The Vegan's Notebook


Health

Vegetarians and vegans enjoy better health than their omnivore peers, as a group. The most consistent professional advice over time has suggested that a vegetarian diet with sufficient caloric intake is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet with similar caloric intake. Increasing the diversity of the vegetarian diet increases the health benefits. Personally, I've often wondered - how do omnivores really increase the diversity of their diet other than by increasing the variety of the vegetarian foods they must eat?

Physicians Committe for Responsible Medicine
Group of medical Doctors and laity who provide a wealth of current information on medical practice, research, and health. Veg-friendliness from a scientific stance.
American Heart Association presentation on vegetarian diets.
Vegetarian eating habits can be very good for your cardiovascular health. They easily fit very well with the other, well-proven, guidance given for good heart health. Also, they point out that such a diet is good for health in general.
Where do you get your protein?
List of vegan sources for nutrients. They note that B12 is tricky to find in plant sources. I would add that vegan foods are commonly fortified with B12.
Vegan Society's Nutrition page
An article that discusses practical guidlines for maintaining a nutritionally complete vegan diet.
American Dietetic Association on Vegetarian Diets
A comparitively exhaustive list of the mainstream scientific study results on vegetarianism. One of the strongest arguments that vegetarianism is healthy.
Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the ADA
Useful for analyzing specific concerns of dietitions on vegetarianism
The Vegetarian Site - Studies
Occasionally updated list of recent nutritional studies related to vegetarianism.
Intenational Vegetarian Union - Health & Nutrition
IVU links to a broad scope of articles with a scientific interest.
Exploding the Protein Deficiency Myth
A breakdown of the myth of human dependency upon livestock for dietary protein. Includes a hypothesis of why the protein myth persists.