Also they are also very fat phobic and recommend Non-fat, 1% milks and non-fat half and half (I have no idea what non fat half and half would be) while consistently using white flour and sugar in these recipes. I don’t need a medical degree to know that white flour and sugar cause insulin spikes and for those that can’t control their blood sugar this can be disastrous. Saturated fats do not cause these spikes. There is no reason for diabetics to stay away from fats.

“total vegetarian or vegan diets…provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

“This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients.”

And my personal favorite–since it destroys eveything you’ve said about vegetarianism:

“An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals.”

What do you think now?? Still going to argue against the ADA??

You: “Soy is proven to be very unhealthy”
Me: Not completely true: “Isoflavones are one branch of a family of chemical compounds, called phytochemicals, found in all plants and legumes, including beans, green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange vegetables and whole grains. A diet rich in a range of phyto- (Greek for plant) chemicals is the foundation of a healthy complete diet.” I recommend Edammame (baby soy beans). Organic soy is healthy, their is ‘proof’ of this as well.

You: “Essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K are only fat soluble. Fat is needed to be able to utilize and absorb these vitamins.”

Me: I get lots of fat from olive oil, walnuts, chia seed, flax seed…. these are much healthier fats than animal fats.

You: “CoQ10 – is found in red meat and organ meats and every cell in our body uses it for energy. It is only found found in meats and there is no veggie source of CoQ10″

Me: There are plenty of vegetable sources of CoQ10, the richest currently known being spinach, broccoli, peanuts, wheat germ and whole grains. Eggs are also an excellent non-meat source.

You: “conjugated linoleic acid found in grass fed beef products such as milk, cheese and meat”

Me: I do eat dairy. You can also get CLA from safflower oil which is actually a superior source since most meat is not grass fed and therefore do not contain CLA.

You: “Zinc – zinc is found in beef…”
Me: Zinc is also found in dairy products, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals. Pumpkin seeds provide one of the most concentrated vegetarian food sources of zinc. My nutritional diary shows I get more than enough zinc everyday.

You: “B-12…”
Me: B-12 is found in eggs and dairy products. There has been considerable research into proposed plant sources of vitamin B12. Fermented soya products, seaweeds, and algae such as spirulina have all been suggested as containing significant B12–however, these sources aren’t as available as dairy or eggs. You can also get it from Nutritional yeast.

You: “DHA…”
Me: I buy eggs from hens fed with flax and algae that provides omega 3. Also nuts are a great source.

Overall, I feel, there are many more reasons to not eat conventional meat than there are to eat it. It is quite easy to get everything you need on a vegetarian diet (although not so much on a vegan diet, I totally agree). Many people cannot afford organic meats and these articles you are writing should VERY CLEARLY STATE that it is better to aviod meat at all unless you can afford ORGANIC LOCAL MEAT. C’mon! You have to know that if people read this and actually listen to it, most of them will continue eating toxic meat products and think they are healthier than if they avoid them. I think your health advice is flawed and is only pushing an unhealthy view of nutrition.

With the rational that we can’t be sure what our bodies are actually absorbing, no one can ever be sure if they are getting nutrients they need (even YOU). According to Wikipedia, phytic acid has no known toxicity and may even help prevent certain cancers. I couldn’t find any mainstream info on candida yeast as a problem. The only info I saw was apart of an advertisement for a product or service.

I support the concept of creating blogs to help people with their journey to good health and I believe there is more than one path. I do not however think it is productive to provide unsited information about a diet that mainstream scientist have endorsed as very healthy and has even sustained an entire culture for centuries (Hindi Indians).
My advice:
1. I recommend you add links/sources for your information. Do not take anecdotal information from your life and pass it off as something everyone should do. The fact that you had other health issues definitely skews your take on healthy eating. This needs to be explicitly expressed in every one of your posts.
2. Why not get involved in something that will help a broader range of people such as bringing good local, responsibly produced food to all? Or just focus on providing support for people with health issues like yourself not condemning people who are already trying to eat responsibly.

These animals were not the best kept. Not that much room to move around and her beef cattle were kept inside even though there was lots of pasture for the cows to go outside. Her attitude was that her animals were $$$ for her. And she was organically certified.

I will always advocate for animal welfare and biodynamic farming practices (working with natures interrelationship between land and its animals with holistic practices)

I know that there are vegetarians that don’t touch soy. Soy is proven to be very unhealthy (GMO Soy, High Phytates in soy, high in trypsin inhibitors which cause problems with protein digestion, as well as the soy isoflavones damaging the thyroid). The fact is that soy is an industry industry all on its own and it would not be so if people did not buy the product in all its forms. I am not hearing in the news that this industry is in trouble and they are still marketing, manufacturing it and selling it to the uninformed consumer as healthy.

