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University of Washington department of History lecturer, Mira Green, begins her lecture entitled Skeletons and Dining Couches: Eating and Dying in the Roman Empire, organized as part of the History departments lecture series on Life, Death and the Gods.

It was only recently that Mira Green, a UW history lecturer, realized that she was kind of strange kid.

During her lecture Skeletons and Dining Couches: Eating and Dying in the Roman Empire on Wednesday night, she recounted the moment that she first became interested in Roman history. It was when she saw an issue of National Geographic as a child that featured pictures of skeletons from the ruins of Pompeii.

I just wanted to know more about that, and I share this all the time as a way to try to say, look, if you follow your passion, you can do what you want later on in life, Green said. And so I said to my students recently, oh, this image here, this is what got me excited about becoming a Roman historian. And they all looked at me like I was crazy.

Her dissertation in 2015 focused on the sexuality of slaves in the ancient world, which won two national awards from the American Philological Association. Now she has pivoted her interests to focus on the diet of Romans.

[Eating is] the thing that we all need to do to live, she said. Every single person on the planet needs to eat. And yet we turn it into something that expresses power, right? Something that is really about socioeconomic issues and not just about the need to live and to eat. For me, that's the thing that just really started to come out when I started to do this research is how much those decisions can have kind of these lasting physical effects on a person.

Green focused her attention on three different sources of evidence: the remains of material bodies, actual texts from writers like Pliny the Elder and Seneca the Younger, and art. As is the case with much of the source material from the ancient world, she claims that these three realms of evidence do not mesh easily, but together they paint a complicated picture.

Some of the most compelling information presented during the lecture was what historians learned from the remains of bodies at sites like Pompeii and Herculaneum, sites that were destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. For example, the average lifespan of a Roman was 25 years, but this low number is partially due to the high rate of mortality in the early years of life. If someone could make it past five years old, they were much more likely to make it to 45. Through marks on the body, historians also saw signs of long-term low-level anemia, as well as evidence of high levels of strontium, which suggests a diet rich in vegetables and seafood.

The human body, Green claimed, is a surface on which social transcripts are inscribed. Through diet, people can signal memberships to communities, status, and wealth. Some of the writing by Pliny the Elder and Seneca the Younger, both elite Roman men, actually derided the luxurious eating that we tend to associate with high-class ancient Romans and their infamous vomitoriums.

They described diseased-looking bodies of people who ate complicated food and drank too much wine (people who today we would probably call foodies) with their pudge and elevated heart rate. They instead campaigned for a simple diet, claiming that food is simply a means to an end, a way to nourish the vessel of the body, not something that brings pleasure.

This is something we still do today Green brought up the example of this figure of a moral eater in our society: They shop at farmers markets, buy pasture-raised eggs and organic produce, and they do it all with their reusable bag (its at this point in the lecture that I began to feel targeted). She pointed out that these are choices surrounding food that are both moral as well as signaling something about class; you must have the time and money available to make these choices.

In our culture, the ability to resist the temptation of excess is a way that people demonstrate class. This isnt that different than what the Romans seemed to be doing except instead of processed and fast food, it was the flavors of coriander, celery, dill, grapes, black pepper, and cumin coming from all over the newly globalized empire.

In spring quarter, Green will teach a class called The Roman Empire (HSTAM 313) and one on Alexander the Great (HSTAM 290).

Reach Pacific Wave Co-Editor Charlotte Houston at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @choustoo

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Inside the diets of ancient Romans - Dailyuw

MIAMI Nick Bosa was holding court at his podium during the 49ers final media session on Thursday when he started talking about how important it has been for him to get his normal meals in while living on the road for a week before the biggest game of his life.

Bosa, who will be named the NFLs Rookie of the Year on Saturday, is a creature of habit, a ferocious defensive lineman who needs to keep his body properly fueled so he can go a million miles an hour on the field on Sunday.

This all got me thinking while I stood a few feet away from him on Thursday what does an athlete in peak physical condition like Bosa eat each day to keep himself in the best shape possible?

So I asked him to take me through his day of eating, which he kindly did:

I love how he has no idea what an average calorie intake should be and that he treats himself to a burger or some ice cream but only after a game.

