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of those nutrients that are generally obtained from animal meat or by-products. However, it is possible to tailor what one eats to address this discrepancy. Protein, vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium, the nutrients most lacking in a vegetarian or vegan diet, can be obtained from vegetarian and vegan sources. To do this is, of course, no small feat; it is difficult to consume them in adequate amounts unless one makes an explicit attempt to include rich sources in his or her diet. Most people believe protein is the primary concern of vegans and vegetarians. Though it may be, that concern is in fact misguided. Many people, especially athletes, consume far too much protein. In reality, only 1 of every 10 calories consumed should be protein. Athletes actually do not need more protein than non-athletes (Campbell & Venderly, 2006), and store-bought protein supplements are unnecessary and potentially harmful. Unlikely as it may seem, the average person gets more protein than he or she should be getting. It is especially important for the vegan, who does not eat animal flesh or by-products, to consume a healthy amount of protein. The recommended daily allowance is 0.8 g of protein for every kilogram of body mass. Interestingly, the average vegan consumes 10 – 12 percent of their calories as protein, as opposed to the 14 – 18 percent of non-vegetarians. While it is clear that vegan diets are considerably lower in protein, it is also clear that vegans are, in fact, consuming as much protein as they should (Vegan Nutrition, n.d.). In fact, excess protein can increase risk of osteoporosis and even result in kidney failure. For those who feel they are not consuming an adequate amount of protein, the following is a list of suggestions of foods they can add to their diet to remedy this (Protein in Vegetarian Diets, n.d.) Breakfast Foods: Oatmeal, soymilk, whole grain cereals Snacks: Peanut butter, nuts, soy yogurt Main Course: Brown rice, soybeans, lentils, beans, peas, tofu (Tempeh and seitan are also very high in protein, but are less popular) For those vegetarians who are comfortable consuming eggs and dairy products, foods like milk, eggs, cheese, and butter are additional sources of protein that are easy to incorporate into the diet. Proteins are required for healthy function because of what the body does with the amino acids of which they are made. The human body uses the standard 22 amino acids either as a means to build proteins and other bio-molecules or as a source of energy. Of these 22 amino acids, 9 are essential because the body cannot synthesize them on its own, and the rest are nonessential. Four of these thirteen are considered semi-essential amino acids because the body‘s production of these amino acids is not fully established (Ornish, 1995). The nine essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine) are very easy to find in natural vegetarian sources. They can be found in most vegetarian protein options, including nuts, seeds, beans, whole soy, whole grains, and vegetables (Vegetarian Diet, n.d. ). 64
This table documents the relative levels of amino acids in popular vegetarian foods: Vitamin B12 While they may not always be comparable to omnivorous diets in terms of protein, vegetarian diets usually have no problem supplying adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals for good health. One important exception to this trend, however, is Vitamin B12. Ovo- and lacto-vegetarians (who consume some kind of animal by-product), while predisposed to a B12 deficiency, can find ways to make up for it. For vegans, however, it is almost impossible to include a source of Vitamin B12 in their diets, so this vitamin must come from a source other than food (Weil, 2004). The amount of B12 the body needs is very small – between 1 and 6 micrograms a day (Vitamin B12, retrieved March 22nd, 2012). However, not getting this small but required dosage can cause serious problems. Also, the act of simply ingesting it is not enough – it must be absorbed in order to have nutritional value. Again, the consequences can be serious. Vitamin B12 stimulates the body‘s use of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates; it also boosts energy. It is necessary for cell division and critical for the well-being of the heart and nervous system. The major risk associated with a B12 deficiency is pernicious anemia. This dangerous disease affects many of the body‘s organ systems, particularly the vascular and the nervous. Sufferers not only contract regular anemia, but they also lose coordination, sensation in their appendages, and immune system strength. Memory loss, dizziness, and depression are other common symptoms. Worst of all, it is very difficult to recover after the disease has been contracted (Vitamin B12, n.d.). How, then, can vegetarians and vegans avoid this undesirable fate? Of these two, the former are at a lesser risk – they can usually obtain B12 from eggs, dairy, or other animal by-products. Vegans, on the other hand, are forced to obtain the vitamin from less natural sources. Fortified foods, like cereals and soy milk, are usually the most accessible and reliable way to ingest a healthy amount (Vitamin B12, retrieved March 22nd, 2012). As a last resort, most multivitamins contain the RDA of vitamin B12. It should be noted that B12 is a cofactor, because it is not directly consumed. Rather, it is reused by the body. Eventually though, it runs out, and because it is of paramount importance, it must be reingested (Ornish, 1990). For people who are in particular need of vitamin B12, alternatives include 65
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Got Food? Recent Advances in Food S
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Chapter 1 Diet and Nutrition Ingrid
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Economic Uncertainty It is simply n
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Administration announced that Omega
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An example of nutritional informati
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Malnutrition and Disease A growing
Page 13 and 14: Malnutrition Globally Although a gr
Page 15 and 16: thiamine compounds. Deficiency can
Page 17 and 18: BMJ-British Medical Journal (2012).
