Tofu, margarines, wheat muscle: there are more and more preparations for those who follow a vegan diet. But is it a healthy diet?
In Italy, people who have given up meat and fish, but also eggs, butter and honey, are 3% of the population, that is about one million and 800 thousand. And the market adapts: egg-free mayonnaise, seitan ragout, soy salami and sausages, oat milk, rice, almonds etc.
“At first glance, vegan is a rich and varied diet – comments Augusta Albertini, nutritionist – which, however, in Italy, does not fully correspond to the expectations of our body, accustomed to a different diet. In other areas of the world, however, there is a millenary tradition, a food wisdom and above all a local agricultural production that, over time, has provided all the essential elements to be able to feed without products of animal origin».
Help from nature
But becoming vegan is possible, and without health risks, by including as many fresh raw materials in our diet.
“Vegetables, tubers, fresh and dried fruit are countless, as well as legumes and cereals, preferably wholemeal. Always choose in season and, if possible, territorial» explains the nutritionist.
“In addition, spices and all aromatic herbs should not be forgotten. As far as industrial products are concerned, it is better to read the labels carefully: often, to transform soy into its thousand variations, different vegetable oils are used, from palm to rapeseed».
A vegan day
“Limiting foods of animal origin, generally fatty and in any case high in protein, means helping the body to maintain the right level of cholesterol, not to strain the liver and to fight constipation. For this reason, it would be advisable to dedicate one day a week to the vegan diet or take advantage of its benefits during seasonal changes or after festive binges, for a detoxifying action. In this case, a couple of “vegan” weeks can put our body back in balance» advises the nutritionist.
A diet for everyone?
Recently, newborn screenings carried out at the Meyer pediatric hospitals in Florence and Bambin Gesù in Rome have revealed numerous cases of vitamin B12 deficiency (mainly present in meat) among children whose mothers, pregnant and breastfeeding, followed a vegan diet.
Symptoms of deficiency are muscle asthenia resulting in delayed motor development and neurological damage.
“Before embarking on a vegan diet it would therefore be advisable to undergo standard blood tests to verify the state of nutrition – suggests Augusta Albertini – to be repeated with a certain frequency to always keep your values under control and, possibly, request a consultation with a nutritionist doctor to modify the diet or resort to supplements”.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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