This dude will be ready to go Sunday night.

Read more here:
Nick Bosa talking about what he eats every day is oddly satisfying - For The Win

DEAR ABBY: I have multiple chronic health conditions. Because my symptoms are worsened by a lot of foods, Im on a highly restricted diet. If I stay on it, I feel as well as possible. (I never feel entirely well.)

When I go to friends homes for dinner or parties, would it be rude for me to bring along something for myself that I can eat that wont make me sick? I can have no grains, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, the list goes on and on, but I could always bring extra food to share if you think that would be appropriate.

I have been eating before I go and then claiming not to be hungry, but I feel it would be rude to do this at dinner parties. What do you suggest I do? I prefer that my health not be a topic of conversation. CANT EAT JACK

DEAR CANT: Your health wont be a topic of conversation at these gatherings if you discuss this with your host(s) at the time you are invited to the party. Explain that you are on a severely restricted diet, picking at their food might be interpreted as rude and you dont wish to come across that way. Ask if you can bring your own food with you. Im sure your hosts will understand and tell you to enjoy their hospitality (if not their food) because they welcome your company.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I received a worrisome email from our 20-something-year-old son, a graduate student some distance away. He wrote that he is recovering from wounds of his childhood. (We thought we were loving, supportive parents.) He indicated he will come home for visits only if we comply with his demands about 10 were listed and accused us of some things we never did.

On the advice of my counselor I have a history of depression, which is in remission I wrote agreeing to his demands in order to keep the lines of communication open. My husband refuses to do this. He is overwhelmingly hurt, angry and frustrated. He says he will not walk on eggshells in his own home. Our son is our only child. What can or should we do? HEARTBROKEN IN OHIO

DEAR HEARTBROKEN: Nobody should have to walk on eggshells. If ever I heard of a family that could benefit from family counseling, you three are it. Your doctor or insurance company can refer you to someone who is licensed and competent. Please dont wait.

DEAR ABBY: My biological mother gave me up at birth. Her reason for doing it changes every time I ask. I joined the Navy right out of high school and left the service at 25. Less than a month later, she contacted me. It turns out that I have three half-siblings, but I have no desire to connect with them.

She waited 25 years to contact me, and I was the only one of my siblings she gave up. Does it make me a bad person that I have no emotional connection to my biological family? NO FEELINGS IN THE EAST

DEAR NO FEELINGS: No, it does not. Whatever her reason for surrendering you, you have built a good life. Please stop feeling guilty for moving forward and living it. Doing so does not make you a bad person, only a healthy one.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What teens need to know about sex, drugs, AIDS and getting along with peers and parents is in What Every Teen Should Know. Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds), to: Dear Abby, Teen Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

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Dear Abby: Person on restricted diet considers bringing food to dinner parties - Chicago Sun-Times

A healthy diet and lifestyle are yourbest weaponsto fight cardiovascular disease. Its not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of yourchoicesthat counts. Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.

Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If its hard to schedule regular exercise sessions, look for ways to build short bursts of activity into your daily routine, like parking farther away and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Ideally, your activity should be spread throughout the week.

You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy.Nutrient-rich foods have minerals, protein, whole grains and other nutrients but are lower in calories. Theymay help you control your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

Limit saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, red meat,sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. If you choose to eat red meat, compare labels and select the leanest cuts available.

One of the diets that fits this pattern is the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan. Most healthy eating patterns can be adapted based on calorie requirements and personal and cultural food preferences.

The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you're trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldnt get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients. Also limit the amount of saturated fat, trans fat and sodiumyou eat. Read Nutrition Facts labelscarefully the Nutrition Facts panel tells you the amount of healthy and unhealthy nutrients in a food or beverage.

Dont smoke, vape or use tobacco or nicotine products and avoid secondhand smoke or vapor.

Learn more about quitting smoking.

For more information:

Last Reviewed: Aug 15, 2017

More here:
The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle ...

Many doctors and dietitians recommend a Mediterranean diet to prevent disease and keep people healthy for longer.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and it includes less dairy and meat than a typical Western diet.