Page 19 and 20: Chapter 2 Vitamins and Minerals Bar
Page 21 and 22: The Dangers of Multivitamins and Su
Page 23 and 24: Vitamin A and Osteoporotic Hip Frac
Page 25 and 26: Type II diabetes is caused by the i
Page 27 and 28: Bibliography Alam S.M. (2011, Jan 2
Page 29 and 30: Riboflavin. (2011). In PubMed Healt
Page 31 and 32: Chapter 3 Food Supplements Patrick
Page 33 and 34: 3112 31-50 49 ± 1 35 ± 1 18 ± 1
Page 35 and 36: An example of a chemically engineer
Page 37 and 38: Step 1 Herbs are checked for pestic
Page 39 and 40: Agent Active Ingredient(s) Trade Na
Page 41 and 42: St. John‘s wort (Hypericumperfora
Page 43 and 44: Pravst, I., &Žmitek, K. (2011). Th
Page 45 and 46: In the late 1970s, the first insuli
Page 47 and 48: New Developments Researchers are co
Page 49 and 50: Prevention and Treatment Pre-diabet
Page 51 and 52: There are three forms of insulin av
Page 53 and 54: Crandall, J. P. (2010, April). Diab
Page 55 and 56: Chapter 5 Diet and Heart Disease Re
Page 57 and 58: Dilated cardiomyopathy condition is
Page 59 and 60: The buildup of plaque within the ar
Page 61 and 62: Heart disease death rates, total po
Page 63: Sensory vegetarians avoid meat beca
Page 67 and 68: However, vegetarian diets do receiv
Page 69 and 70: Turner-McGrievy, G. (2010.) Nutrien
Page 71 and 72: Scientists are aware that physical
Page 73 and 74: one study, research examined two ch
Page 75 and 76: contributing to the metabolic syndr
Page 77 and 78: In 2011, an Australian study concer
Page 79 and 80: the food pass through the stomach,
Page 81 and 82: Giovannucci, E., & Michaud, D. (200
Page 83 and 84: There is already a basic infrastruc
Page 85 and 86: estrictions on how much can be grow
Page 87 and 88: A fisherman prepares to sift throug
Page 89 and 90: Slow Food is an international organ
Page 91 and 92: It is a sad fact that the food syst
Page 93 and 94: Illustration Credits http://static.
Page 95 and 96: One of Borlaug‘s most important c
Page 97 and 98: Different crops use different resou
Page 99 and 100: source of Vitamin A for the poor po
Page 101 and 102: Plot of world grain production per
Page 103 and 104: Recent studies also highlight the h
Page 105 and 106: Chapter 10 Food Preservation Adam C
Page 107 and 108: Common spoiling enzymes and their e
Page 109 and 110: Freezing, along with drying, is use
Page 111 and 112: With these new developments in pres
Page 113 and 114: An area of future research is bacte
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Parish. M. (2006). How do salt and
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Applications Recently, scientists h
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livestock nutrition as well. Throug
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modified/engineered crops are benef
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added regulatory process, the EU na
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Future of GMO Crops A booming globa
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Biotech crops are benefitting peopl
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Levidow, L., Carr, S., and Wield D.
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This bar graph illustrates the amou
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to the tropics, where an estimated
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The search for sustainable agricult
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water lost to evaporation. It is al
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Francis, C. A., & Porter, P. (2011)
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and science. In a similar way, know
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Sustainable and Alternative Agricul
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After the farmed organisms have mat
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Farmers seeking for a hydroponics m
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Chapter 14 Food Additives Naveena S
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Different regions in the world have
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However, probiotic lactobacilli fac
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and potentially harmful. In 1977 th
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Recent discoveries have led to the
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Phosphates and Kidney Disease A tea
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It is not yet confirmed that using
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Illustration Credits http://www.cho
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Fuel Types and Biomass Environmenta
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Kerosene and LPG are commonly used
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The map displays the amount of deat
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Global Politics on Cooking in Devel
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Lahkar, P. J., Samdarshi, S. K. (20
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