(rewrite warning. The lessons from this particular case relate particularly to children, particularly in case of neglect. There are other warnings to be made, but not from this example.)
(== Protein requirements == & == Suitability for children ==)
Line 4: Line 4:
Vegetarianism is a life-style choice to forgo the consumption meat.  People may implement this to varying degrees.  Some vegetarians are more 'strict' than others.
Vegetarianism is a life-style choice to forgo the consumption meat.  People may implement this to varying degrees.  Some vegetarians are more 'strict' than others.


Reasons for vegetarianism include:  
Reasons for vegetarianism include:
* moral reasons (animal welfare) - sometimes rejecting all meat-eating, sometimes rejecting the cruelty of modern farming practices.
* environmental reasons - the greater resource use required to produce meat in many cases; depletion of fishing stocks.
* personal health - some people have conditions that are made worse by the eating of some kinds of meat.


Many vegetarians will still eat eggs and/or [[dairy]], sometimes restricting these to free-range or organic products. (Organic certification often includes a greater emphasis on animal welfare than conventional factory farming). [[Vegan]]s eat no animal products.  
* moral reasons (animal welfare) - sometimes rejecting all meat-eating, sometimes rejecting the cruelty of modern farming practices.
 
* environmental reasons - the greater resource use required to produce meat in many cases; depletion of fishing stocks.
 
* personal health - some people have conditions that are made worse by the eating of some kinds of meat.
 
Many vegetarians will still eat eggs and/or [[dairy]], sometimes restricting these to free-range or organic products. (Organic certification often includes a greater emphasis on animal welfare than conventional factory farming). [[Vegan]]s eat no animal products.


A vegan is a particular adherent to a stringent vegetarianism, where even animal derived products, including [[dairy]] and [[eggs]] are not consumed.  Some even go so far as to avoid all animal products, not just [[food]]: leathers, furs, feathers, bone, etc.
A vegan is a particular adherent to a stringent vegetarianism, where even animal derived products, including [[dairy]] and [[eggs]] are not consumed.  Some even go so far as to avoid all animal products, not just [[food]]: leathers, furs, feathers, bone, etc.


'''Warning''' Particular care is needed when dealing with children's diets. An extreme case of neglect in providing a proper diet resulted in death in one case.[http://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/vegans-sentenced-to-life-for-starving/20070509155909990001?ecid=RSS0001]
== Protein requirements ==
 
There is some controversy over the quality and quantity of protein available to vegans.
 
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10466163 The nutritional value of plant-based diets in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements], Millward DJ. [Proc Nutr Soc. 1999] - PubMed Result] - This study suggests that "high-lysine maize supports similar weight and height growth to that of casein. Inadequate amino acid supply is not an issue with most cereal-based diets."
 
[http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/72/1/112 Human adult amino acid requirements: [1-13C]leucine balance evaluation of the efficiency of utilization and apparent requirements for wheat protein and lysine compared with those for milk protein in healthy adults], Millward et al. concluded that "The results show that adaptive mechanisms of lysine conservation allow wheat protein to be utilized more efficiently than expected."
 
=== Interwiki links on protein in vegan diets ==
 
* [[Wikipedia: Protein combining]]
* [[Wikipedia: Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score]]
 
== Suitability for children ==
 
An extreme case of neglect ("a diet largely consisting of [http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=soy%20milk&sid=breitbart.com soy milk] and apple juice.") in providing a proper diet resulted in the death of a 6-week-old baby.[http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=d8p102ro0&show_article=1]
This led to claims in some quarters that veganism is unsuitable for children - however no conclusions about the suitability of a carefully planned diet can be drawn from such a case. It should also be noted that breastfeeding{{wp sup|breastfeeding}} is strongly advised{{expand}} for such a young child and in the absence af human milk, a special formula is needed. Cow's milk is not ideal, but soy milk and apple juice are clearly unsuitable. (See [http://www.drmcdougall.com/response_to_ny_times.htm Response to NY Times Story: Death by Veganism] for one rebuttal.)
 