In this article, we explain what the Mediterranean diet is and provide a 7-day meal plan for people to follow.

Essentially, following a Mediterranean diet means eating in the way that the people in the Mediterranean region traditionally ate.

A traditional diet from the Mediterranean region includes a generous portion of fresh produce, whole grains, and legumes, as well as some healthful fats and fish.

The general guidelines of the diet recommend that people eat:

The American Heart Association note that the average Mediterranean diet contains a high percentage of calories from fat.

Although more than half of the calories from fat come from monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, the diet may not be right for people who need to limit their fat intake.

The Mediterranean diet puts a higher focus on plant foods than many other diets. It is not uncommon for vegetables, whole grains, and legumes to make up all or most of a meal.

People following the diet typically cook these foods using healthful fats, such as olive oil, and add plenty of flavorful spices.

Meals may include small portions of fish, meat, or eggs.

Water and sparkling water are common drink choices, as well as moderate amounts of red wine.

People on a Mediterranean diet avoid the following foods:

Here is an example of a 7-day Mediterranean diet meal plan:

Breakfast

For additional calories, add another egg or some sliced avocado to the toast.

Lunch

Dinner

For added calories, add some shredded chicken, ham, tuna, or pine nuts to the pizza.

Breakfast

For additional calories, add 12 oz of almonds or walnuts.

Lunch

To increase the calorie content, spread hummus or avocado on the bread before adding the fillings.

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Add another artichoke for a hearty, filling meal.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

There are many snack options available as part of the Mediterranean diet.

Suitable snacks include:

The Mediterranean diet receives a lot of attention from the medical community because many studies verify its benefits.

The benefits of a Mediterranean diet include:

Evidence suggests that a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study that featured in The New England Journal of Medicine compared two Mediterranean diets with a control diet for almost 5 years.

The research suggested that the diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular issues, including stroke, heart attack, and death, by about 30 percent compared with the control group.

More studies are necessary to determine whether lifestyle factors, such as more physical activity and extended social support systems, are partly responsible for the lower incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries than in the United States.

In a 2018 study, researchers explored how the Mediterranean diet affects sleep.

Their research suggested that adhering to a Mediterranean diet may improve sleep quality in older adults. The diet did not seem to affect sleep quality in younger people.

The Mediterranean diet may also be helpful for people who are trying to lose weight.

The authors of a 2016 review noted that people who were overweight or had obesity lost more weight on the Mediterranean diet than on a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet group achieved results that were similar to those of the participants on other standard weight loss diets.

Following a Mediterranean diet involves making long-term, sustainable dietary changes.

Generally speaking, a person should aim for a diet that is rich in natural foods, including plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and healthful fats.

Anyone who finds that the diet does not feel satisfying should talk to a dietitian. They can recommend additional or alternative foods to help increase satiety.

Excerpt from:
Mediterranean diet: A guide and 7-day meal plan

The findings of a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine show that low-carb and low-fat diets are not problematic in and of themselves instead, the unhealthy food choices people make on those diets is linked with a higher rate of mortality.

In this prospective cohort study, researchers assessed 37,233 adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which took place between 1999 and 2014. The population of interest were all 20 years of age and older. The researchers looked at unhealthy, and healthy low-carb-diet and low-fat diet scores based on both percentage of energy as a total as well as subtypes of carbs, fat, and protein. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality, from baseline through December 2015. The researchers analyzed the data from July 5 to August 27, 2019.

According to the study results, low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were not associated with total mortality. They researchers observed in multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for total mortality per 20-percentile increase in dietary scores were 1.07 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.11) for unhealthy low-carbohydrate-diet score, 0.91 (95% CI, 0.87 to 0.95) for healthy low-carbohydrate-diet score, 1.06 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.12) for unhealthy low-fat-diet score, and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.85 to 0.93) for healthy low-fat-diet score. They found that these associations remained similar in the stratification and sensitivity analyses.

The research authors wrote in the conclusion that: In this study, overall low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were not associated with total mortality. Unhealthy low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were associated with higher total mortality, whereas healthy low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were associated with lower total mortality.

