Soya sweet sweeties
Soya’s de word,
Soya bean margarine
Soya bean sauce,
What can mek medicine?
Soya of course.
Soya meks yogurt
Soya ice-cream,
Or soya sorbert
Soya reigns supreme,
Soya sticks liquoriced
Soya salads
Try any soya dish
Soya is bad.
Plantain an tabouli
Cornmeal pudding
Onion bhajee
Wid plenty cumin,
Breadfruit an coconuts
Molasses tea
Dairy-free omelettes
Very chilli.
Gingerbread, nut roast
Sorrell, paw paw,
Cocoa an rye toast
I tek dem on tour,
Drinking cool maubi
Meks me feel sweet,
What was dat question now?
What do we eat?
© Benjamin Zephaniah, 1994
If you eat according to the suggestions given in this book, you will get all the nutrients you need. The vegan diet is a healthy one, as study after study has shown. Yet, because meat-eating is part of our culture and due to the messages portrayed through advertising by and on behalf of the meat and dairy industries, people still worry that they may be lacking in nutrients if they follow a vegetarian diet, and even more so if they follow a vegan one. The nutrients most vegetarians and vegans are concerned they may not be getting enough of are protein, iron, calcium and vitamin B12, so I will comment briefly on these.
Protein
Protein is the nutrient most people mention first when they ask about whether or not a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthy, but, really, there is no problem with getting enough protein with either kind of diet. Grains, pulses (legumes), soya milk, nuts and even potatoes all contain protein and the amounts add up during the course of a day, so protein deficiency is extremely rare in the affluent countries of the world. Additionally, nutritionists often say that vegetarians and vegans have to mix, combine or balance proteins of different types in order to get the correct number of amino acids. This is not correct. In 1993, the authoritative and respected American Dietetic Association stated: “Plant sources of protein alone can provide adequate amounts of the essential and nonessential amino acids, assuming that dietary protein sources from plants are reasonably varied and that calorie intake is sufficient to meet energy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain essential and non-essential amino acids. Conscious combining of these foods within a given meal, as the complementary protein dictum suggests, is unnecessary. Additionally, soya protein has been shown to be nutritionally equivalent in protein value to proteins of animal origin and, thus, can serve as the sole source of protein intake if desired.”
Iron
Iron deficiency is one of the most common problems in the Western diet, but what is often overlooked by doctors and others is that scientific studies have shown that vegetarians and vegans are no more likely to suffer from this than meat-eaters. In fact, research has shown their iron intake to be as high or higher than that of meat-eaters. A study of British vegans in 1978 found the iron level “normal in all the vegans and no subject had a haemoglobin concentration below the lower limit of normality”.1 Another study in 1985 found the dietary intakes of vegans to be more than double the official estimated average requirement2 and yet another in Israel in 1986 compared the iron intakes of meat-eaters and vegetarians and found that “the intake of iron was significantly higher in vegetarians…it concluded that a long-term ovo-lacto vegetarian diet does not lead to mineral deficiencies”.3 This has been found to be so in children, too. A study in Holland which compared meat-eating and vegetarian pre-school children found that while the vegetarian children had a good intake of dietary iron, the meat-eaters “had intakes of iron below the Dutch recommended daily allowances”.4
Calcium
Although vegans don’t eat what are conventionally considered to be the best sources of calcium – cow’s milk and cheese – there isn’t evidence of calcium deficiency. In fact, what is not generally known is that these dairy products are not very helpful because although they do contain plenty of calcium, they also contain a great deal of protein. It appears that too much acid is produced when these are digested, which means that the body needs to neutralize it by releasing calcium from the bones before it is excreted in the urine. So, the calcium from such sources is badly absorbed and, in fact, causes more to be lost, as is suggested by the findings that the Eskimos have one of the highest calcium intakes in the world but also one of the highest incidences of osteoporosis.5
Although vegans and vegetarians may consume less calcium than meat-eaters, their bodies seem to use and store it far more efficiently than meat-eaters. This is thought to be because of the quantities of boron present in vegan and vegetarian diets. Boron is a trace element found in apples, pears, pulses (legumes), leafy vegetables and nuts. There is none in dairy produce or meat. Many of the foods which contain boron are also often rich in calcium. A cupful of broccoli, for instance, contains as much calcium as 200ml (6fl oz) of cow’s milk, and sesame seeds, tahini, hummus, tofu, soya milk, almonds and dark green leafy vegetables are further rich sources.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is essential for the development of blood cells and the healthy functioning of the nervous system, so we need to be sure that we get enough of it. However, unlike many vitamins, B12 can be stored by the body, so it’s not one you need to have every day. Also, you only need minuscule amounts – the equivalent of one millionth of a gram per day.
Vegetarians and vegans can easily ensure adequate intakes of this vitamin by eating the many foods fortified with B12, such as yeast extracts, yeast-based spreads and pâtés, most breakfast cereals, soya milk and textured vegetable proteins. Read the packets to see if the vitamin is listed in the ingredients.
If you are really worried and unsure whether or not you are getting enough B12, you can always take a B vitamin complex supplement, but this is unlikely to be necessary if you are eating a varied, healthy range of foods.
What can we conclude from this?
Nutritionally, vegetarian and vegan diets are not problematical and there are, in fact, numerous health benefits. It is weird that although every health study undertaken points to the positive health benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet (and the disadvantages of animal fats and proteins), people still worry that in becoming vegetarian or vegan we may be risking our health! The evidence points to exactly the opposite. For instance, the Oxford Vegetarian Study – an ongoing study of 6,000 vegetarians and 5,000 meat-eaters over 12 years – examined the likelihood of dying from cancer or heart disease. The interim results, reported on 25 June 1994, show that vegetarians and vegans have a 40 per cent reduced risk of dying from cancer, a 30 per cent reduced risk of heart disease and a 20 per cent reduced risk of premature mortality from all other causes. Another piece of research has shown that vegans and vegetarians are