==Promoting vegetarianism==
==Promoting vegetarianism==
Line 21: Line 41:
==External Links==
==External Links==
* [http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0120-20.htm Vegetarian is the New Prius] - on CommonDreams.org, by Kathy Freston, January 20, 2007 the Huffington Post.
* [http://www.commondreams.org/views07/0120-20.htm Vegetarian is the New Prius] - on CommonDreams.org, by Kathy Freston, January 20, 2007 the Huffington Post.
* [http://www.animalliberation.org.au/envleaflet.php Vegetarianism and the Environment], Animal Liberation Inc. (South Australia) - includes interesting graphs of the relative impacts of various human activities.  
* [http://www.animalliberation.org.au/envleaflet.php Vegetarianism and the Environment], Animal Liberation Inc. (South Australia) - includes interesting graphs of the relative impacts of various human activities.
 
* [http://www.animalliberation.org.au/vegconf.php Environmental aspects of Animal Liberation: Real conservationists don't eat meat], Animal Liberation Inc. (South Australia) - a talk by by Geoff Russell, prepared for a vegetarian conference, Adelaide, March 1997.
* [http://www.animalliberation.org.au/vegconf.php Environmental aspects of Animal Liberation: Real conservationists don't eat meat], Animal Liberation Inc. (South Australia) - a talk by by Geoff Russell, prepared for a vegetarian conference, Adelaide, March 1997.


{{stub}}
{{stub}}


[[Category:Vegetarianism and veganism]]
[[Category:Vegetarianism and veganism]]

Revision as of 01:36, 19 March 2008

Template:Wikipedia p Template:Wikipedia p

Vegetarianism is a life-style choice to forgo the consumption meat. People may implement this to varying degrees. Some vegetarians are more 'strict' than others.

Reasons for vegetarianism include:

  • moral reasons (animal welfare) - sometimes rejecting all meat-eating, sometimes rejecting the cruelty of modern farming practices.
  • environmental reasons - the greater resource use required to produce meat in many cases; depletion of fishing stocks.
  • personal health - some people have conditions that are made worse by the eating of some kinds of meat.

Many vegetarians will still eat eggs and/or dairy, sometimes restricting these to free-range or organic products. (Organic certification often includes a greater emphasis on animal welfare than conventional factory farming). Vegans eat no animal products.

A vegan is a particular adherent to a stringent vegetarianism, where even animal derived products, including dairy and eggs are not consumed. Some even go so far as to avoid all animal products, not just food: leathers, furs, feathers, bone, etc.

Protein requirements

There is some controversy over the quality and quantity of protein available to vegans.

The nutritional value of plant-based diets in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements, Millward DJ. [Proc Nutr Soc. 1999] - PubMed Result] - This study suggests that "high-lysine maize supports similar weight and height growth to that of casein. Inadequate amino acid supply is not an issue with most cereal-based diets."

Human adult amino acid requirements: [1-13Cleucine balance evaluation of the efficiency of utilization and apparent requirements for wheat protein and lysine compared with those for milk protein in healthy adults], Millward et al. concluded that "The results show that adaptive mechanisms of lysine conservation allow wheat protein to be utilized more efficiently than expected."

= Interwiki links on protein in vegan diets

Suitability for children

An extreme case of neglect ("a diet largely consisting of soy milk and apple juice.") in providing a proper diet resulted in the death of a 6-week-old baby.[1]

This led to claims in some quarters that veganism is unsuitable for children - however no conclusions about the suitability of a carefully planned diet can be drawn from such a case. It should also be noted that breastfeedingW is strongly advised

for such a young child and in the absence af human milk, a special formula is needed. Cow's milk is not ideal, but soy milk and apple juice are clearly unsuitable. (See Response to NY Times Story: Death by Veganism for one rebuttal.)


Promoting vegetarianism

Delicious vegetarian recipes do exist. If people don't believe you, get some top-rated vegetarian recipes from web sites (5 star or at least more than 4.5 average, preferably with a very large number of ratings) and share the recipes (and perhaps share the food) with your friends.

External Links

Template:Stub

Cookies help us deliver our services. By using our services, you agree to our use of cookies.