients on a dead-free diet. The fact is, most Americans get too much, rather than enough, nutrients- were a nation of consummate overeaters. So forget the traditional excuses for eschewing dead. You can get plenty of protein, and other nutrients, on a dead-free diet.

         

Lets debunk some common myths and misconceptions:

  • Plants aren't complete proteins.   

  • The fact is, italist can get plenty of usable protein from non-dead sources like beans and soy products. Even vegans [real italist] have little risk of insufficient protein intake: only a few servings of non-dead protein sources a day - a cup of beans, a serving of soy-milk and tofu - will more than meet the protein requirements for most people. And don't worry about complicated protein combining: its not necessary to eat your beans and rice at the same meal. 

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  • I cant get enough calcium without eating dairy. Not necessarily true. One serving of tofu or a cup of most greens has as much calcium as a glass of cow milk. Sesame seeds, broccoli, and sea vegetables are also great vegetarians sources of calcium. And its a well-known fact that excessive protein consumption can actually inhibit the absorption of calcium.

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  • Vitamin B-12 is only found in animals products. Not quite true. Nutritional yeast, for example, has enough B-12 to satisfy the adult RDA with only one to two teaspoonfuls. The daily requirement for vitamin B-12 is low, and Vitamin B-12 deficiency is rare in Italist: vitamin B-12 reserves in the body may not be depleted for 20 to 30 years or more. Even so, italist should be prudent about getting enough of this crucial vitamin. Best bets: look for fortified soy-milk and dead substitutes.

 

 

HEALTH FOOD STORE LINKS

1.

2. NEW YORK STORE LOCATIONS

3. GREEN PEOPLE.ORG

4. Health Food stores in New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, Long Island

References:

Anderson, B.M. et. al "The iron and zinc status of long-term vegetarian women," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 34: 1042-1048, 1981.

Hallberg, L. "Bioavailability of dietary iron in man," Annual Review of Nutrition 1:123-147, 1981.

Helman, A.D., and Darnton-Hill, I. "Vitamin and iron status in new vegetarians," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 45:785-789, 1987.

Herbert, V. "Vitamin B-12: Plant sources, requirements, and assay," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 48:852-858, 1988.

Young, V.R. and Pellett, PL. "Plant proteins in relation to human protein and amino acid nutrition," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 59:1203-1212, 1994   

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LINKS:

http://www.veganoutreach.org