They added that: These findings suggest that the associations of low-carb and low-fat diets with mortality may depend on the quality and food sources of macronutrients.

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Study: Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Are Not Associated with Increased Death; Unhealthy Food Choices Within These Diets Are - DocWire News

Vitagene is bringing something new to the at-home genetic test market tips on how to genetically hack your metabolism, according to Engadget.

While Vitagene offers the same reports on ancestry and heritage as other at-home kits in its packages, the company also offers customized diet, exercise, supplement and even skincare recommendations based on the consumers genetic makeup.

Their marketing isnt just health or family history based, Engadget reports. Instead, Vitagenes goal is to help people live healthier lives based on genetic insights about how best to help their bodies.

Vitagene will also allow users to upload their previously analyzed genetic profiles and receive personalized online nutritional coaching and supplements shipped to them for an additional cost a good option for those interested in their particular insights who have previously had their DNA analyzed by another company.

CNN reports that while the guidance offered by Vitagenes tests can reveal certain food sensitivities, genetic predispositions to weight gain and can help people develop healthier lifestyles, they shouldnt replace necessary consultations with medical professionals.

The at-home DNA testing market seemingly exploded in the past few years. Companies like Ancestry offer tests that can help you find long lost relatives, your ethnic makeup, and where your ancestors were from. And for $50, consumers can buy the AncestryHealth test, which includes personalized as well as generational genetic health reports and access to genetic counseling.

The company 23andMe offers similar tests, divided by tests that provide genetic information about a consumers ancestry and traits, or health and ancestry.

The explosion of interest in at-home genetic tests seems to have settled, CNBC reports. Just this month 23andMe laid off 14% of its staff.

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Vitagene DNA will give you a diet plan genetically tailored to you - Deseret News

A well-balanced diet has long been touted as a necessary component to a healthy lifestyle. When combined with routine exercise, a well-balanced diet can improve quality of life and reduce a persons risk for various diseases.

No well-balanced diet is complete without dairy. While many people may immediately associate milk with dairy, dairy products are much more diverse than that. In fact, including various dairy products in your diet can provide a host of diverse health benefits.

Dairy products are nutrient-rich

The United States Department of Agriculture notes that dairy products provide a host of nutrients that are vital to overall health.

Calcium: The nutrient most often linked to dairy, calcium is vital for building strong bones and healthy teeth. Dairy also helps to maintain bone mass, helping men and women combat age-related bone loss.

Potassium: Dairy products such as yogurt, fluid milk and soy milk are good sources of potassium. Thats beneficial because diets rich in potassium help men and women maintain healthy blood pressures.

Vitamin D: Like calcium, vitamin D is widely associated with dairy, particularly milk. Vitamin D helps bodies build and maintain strong bones, and products such as fluid milk and soy milk are great sources of vitamin D. Yogurts and cereals fortified with vitamin D also can be great sources of this valuable vitamin.

Health benefits

Osteoporosis is a condition in which a persons bones become fragile and brittle due to loss of tissue. Age is a risk factor for osteoporosis, but a poor diet that does not include sufficient amounts of dairy also can increase a persons risk for osteoporosis.

The Department of Agriculture notes that dairy can help men and women lower their risk for ailments other than osteoporosis. Adequate dairy intake has been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Athletes may be especially motivated to consume dairy, as its effect on bone strength and maintenance can help them reduce their risk for injury while practicing and competing.

Adolescents and children can benefit greatly from diets that contain adequate amounts of dairy. Bone mass is built during childhood and adolescence, so foods such as dairy that promote bone health can help children and teenagers develop strong, healthy bones.

In regard to which dairy products to include in ones diet, the Department of Agriculture notes the importance of avoiding foods that are high in saturated fat. Dairy products high in saturated fats can contribute to high amounts of bad cholesterol in the blood, increasing a persons risk for coronary heart disease. Low-fat dairy products make for a healthy alternative to dairy that is high in saturated fats, and men and women can discuss such products with their physicians.

No balanced diet is complete without dairy, which benefits the body in myriad ways.

