IS A VEGAN DIET HEALTHY?

A vegan diet is a type of vegetarian ˌvedʒ·ɪˈteər·i·ən diet that excludes not just meat, but
ALL animal products including dairy ˈdeər·I and eggs. One of the most striking features of
this issue is that some people take a vegan diet even further ˈfɜr·ðər and embrace ɪmˈbreɪs
it as a lifestyle, and will not purchase ˈpɜr·tʃəs or use any clothing ˈkloʊ·ðɪŋ or personal care
products that include animal-based ingredients. Although some people may thrive θraɪv
on a vegan or plant-based diet, it should be noted that it is considered an extreme diet
because of how many foods it excludes ɪksˈklud, as well as the potential for nutritional
deficiencies dɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si. Having said this, is a vegan diet healthy?

ARGUMENTS

I beg to differ ˈdɪf·ər, but I feel strongly that since a vegan diet excludes all forms of animal
protein ˈproʊ·tin including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, people following a vegan diet often
turn to legumes as a plant-based protein source. Legumes have high levels of antinutrients
including lectins and phytates, both of which can increase intestinal ɪnˈtes·tə·nəl
permeability pɝː.mi.əˈbɪl.ə.t̬ i.

On the contrary ˈkɑːn.tre.ri, protein sources from animals do not contain anti-nutrients and
are among the highest sources of foods in terms of nutrition for humans. Among other
things, a protein deficiency dɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si can cause fatigue fəˈtiːɡ, hair loss, and swelling.

The risk is that when people remove rɪˈmuːv animal protein from their diet and replace it
with higher amounts of legumes, then there could be an increased risk of gut
inflammation. Hence, it is a potential risk that you should be aware of.

It is universally acknowledged that vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep neurons
ˈnʊr.ɑːn and blood cells healthy. Vegans are also at a high risk of developing a ˈvɑɪ·t̬ ə·mɪn
Vitamin-B12 deficiency that, if untreated ʌnˈtriː.t̬ ɪd, can potentially cause neurological nʊr.ə
ˈlɑː.dʒɪ.kəl effects that are irreversible ɪr.əˈvɝː.sə.bəl.

For me, the gist dʒɪst of the matter ˈmæt̬ ·ər is that when following ˈfɑ·loʊ·ɪŋ a vegan diet,
you can develop certain micronutrient ˈmaɪkroʊ deficiencies if you're not careful. At the
same time, Iron plays a crucial role in transporting oxygen ˈɑk·sɪ·dʒən throughout your
body but it can be difficult to get enough of it when following a vegan diet. There are two
types of iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is found only in animal sources.
Since those following a vegan diet do not consume kənˈsum heme iron, they must rely on
non-heme iron, which can be found in plant sources, including fruits and vegetables.