Quote:
Originally Posted by PR_Glen
I ran into an article on this the other day saying that Bill Clinton is on a complete vegan diet now and supposedly it is working and reversing his issues with heart disease.
Another article today explaining it here:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/19...tml?&hpt=hp_c2
I'm not a proponent of dieting in general, but I'm curious what some of you think about this diet. It eliminates all meats, eggs, dairy and most oils. I honestly don't believe I could ever do it.. but I also don't think most vegans look very healthy to me either.. even Clinton himself looks worn down and frail... |
It's pointless to argue with anyone because its more about personality, cult like stubbornness and personal views than it is about biochemistry and physiology... but the simple fact is that its extremely difficult to meet a bodies energy/protein requirements/needs with a vegan diet. Particularly when being active. Not saying it can't be done. I'm saying people typically don't do it or won't do it. That's why they look unhealthy, have bad hair and so on.
Further, the energy yield from fibrous veggies is about 25% of what it is from simple carbs. Your body has a very hard time turning fiber into energy. Thats why you can be on a low carb diet and eat all the asparagus and broccoli you want as it won't cause an insulin response no matter how much you eat. When that is the staple of your diet, then... you don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand why rapid weight loss occurs. It's called starvation.
It's also worth pointing out that "looking healthy" is about what you've done over a long period of time and exercise, supplements, genetics and so on. Because Bob "looks good" snorting heroin this week, or eating a certain way, doesn't mean a vegan diet is either the cause of him looking good that he won't soon be looking bad in the future as his body deals with severe calorie restriction, protein / fat deficiencies and so on.