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The benefits of including dairy in your diet - Thecountypress

Among the diet plans that have been trending in recent years is the Zone Diet. This way of eating is generated towards reducing inflammation, slowing down aging, and keeping you properly satiated in between meals. And the lifestyle has been said to help with weight loss, body fat, improving mental clarity and overall wellness. We went straight to the source and asked Zone Diet CreatorDr. Barry Sears to answer some of the most frequently asked questions aboutthe Zone Diet. Want to go deeper? Check out his latest book, The Resolution Zone, which gives readers an overview on how to help reverse the damage done by past inflammation and promote the ability of the body to repair.

The Zone Diet is an anti-inflammatory diet created by Dr. Sears, a dietary hormone response expert, in 1998. It involves structuring your meals to include a specific balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats, and can be combined with many other traditional dietary programs. The Zone Diet is considereda long-term eating plan, not a quick-fix diet.

Its going back to the original Greek root of the word diet, which means way of life, Sears says.

Related: 26 Things to Know About the Anti-Inflammatory Diet

According to Sears, this specific way of eating is geared at keeping inflammation in a zone thats not too high, but not too low. Sears explains that we need some level of inflammation to be able to fight off microbiome invasions and to allow any physical injuries sustained heal. But if we have too much, it begins to attack our body. So keeping inflammation in that zone is really the key toward treating chronic disease, he adds.

All you need to do the diet, per Sears, is one hand, one eye, and one watch. The first step is to visually balance your plate: one-third should contain a lean protein (no larger than the palm of your hand); two-thirds should be colorful fruits and vegetables (good carbs). Then, add add a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatideally olive oil, because its rich in polyphenols (antioxidant-rich micronutrients) that basically will add to the polyphenol mix of the diet, Sears says. Its that simple!

If you like tracking your foods in an app like MyFitnessPal that calculates nutrients, here are the numbers you are looking for:40% of your calories coming from carbohydrates, a.k.a fruits and vegetables, 30% coming from protein and 30% from fat.

At one meal, if you have 25 grams of protein, about half of that should be fat, monounsaturated fat, maybe 12 grams and maybe about 30 to 35 grams of carbohydrates, primarily non-starchy vegetables, Sears says.

If youre using carbohydrates as your fruits and vegetables, with the emphasis on vegetables, the number of calories youre consuming is very low. Those meals should be about the 400 calories, but there are very large meals in terms of size, he says.

Sears says that the trendy concept of intermittent fasting is essentially a bookkeeping way of trying to reduce calories. But by doing the Zone Diet, you end up automatically reducing calories by balancing your plate because its the hormones that those proteins and carbohydrates generate that keep you satiated so you arent hungry. And if you arent hungry, you eat less calories. If you eat less calories, you live longer, Sears explains.

You look at your watch. If you have no hunger five hours later, that meal was a hormonal winner for you, says Sears.

Why is that important? Thats the driver of chronic disease, he says.

There was a recent study that demonstrated that if you eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per daythats two kilograms of raw fruits and vegetablesthat your likelihood of death decreases by about 31% decrease. Your likelihood of getting dying from cardiovascular disease decreases by 25% and dying of stroke also decreases by about 25%, he says, adding that this is due to the polyphenols found inside these foods.

Even though its a calorie-restricted program, its virtually impossible to eat all the food because on the Zone program, youre eating about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Thats a lot of fruit. Thats a lot of vegetables. And so what your consuming for the average female is about maybe 1,200 calories per day and 1,500 for the average male, he says. What youre looking to do with your meals, says Sears, is to say, Im controlling the hormones so I can maintain enough adequate protein coming in so I can maintain my muscle mass. But basically balancing that protein with the right type of carbohydrates. So I dont overproduce the hormone insulin.

Related: Dr. Travis Stork Reveals His Battle With Chronic Painand Which Diet Helps

The secret, Sears says, is finding the low-fat protein, fruits and vegetables that you like to eat, and learning how to balance that plate. Thenput together about 10 different meals, which you can rotate around. People rarely eat more than 10 different meals at home. Theyll eat two different breakfasts, three different lunches and five different dinners. And if they go out to eat they might go to the same restaurants over and over again eating the same meals, he says. So you dont have to drive yourself crazy trying to perfect hundreds of recipes to make at home.

