DR. EVA ILL-JUDGED VEGANISM
Why I’m very concerned about this new wave of
HEALTH guru Dr Eva Orsmond has revealed she has concerns about the new trend for veganism.
She said the ‘no animal products’ diet can be a healthy alternative – but not if people are buying processed vegan foods in supermarkets that replace animal fats with sugar.
And she said she would be ‘really concerned’ if family members went vegan.
The hot topic once again came to prominence last week when medical journal the Lancet strongly recommended a big drop in red meat consumption.
Meanwhile, Leo Varadkar’s subsequent revelation that he was cutting back on red meat to reduce his carbon footprint also caused controversy.
Dr Orsmond, who runs weight loss clinics across Ireland, said a balanced vegan diet can be very healthy but people still need vital minerals and vitamins.
The weight loss expert, who has just released her new book Reverse Your Diabetes, said processed vegan food can often be high in sugar.
‘So many people have this idea that they are now vegans. Then they go to the shops and buy frozen vegan food,’ she said.
‘What they do is take the animal fats away from these products which makes the food quite tasty and when that’s not in the product they need to add sugar. So often those vegan processed ready-made foods are usually the worst foods you can buy.’
The straight-talking Finnish doctor said people embarking on a vegan diet for the first time must do their homework.
Dr Orsmond said she has concerns that many people who opt for a vegan diet without doing enough research may not realise the variety of minerals and vitamins they will be going without. She said: ‘If you were doing a vegan diet properly, most prob- ably it could be better and healthier than ordinary people who just put all sorts of processed grains and bread in their mouth.
‘But I think we need to be careful not to start making it look like the vegan diet is super healthy.’
She said of vegans’ need for vitamins and minerals: ‘You need to think about B12, you need to think about iron and about Omega 3 fatty acids. You need the right supplements because where are you going to get your B12? Women menstruating are risking iron deficiency. Often people who say they are vegan don’t know how to eat vegetables, and they don’t know [that with] some of the vegetables, iron doesn’t get absorbed well even though they are in the vegetables.’
The weight-loss expert said she wouldn’t like to see any of her family members going vegan. She said: ‘I would be really concerned. We weren’t designed to be vegan. That’s not how our body works. I’m not eating a huge amount of red meat myself but I like it and I have nothing against people who get their protein from red meat. I’m not against dairy, I just don’t think people should be drinking milk because of other calories but if you come to my house you will find butter and I would not be able to live without cheese.’
She has been delighted with the reaction to her book Reverse Your Diabetes, adding that it has a message that is ‘important’.
‘They buy frozen vegan food’ ‘I could not live without cheese’