Veganism a lifetime commitment to a way of life

This week there was another bit of confusing information reported in the healthcare literature. A scientist in the U.S. Agricultural Research Service at the University of California named Lindsay Allen told a Washington science conference that a strict vegan (pronounced VEE-gan) diet might be harmful to children.

The professor claimed that, after tests were carried out on 544 children in Kenya over two years, the children given a diet that included two ounces of meat (enough to provide nutrients such as vitamin B12, zinc and iron), as opposed to their usual diet of starchy, low-nutrition corn and bean staples, had improved mental skills in tests, had more energy on the playground, and showed more “leadership skills.” On the other hand, the Vegan Society dismissed the claims, saying its research showed vegans were often healthier than meat eaters.