Remembering that the proper balance is key, here are some good Zone Diet foods:

High-glycemic carbohydrates. They enter the bloodstream very quickly as glucose. And then will basically pump up insulin, he says. In terms of what we call whole grains, whole grains are whole because they contain polyphenols. But the rate of entry of the carbohydrates in the blood is no different than a piece of Wonder bread, he adds. So Sears says to keep the amount of starches that you eat to a maximum of around one serving per day. We want about eight servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, one at most and and ideally zero of the grains and starches.

Eat an apple to boost heart health. High-fiber foods can lower triglycerides, or fatty lipids found in your blood. Aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day with picks like oatmeal, beans and pears.

Greek yogurt with some almonds as a healthy fat source. Another option is slow-cooked oatmeal and an egg white omelet. Youre balancing protein to carbohydrate and then add some guacamole to the top of the egg white omelet. Both of these should keep you full for five hours.

A chicken Caesar salad. You get the 25 grams of protein with the chicken breast and the salad. But the salad doesnt have carbohydrates. So with that, youd have another two to three servings of vegetables on the side.

Think three servings of non-starchy vegetables, things like broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, cauliflowers. And then for protein, salmon or chicken.

Yes. Both groups eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. So, according to Sears, 2/3 of their plate is already completed. Vegetarians can add in eggs and dairy products for their protein sources and vegans can opt for a soybean protein product.

No.This way of eating doesnt place its focus on fruits and vegetables, Sears says, which he deems as being key for gut health. He also says people following a Ketogenic diet plan need to make sure that they are getting enough beneficial bacteria-feeding fiber, which can be tough to do. A Mediterranean diet is good pairing with the Zone diet.

If youre big on eating out, have a restaurant modify a dish until it works for you on this plan. People tend to go to the same 5 to 10 restaurants on repeat, which is a benefit to those doing this program. They might have a menu with hundreds of meals, but you eat the same one every time. So you keep telling them to adjust the meal, take off some of the grains and starches, add some more vegetables until you find whats the right meal for you at that restaurant. Then you can keep including that into your weekly repertoire.

Check out 100+ foods you can eat on the Mediterranean diet.

Continued here:
Zone Diet: What Is Dr. Barry Sears' Zone Diet and How Does It Work? - Parade

The number of people cutting down on meat and dairy, or cutting these foods from their diets entirely, has been rising over the last decade. The number of vegans in the UK, for example, quadrupled between 2006 and 2018, according to research by The Vegan Society.

One common motivation for shunning steak and stilton and going vegan is the promised health benefits. The vegan diet is generally considered to be higher in fibre and lower in cholesterol, protein, calcium and salt than an omnivorous diet but there are still misconceptions and concerns around cutting meat, fish, eggs and dairy completely from our diets.

One common concern is whether a vegan diet provides enough vitamin B12. B12 helps prevent nerve damage, and is found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy, but not in fruit or vegetables. It's recommended that adults consume 1.5 micrograms of the vitamin per day.

A B12 deficiency can lead to neurological symptoms such as numbness, and its irreversible if the deficiency is present for too long, says Janet Cade, of the Nutritional Epidemiology Group, School of Food Science and Nutrition.

Read more from The Vegan Factor on BBC Good Food

A recent study involving 48,000 people over 18 years compared the health of meat-eaters, pescatarians who eat fish and dairy but not meat and vegetarians, including some vegans. They found that people who eat vegan and vegetarian diets have a lower risk of heart disease, but a higher risk of stroke, possibly partly due to a lack of B12.

The researchers found that those who didnt eat meat had 10 fewer cases of heart disease and three more strokes per 1,000 people compared with the meat-eaters. Researcher Tammy Tong, nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, says the higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke could be for several reasons.

Haemorrhagic stroke is caused by a bleeding in the brain. While low cholesterol is protective for heart disease and ischemic stroke, theres some evidence showing that low cholesterol levels (associated with the vegan and vegetarian diet) may be linked to a small risk of haemorrhagic stroke.

Read more:
Are there health benefits to going vegan? - BBC News

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