Vegetarian....Vegan....Raw

For a long time now I have tried not to eat animal products. Not out of some huge righteous ethical stance (though sadness for the poor moo cows does play a part).

This is not intended to be a rant on the evils of meat eating. It is merely known fact that vegetarianism is better for the environment.

I chose to stop eating animal products for the health benefits. I find I feel better, have more energy and get sick less often when I eat a mostly vegan diet.

A lot of people I have found, when you say you are vegan, become incredibly concerned about your nutrition....but what about calcium? What about protein?

The image of the energy deficient, rickets and scurvy suffering vegetarian or vegan is NOT because they are vegetarian or vegan...it is because they have poor diet.

Someone who doesn't eat meat or dairy but instead lives on cans of coke, chips and dark chocolate bars is not going to have much energy and is CERTAINLY going to have nutrient deficiencies.

If you eat a diet based on fresh fruits, vegetables and wholegrain it is a no brainer that you are going to have a much better health level than someone who eats a typical highly processed, additive containing western diet.

A book on the subject that has been of great inspiration to me but which is NOT about advocating banning meat is Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food .

This book is not about veganism or even vegetarianism but simply about trying to eat foods that are REAL foods and not a multitude of chemical formulas. Eating things as close to nature as possible.

A form of eating that takes this to the Nth degree is Raw Veganism. Whilst I appreciate the concepts of such diets, particularly Fruitarianism, and I have dabbled a little in this area - buying raw foods when out, making some raw food recipes and drinking fruit smoothies - I am not quite ready to get so extreme.

I do, however, have a green smoothie on a daily basis.

Oh, and p.s. - with regards to calcium and protein - 1 cup of spinach has almost the same amout of calcium as a cup of milk but milk has only 1/3 of the amout of potassium. Potassium and other such minerals are necessary for the absorption of calcium. You can drink ten gallons of milk if you like but the majority of the calcium in it, you are going to quite literally pee away!
As for protein, yes, meat is the best source BUT the RDA is only 46g whereas half a turkey breast contains 96g! ...I'm no doctor or nutritionist but the controversy of the original version of the Atkins diet (kidney problems, loss of calcium, high blood pressure, heart disease) shows that a diet too high in protein may not be a good thing.

I'm not adding this to lecture you on how NAUGHTY you are for eating meat but in order that you think before lecturing ME about my nutrition because it's just fine thanks very much! :)