Vegan parents should be jailed.

MeatTwoVeg wrote: »

Like Soya milk?
Urgh, that stuff is vile.

Says MeatTwoVeg
There are alternatives such as almond milk which is an excellent source of protein, magnesium and calcium.

It's perfectly possible to have a balanced nutritional diet being vegan or vegetarian. Large parts of India has been predominantly vegetarian with some religions such as Jainism being more srtict and excluding eggs, onions and garlic. Hindu and strict Jain vegetarians can be obsessive about food and mothers providing adequate homecooked meals all freshly prepared from scratch with no processed foods. Cases of malnutrition are due to poverty and not lack of knowledge.

From time to time I have had to take iron tablets due to heavy menstrual cycles. When I told my GP I was becoming vegetarian he almost laughed at me in disbelief and said a lot of vegetarians he knows subsist on bread and cheese.

Since becoming vegetarian I have not had to go on iron tablets anymore than when I was a meat eater; I am actually more conscious about my diet, all fresh foods from scratch and overall more healthy. It might be sligthly more inconvenient at times as there is more planning involved and can be less options when eating out. I was already aware of that but I made an informed decision and wouldn't go back to eating meat now.

The issue is not veganism or vegetarianism. It's about adjusting your lifestlyle, doing your research and doing it properly, not in a half hearted way just like making any other adjustment in your lifestyle.

It's harder to get the needed nutrients on alternative diets. Trying to outlaw vegan diet for children is ridiculous and unworkable. State can't interfere into everything. I'm too lazy to check but I think this is opposition bill and probably less likely to pass.

That being said I think there should be mandatory developmental checks with avoidance punishes similarly as not sending kids to school. If worrying signs are discovered parents should be supervised forced to feed kids properly and in cases of gross neglect kids taken of them and in certain cases parents imprisoned. Especially when child gets seriously sick or dies. I know a horrific case of 10 years old girl who's body was too malnourished to fight pneumonia caused by malnutrition. Parents were feeding her vegan macrobiotic diet and were imprisoned but sometimes you do wonder why nothing was done earlier.

Duggy747 wrote: »

Her research showed obvious contsraints in that she could no longer eat certain things like sweets or desserts that had animal byproducts in them. Obvious stuff but something funnily enough a lot of vegetarians we came across didn't think about as they munched on marshmallows or jellies :pac:

The problem with the research is that there's an awful amount of seriously bad science and conflicting facts out there based on people's own biases which confuses people when starting a veggie / vegan diet.

For sure that is a real issue and sacrifices have to be made sometimes in the name of principles or whatever the rationale is for becoming vegan/vegetarian or some other adjustment to lifestyle.

If you opt not for the convenience route and cook wholesome, fresh, non-processed foods I find you actually have less of a desire or craving for sweet foods but still getting complex carbohydrates as needed.

I'm married to someone who is vegetarian by birth/religion so in that sense the balanced nutritious healthy vegetarian diet is easier as it's already been incorporated into the everyday eating habits without having to do too much research.

For someone starting from scratch independently without any other input or assistance from others already vegetarian it definitely does take time to get it right but it is possible.

Checking food labels can be a headache initially but after time you can easily identify what products are suitable or not. It just becomes a matter of habit. For me it is hardly even an issue now as the majority of what I eat is fresh produce with practically no processed foods.

You are right, though, it's so easy to make vegetarian food delicious which many people don't realise and it's still possible to have some meat style texture if people want that sensation through cheeses/paneer, lentils, nuts and varieties of mushrooms.

Veganism when done thoughtfully can be nutritionally adequate . It's just basically no processed foods. It's true that plenty of omnivore families have rubbish diets.

Anyone who feeds their child so inadequately that they end up malnourished should be at the very least be subject to some sort of intervention by the authorities. Regardless of whether it is the result ideological or pure lazy/ignorant parenting.

Caoimhgh1n wrote: »

What are the other healthy options, exactly?

No need to be zealous. Diet that includes meat can be and is perfectly healthy. Vegan diets are not recommend for kids as preferable option and are horrifically neglectful in some cases.

kylith wrote: »

Got some links there?

A quick summary is that red meat and processed meat has been recognised to cause cancers, especially colon/rectal cancers - but more research needs to be done. I think recommendations include just cutting down on red meat.

From WHO

Processed meat was classified as Group 1, carcinogenic to humans. What does this mean?

This category is used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans. In other words, there is convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer. The evaluation is usually based on epidemiological studies showing the development of cancer in exposed humans.

An international advisory committee that met in 2014 recommended red meat and processed meat as high priorities for evaluation by the IARC Monographs Programme. This recommendation was based on epidemiological studies suggesting that small increases in the risk of several cancers may be associated with high consumption of red meat or processed meat. Although these risks are small, they could be important for public health because many people worldwide eat meat and meat consumption is increasing in low- and middle-income countries. Although some health agencies already recommend limiting intake of meat, these recommendations are aimed mostly at reducing the risk of other diseases. With this in mind, it was important for IARC to provide authoritative scientific evidence on the cancer risks associated with eating red meat and processed meat.

What types of cancers are linked or associated with eating red meat?

The strongest, but still limited, evidence for an association with eating red meat is for colorectal cancer. There is also evidence of links with pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

How many cancer cases every year can be attributed to consumption of processed meat and red meat?

According to the most recent estimates by the Global Burden of Disease Project, an independent academic research organization, about 34 000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

Should I stop eating meat?

Eating meat has known health benefits. Many national health recommendations advise people to limit intake of processed meat and red meat, which are linked to increased risks of death from heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses.

http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/

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In 2011 a report from the Continuous Update Project was published.

It found strong evidence that eating red meat or processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer.

The analysis of eight cohort studies showed a 17 per cent increased risk per 100g red meat per day (RR: 1.17 (1.05-1.31)).

The analysis of nine cohort studies found strong evidence that eating processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent per 50g processed meat per day (RR 1.18 (1.10-1.28)).

For both analyses the results of the individual studies were generally consistent – adding strength to the association.
A judgement of strong evidence also requires plausible mechanisms.
There are several potential reasons to explain how red and processed meat may cause bowel cancer.
Red meat contains a compound which gives it’s red colour, haem, which promotes the formation of potentially carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. In addition when red meat is cooked at high temperatures, this results in the production of compounds (heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) that can cause bowel cancer in people with a genetic predisposition.
In addition processed red meat has nitrites, as well as nitrates added to it as preservatives and these are thought to cause cancer. Processing also changes the nature of the meat, which may play a role in its link to cancer.

Eat no more than 500g (cooked weight) a week of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb.
Eat little, if any, processed meat such as ham and bacon. This is because the evidence suggests eating 500g or less of red meat a week doesn’t significantly increase bowel cancer risk.
Red meat is also a good source of valuable nutrients, such as protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B12, so it can contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.
Processed meat on the other hand has less valuable nutrients and can be high in fat and salt, so if you eat red meat it’s best to choose fresh, unprocessed meat

http://www.wcrf.org/int/blog/articles/2015/10/red-meat-and-bowel-cancer-risk-how-strong-evidence

Not going to dig up anymore links, off for lunch.