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The title for this post has a lot of stuff packed into it, but I wanted to share some articles I’ve been writing elsewhere about plant foods and health.

Mostly, I’ve got beans on the brain these days. I gave a presentation on beans and health at last year’s Sixth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition and am currently writing an article based on that talk that will hopefully be published next year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. I’m on my third version of the article based on helpful (and sometimes demoralizing) comments from the peer reviewers. But if all else fails and my paper is rejected, I will at least have learned a lot about ... Read More >

Back in June of last year, I shared news about my upcoming book Never Too Late to Go Vegan. I’m happy and excited to announce that the book is finished and shipping from booksellers in the next few weeks.

My co-authors are Patti Breitman, a former literary agent and current vegan activist and educator, and Carol Adams, who you probably know from her groundbreaking work The Sexual Politics of Meat. Patti and Carol invited me to write this book with them and I’m so grateful to them for bringing me on to the project. And, I’m really happy with how our book has turned out.

Amazon has been slow to get the “look inside” feature activated for this book, so I want to share some ... Read More >

U.S. News recently published their report on the best diets for 2014. The ratings were based on factors like nutritional adequacy, ease of compliance, and effectiveness for weight control or managing chronic diseases.

Not surprisingly, eating patterns like the DASH diet and a traditional Mediterranean diet scored high. These are two dietary patterns that have a great deal of research behind them and have been shown to protect against chronic disease. They are also nutrient-rich and relatively easy to follow.

Like most of the other diets that received high scores, the DASH and the Mediterranean diets are plant-based. It’s not surprising since there is general consensus in the nutrition community about this. Diets that emphasize whole plant foods are healthier than those that are rich ... Read More >

The graphic to the left is based on a billboard and poster campaign from Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary, a Colorado-based vegan-advocacy group and sanctuary for rescued farmed animals.

When I posted it on my facebook page a few weeks ago, it clearly resonated with many people, given the number of shares it received. In fact, when I shared it on my personal page, it even got a few “likes” from non-vegetarians among my circle of friends.

That suggests to me that this is a very effective way to share a vegan message. It’s hard to know which types of vegan education efforts have the best impact, of course, because we don’t have the data to tell us. But other kinds of research tell us that a ... Read More >

[updated 11/26/19]

Finding recipes for a fabulous vegan Thanksgiving feast is not exactly a challenge. My own Vegan Thanksgiving board on pinterest is quickly filling up with all kinds of delectable dishes that I will probably never make. The reason I won’t make them is that I tend to be traditional regarding Thanksgiving dinner. I want it to be pretty much the way it was when I was growing up, but with a compassionate makeover.

I might be tempted to make one or two new things some years, but mostly it’s all about the stuffing and the mashed potatoes and gravy for me. And I don’t think I’m alone in this regard. Many people who are reluctant to give up the turkey at their ... Read More >

Get ready for Vegan for Her TV! It’s kind of a fancy way of describing a fun new project that JL and I are working on. We’ll be doing a series of live broadcasts (with videos uploaded to You Tube for later viewing) via Google+ hangouts.

Assuming that I can get the microphone on my computer to work, we’re going to be chatting about everything vegan—nutrition, cooking, fashion, and more. And if you join us, we’ll be able to answer your questions or address topics of interest to you in real time.  Our first episode airs on Wednesday, October 9, 9am PST / 12pm EST. We’ll be talking about the Plant Plate, and sharing super simple guidelines for keeping your vegan diet healthy.

It’s Vegan ... Read More >

In some ways, it’s good news when someone writes another article about “why we should eat meat.” The arguments are so weak that it just reinforces the truth: meat eating can’t be defended.

The most recent of these pieces lists seven reasons why writer Christina Sterbenz “refuses” to stop eating meat. So, let’s look at them.

1. Meat has heme iron which is more easily absorbed.

Vegetarians do have lower stores of iron—which may be to our advantage—but the evidence suggests that meat eaters are just as likely to develop outright deficiency.  And, the fact that iron in plant foods is sensitive to both enhancers and inhibitors of absorption is no doubt a good thing since iron may be bad for us ... Read More >

My last post addressed a common myth about protein and bone health—probably the most widely disseminated myth in the vegan community.

In contrast to long-held beliefs, current thinking is that protein either has little impact on bone health or it might have some small benefits. This suggests that the lower protein intake of vegans and our avoidance of animal protein doesn’t confer any particular protection for bones. Instead, we vegans need to make sure we are getting enough protein and calcium in our diets.

If your diet is built around a variety of whole plant foods including at least three servings of legumes (beans, soyfoods and peanuts) per day, and your calorie intake is sufficient, you won’t have any trouble getting enough protein. If you ... Read More >

There is good evidence that vegan diets can prevent heart disease and they are likely to lower risk for cancer as well. But does going vegan improve your bone health? I see some post or infographic in social media nearly every week claiming that a vegan diet protects against osteoporosis.

The theory is that animal protein, through its acidifying action, “leaches” calcium from bones, eventually weakening them and causing bone fractures. If that’s true, it means that those of us who eat no animal protein are likely to have better bone health.  And maybe even lower calcium needs.

Unfortunately, it’s not true. Or at the very least, the evidence in support of this relationship has fizzled over the years. I’ve written about this before, but ... Read More >

Jack just added some new information about the metal cadmium to the VeganHealth website.

His interest in the topic stemmed from a 2006 study from the Slovak Republic. The researchers found that vegans had higher levels of cadmium in their blood compared to both meat-eaters and lacto-ovo vegetarians. Levels were higher in those who had been vegetarian the longest and also in those who ate the most whole grains.

High levels of cadmium are possibly associated with risk for heart disease and very high levels can impact bone health and both liver and kidney function. Whether the higher levels of the Slovakian vegans is a problem is something we don’t know. The researchers thought that the higher antioxidant content of vegan diets could counter the ... Read More >