Will being vegan affect my physical ability?!
Answers: I'm 12 years old, and school's pretty important to me.I don't want to lose any physical abilities that will contribute to my physical education grade. Despite the fact that my parents won't mind me having a low grade in P.E., I won't take that chance. I want to keep my As up. I REALLY love animals, and I RARELY, I mean, RARELY, eat meat. I never liked meat... I'd really like to turn vegan, but my mother keeps telling me how I won't grow tall (I'm short...) and big. Will that really happen? Will being vegan affect my physical ability in any way?
Nope, it won't affect your physical ability in a negative way if you have a varied diet (fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, beans, fake meats, etc.)... so make sure to eat more than tons of carbs and junk food.
Show your mom these:
"Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence." http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...
Dr. Charles Attwood writes that vegetarian children often grow taller than their meat-eating friends, noting, “Children on low-fat diets of mostly vegetables, fruits, grain, and legumes, when consuming adequate calories, not only grow normally, but have actually been shown to attain greater height than meat-eating children.”
http://goveg.com/lettuce_healthy.asp
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/c...
Good luck!
Because you will be lacking in protein intake your muscle development will struggle. Growing won't be a problem, but if you wish gain muscle mass and prepare for sports eating some kind of meat would be the way to go.
No, but you need to make sure you are eating a well-balanced diet. It's possible to eat healthily or unhealthily on a vegetarian diet, just like anything else.
And because I know it will come up, I want to mention that you CAN get enough protein with a vegetarian diet. It's actually really hard to not get enough, since there is protein in every food.
You might have cause for concern because your parents are unsupportive. They might not know what kinds of foods to purchase for you to make sure you get the right balance of nutrients. I suggest you educate yourself and your parents on vegetarian nutrition before you change anything. Start reading books on the topic.
I've heard that this one is good:
http://books.google.com/books?id=LGeQKQa...
Good luck!
Any diet is as good or as bad as the next one, The key word is balanced, any diet that is balanced is good for you.
Ask Carl Lewis, nine-time Olympic gold medalist, or Ruth Heidrich, Ironman triathlon champion, if veganism has affected their physical ability...
The answer is, if you are eating a varied, balanced vegan diet, you will be perfectly healthy. If you are eating a junk food diet, whether vegan or not, you will suffer physically.
No my scienc teacher is Vegan and she is a great dancer she is also good at track
I've been vegan since conception and have never even had a cold. I danced and ran track in high school.
It bothers me so much that eating fruits and veggies is thought to be "unhealthy" while vegetarians far outlive the vast majority of Americans, who are struggling with heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
eating a healthy (grain, fruit, and veggie-filled) vegan diet will keep you in good shape. most of my male vegan friends are much more toned than they were before, when they ate meat and dairy.
but one thing to watch for is your vitamins! most B vitamins are found in animals products. B vitamins are essential for brain function, memory, etc. be sure you either take vitamins or eat supplemented foods with plenty of B vitamins and iron. (like cereal, or rice milk). this will keep your body and mind in great shape.
as for your mother, i'd get her a book called "Diet for a New America", which explains all the science behind a vegan diet, and how easy it is for vegans to get all the protein and calcium they need, even more than meat-eaters. veganism will not stunt your growth! (except your fat growth) =)
why any so called responsible well balanced adult give advise to a 12 year old about diet and nutrition, something that could affect their well being, to promote a lifestyle that they chose is beyond me.
Kid, talk to your mother and ask her if you could both visit a physician or nutritionist who can explain to you WITHOUT BIAS, the pros and cons of the lifestyle choice you are going to make. Otherwise, until you leave her house, she decides what's best for you, not some mindless fanatic on Yahoo Answers.
(PS some of you vegan mothers said as much when somebody asked about how you feed your kids. Now put your money where your mouths are. Let this child's mother decide for him! Or are we suppose to write down HYPOCRITE beside your names from now on?, )