Vegetarian and vegan information

ASK ANDY -
THE VEGGIE MAN!

The Veggie Man
answers your questions every week.

Q: I've overheard this debate a few times and never gave it much thought, but my mother is bothering my husband and me to consider adding fish to our diet. Apparently she has read in recent nutrition studies that most vegetarians are missing out on essential amino acids. The report she read suggested at least one meal of fish a week. Now, we want to be healthy, but that is only one facet to why we're vegetarian. What do your sources say?

- Jess Cook

A: A fish-eating vegetarian -- like a Congressman with integrity -- does not exist. By definition, a vegetarian is someone who only eats vegetables. Though I have trouble calculating tips in restaurants and beating my dogs in blackjack, I do know that fish is not a vegetable.

Vegetarians typically don't eat fish because fish feel pain, their "harvest" is devastating our oceans, and their bodies are packed with harmful chemicals. But your mother is right: they do contain plenty of important amino acids (or proteins). Her heart is in the right place -- she obviously only cares about your health and welfare. Don't you just love mothers? My sweet mother was worried sick when I went veggie. She noticed that my hair was thinning, which it was. Of course, it wasn't from nutritional deficiencies -- I was pulling my hair from having to constantly explain where I got my protein.

Fear not! Vegetarians get plenty of amino acids in their diet...but only if the diet is balanced and well-planned. Although plants contain fewer of the essential amino acids than animal foods, you can get everything you need from a balanced vegetarian diet.

It's not much different from a "regular" diet -- if all you eat is hot dogs and pork rinds, you're probably going to have nutritional deficiencies, too. There are nine essential amino acids the body cannot synthesize, which means you need to eat them. Meat typically has complete amino acids, and plants typically offer "complementary" proteins, which means you need to combine them.

To make sure you get a good balance, consider these combos, as suggested by a study conducted by North Dakota State University:

* peanut butter sandwich
* baked beans and brown bread
* pea soup and rye bread
* refried beans and tortillas
* seeds/nuts as trail mix
* beans and rice

As long as you plan your meals (keep the Tofutti benders to a minimum), you'll be fine. Now, go hug your mother and thank her for her love and concern!

Q: Howdy!

I have (another) question for Mr. Veggie Man.

While speaking with my lovely daughter on the phone the other day, she informed me that there was to be a blessed event! Yes, she (shall we call her Mrs. VM?) and my wonderful son-in-law (lets call him Mr. VM!) are soon to adopt another Westie! Great news!

This brought about a short discussion with Mrs. VM about what vegans feed their pets. I understand that there is vegan dog food which appears to be fine for dogs, but what about cats whose diet consists mainly of protein? Cats are carnivores plain & simple. Can they be fed this vegan fare?

Also, what is this I am reading about some people wishing to feed their dogs only raw meat? Could the dogs possibly get all they need out of such a diet? Aren't the good/premium pet foods, or the previously mentioned vegan dog food healthier for the dogs in the long run? I look forward to my impending trip to rural Vermont to visit with Mr. & Mrs. VM and Scooby & meet my new grandpuppy!

XXXOOO
Lynn

A: The rumors are true: Mr. and Mrs. Veggie Man have made a furry addition to the household. We adopted Bella from Westie Rescue and brought her home last night. In fact, she's sitting in my lap as I write this. But I assure you I'm doing most of the work. She's just typing.

Bella is eight years old, and has been eating one particular brand of meat-based dog kibble her whole precious life. Scooby, her precocious new brother, has been eating Nature's Recipe vegan dog kibble for more than a year. Our goal is to gradually shift her diet onto his. Nature's Recipe is formulated to contain all the essential nutrients, and Scooby's health has never been better. And he seems to digest the vegan food much more easily than meat-based dog food -- he's no longer enveloped in a "farticular" fog.

I, too, have read about raw-meat diets for dogs. Though I admire the reasoning behind it (commercial meat-based pet food uses only the lowest and most disgusting grades of "meat"), the reality is that raw meat can be dangerous. Dogs are like us: they need a varied diet. An all raw-meat diet lacks the nutrional diversity to keep a dog healthy. Even Alpo mixes in rice, corn, grains and other non-meat based nutrients.

Raw meat also carries the threat of Salmonella and parasites. Tapeworms can be found in raw meat and passed on to a pet who ingests the meat.

Ew.

But contrary to popular belief, dogs are not carnivores. They're omnivores, which means they eat anything and everything, including week-old veggie sloppy joes they find in the bushes near Mr. Veggie Man's kitchen.

Cats are different, however. Like you said, they are carnivores. There's a particular amino acid (taurine) that cats cannot synthesize themselves, so they have to get it from elsewhere. Like meat-based cat food. They also need vitamins A and D.