I have commented about how bad carbohydrates can be in your previous comment here as well as why the Atkins Diet is healthier then the vegetarian one…http://healthyfitmom.com/blog/what-is-wrong-with-the-vegetarian-vegan-and-raw-vegan-diet/

As for the vitamin deficiencies I will have to write a more a detailed article about. But I will give you a run down of the vitamins that are lacking in a veggie diet. Also I want to say that just because you are eating all those foods with all the vitamins and minerals that does not mean you are absorbing them.

1 – Saturated Fats – Saturated Fats are building blocks for cell membranes. They compose 50% of the cell membrane. If we are lacking in saturated fats then the cell membranes will lose their integrity and become more susceptible to disease and bacterial and viral infection.

Saturated fats prevent osteoporosis. Essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K are only fat soluble. Fat is needed to be able to utilize and absorb these vitamins.

CoQ10 – is found in red meat and organ meats and every cell in our body uses it for energy. It is only found found in meats and there is no veggie source of CoQ10

2 – conjugated linoleic acid – found in grass fed beef products such as milk, cheese and meat. It is a very potent cancer fighter and has been shown to aid in fat loss and help keep weight off.

3 – Zinc – zinc is found in beef and it helps your body convert superoxide dismutase (SOD) which is one of the most powerful anti-oxidants that our body has.

4 – B-12 – essential for protecting the nerve cells in the brain. Degeneration of this protective layer can cause irreversible damage.

5 – DHA – It seems that there are a lot of products on the market being fortified with DHA. But it in its natural form it is derived from fish and fish oils. It is essential for eye, brain, heart and mental health. You can not take flax as a substitute and think you are getting the same benefits. LNA in flax may convert a little into DHA but to a limited degree.

There are still more vitamins and minerals deficient in a veggie diet. But this is just a short list and very short explanations.
More importantly is the digestion process. Grains, Legumes, Nuts and seeds and especially soy are high in an anti nutrient called phytic acid. Phytic acid binds to minerals and expels them out of your body. You may be eating mineral rich foods but they are not getting were they need to be because of the phytic acid. Also a diet high in carbohydrates and sugars feeds candida yeast. Candida is pathogenic and will kill your digestion of foods, release toxins and rob you of vital nutrients. I eat a lot of green stuffs, eat lots of red meat and organ meats high in Iron and yet I am Iron deficient and severely anemic. Candida actually utilizes iron from the host for growth! So even though I am eating lots of iron MY cells arent getting it. The Candida Yeast are stealing it from me.

A high carb vegetarian diet is not healthy. We were never meant to eat so much grains and sugars. It wreaks havoc on us and if you are having a vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan pregnancy you are doing your baby a huge disservice to their developing brains, hormones, bones, cells, nervous systems.

You say: “you may be doing them permanent damage. They are developing brains, hormones, bones, cells, nervous systems.”

I say: Source please. I have one;
“Conventional American beef is corn-fed or grain-fed beef and it is not natural….welcoming bacteria such as E Coli. And the amount of antibiotics used to promote growth in livestock dwarfs the total amount used to treat diseases in people…” Dr. Alan Greene, M.D.
I think if anything will cause damage, it is these antibiotics and growth hormones that livestock are fed–not veggies, beans, and rice!!!
Also, you have a serious flaw in your logic. Saying that a vegetarian diet in general consists of too much ‘fake soy’ products and that is the reason it is unhealthy is like saying that a meat based diet is unhealthy solely because ALL meat eaters eat processed meats like hot dogs and balogne! Not all vegetarians eat a bunch of ‘fake soy’! In fact, many don’t even eat much tofu. Are you seriously trying to argue that beans and brown rice are bad for you????

You say: “There are essential vitamins, fats and nutrients that are needed for proper development of the fetus and a growing baby. You cannot get a lot of them on a vegetarian diet.”

I say: This is definitely not true in the least. Vegetarian diets *easily* provide enough vitamins, fats, and nutrients for proper development. I have yet to read ONE baby book (even “What to Expect”) that claims this. Eggs are a perfect protien source. Quinoa is a complete protien. Combining foods like beans and rice create perfect protiens. Even organic soy products like organic tofu or soy milk are great sources. I have closely monitored my diet through a nutritional software program and scale and I ALWAYS have enough iron, protien, and all other nutrients. What exactly are you claiming we cannot get enough of??? Folic Acid??? That comes from leafy greens. Iron? Beans. Calcium? Cheese and yogurt and leafy greens….need I go on?

You also give “Signs that your vegetarian baby is not thriving”. Well, these are signs of any baby not thriving. Why are you linking vegetarianism to the title? If you are not for the vegetarian diet, then fine, but please include some sensible arguments and valid sources before you make these kinds of claims. Don’t use your voice inappropriately.

Any diet needs special consideration and attention. Just because a group of people leaves out meat doesn’t mean that that they all eat alike. The same goes for meat eaters. However, on average, research has proven over and over again that vegetarians are healthier and live longer.