But before you race to the store for that meat-based cat kibble, consider this: taurine, vitamins A and D and the necessary fatty acids are also found in certain types of algae. They may also be synthesized from vegetable sources. Evolution kibble utilizes synthesized taurine, and is the foundation of many vegan cats' diets. VegePet is a wonderful supplement.

The good folks at www.vegancats.com offer great tips on shifting a cat to a vegan diet and answers common questions. Evolution is probably the most popular vegan kibble, but it is relatively expensive (about $1.75/lb).

Though I strongly recommend you talk to your veterinarian first, gradually shifting your cat from a meat-based diet to a vegan diet might be something to consider. After all, what's the difference between the animals in the dog food, and Bella?

Except the typing skills, of course.

(NOTE: Joking about animal cruelty is never funny. But joking about dogs typing always is. I couldn't help myself. Vegans have sense of humor, too! )

Q: Dear Veggie Man:
I applaud your efforts to counsel young girls who seek advice on how to embrace the vegetarian lifestyle. However, I believe that it would be irresponsible not to also advise them to:

(a) check with a health care professional who knows their health history, and
(b) to advise them to take an iron supplement until they get the hang of preparing and eating a completely balanced diet.

As an impressionable 14-year old (nearly 30 years ago), I did considerable damage to my metabolism by failing to follow this advice. I became severely anemic, and suffered terribly for years before an astute physician diagnosed the problem.

It would be a good idea for these young ladies to seek out a mentor to guide them through the maze of confusing product labels, complicated recipes, and new foods that the girls probably don't know how to properly prepare. Their parents can help them post a sign at the local "health food store", and interview prospective mentors (to weed out perverts, control freaks, religious nuts, etc.) Also, through 4-H, Girl Scouts, or maybe even a church/synagogue group, the girls can start vegetarian clubs, where they would get together weekly and plan their shopping and cooking, and cook together (some for themselves, some for a food bank).

Sincerely,
Hana-Bashe Himelstein
Baltimore, MD

A: I agree 100-percent! I couldn't have said it better myself, even if I had a thesauras, two dictionaries, William Safire and 4 IQ points to rub together.

This cannot be stressed enough: before changing your diet, you should always consult with your physician. The body is a very complicated machine, and even small changes can affect it in ways we wouldn't expect.

Thanks for the wonderful advice.

If anyone is interested in starting a vegetarian club in their area, drop me an email. I will help get you started.

Q: I became a vegan two months ago, but despite a considerable effort to do as much research on the matter as possible, I'm still trying to learn the ropes. Cutting meat, dairy, eggs, and honey out of my diet was a simple matter of reading ingredient labels. Making a 100% cotton wardrobe was a cinch as well. The problem I face now is trying to cut out refined sugar, which I learned contains animal products.

I guess what I should ask is what refined sugar is and what common, supermarket products contain it. Second, do regular, bagged cane sugar or brown sugar qualifies as "refined" sugar? If so, where can I get cruelty-free sugar, if such a thing exists? -- Eric

A: Great question, Eric. Refined sugar is often the forgotten aspect of veganism. Even the Veggie Man didn't fully appreciate what refined white sugar was until relatively recently. I always kind of knew, but because I had such a sweet tooth, I didn't let myself think about it. Though going through life ignorant has worked fabulously for a certain American president, not knowing doesn't change the facts. After all, I can pretend that I'm Tobey Maguire, but that doesn't mean that Mrs. Veggie Man sees me as Spider-Man. Maybe if I added a hyphen to my name...

Anyways, refined white sugar comes from sugar cane and is almost always processed with animal bone char. Bone char is what makes white sugar, well, white.

But beet sugar, which accounts for a little less than half the sugar in the world, is processed without bone char. Beet sugar is totally vegan.

Unfortunately, food products rarely differentiate between beet sugar and sugar cane. Even if a product does use beet sugar, it lists only "sugar" as an ingredient. So what's a vegan to do?

Well, some vegans eschew products with sugar in them rather than chance using a product that was filtered through bone char. But there is a bit of wiggle room. Many sweet products don't use white sugar. They use dehydrated, evaporated or granulated cane juice -- all of which are vegan and are usually listed in food products. Generally, if a product doesn't list "sugar" as an ingredient, you're probably OK.

Remember, though: excessive sugar usage contributes to obesity, tooth decay and can cause serious health problems like diabetes. Try to keep sugar intake at a reasonable level.

There are numerous alternatives to sugar, though. Fruit sweeteners, maple syrup, malt syrup and brown rice syrup are tasty Plan Bs. These ingredients are usually listed on food products, as well.

Andy Summa has been a vegetarian for more than five years.
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