By Lauren Campbell (Naturopath & Fertility Massage Therapist)
At Angea, our number one mission is to provide the very best of care and education that helps our clients to self- heal from reproductive complaints and thrive in optimal fertility. We have noticed over the past few years that more and more of our clients are confused when choosing what to eat or what diet to follow. Now more than ever we are seeing more and more vegan clients. Whilst a noble and ethically sound cause, is veganism appropriate and conducive to human reproductive health and fertility? Of course, like anything there is no straight answer. And like everything, there are both “yes” and “no” ripostes to this argument.
Let’s weigh up some of the pitfalls and triumphs of both the vegan and carnivorous diets. Hopefully you’ll be able to have some clarity on the topic and make a decision that is right for YOU.
First of all let’s go through some of the triumphs of a plant based vegan diet…
- Plant based diets can contribute to more frequent bowel motions and thus could reduce the risk of colon cancer
- Plant based diets provide pre-biotic food for the microbiota (good bacteria) in the intestines
- Plant based diets are rich in antioxidants which help to protect our cells against disease
- More fibre = better blood sugar management and reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
- No animal fats means less inflammatory fats (but let’s revisit this later)
- Eating loads of vegetables esp greens is alkalising and supports overall health
The benefits above are only if the vegan diet consists of eating a broad range of vegetables, nuts and seeds & sea vegetables, at every meal and in abundance.
Where it goes very wrong (more commonly) is when a “Vegan diet” is actually…
- The bread, pasta & soy diet, with only minimal vegetables
- Fruit, fruit, fruit and more sugary fruit as an energy source
- A high fruit diet, lots of smoothies, smoothie bowls and vegan treats contributes to candida and small bacterial overgrowth (gut issues!)
- Copious amounts of nuts and sweetener syrups found in vegan snacks, desserts etc
- Very little to no digestible protein or quality fats
- Eating a predominantly carbohydrate based diet (blood sugar and metabolism nightmare!)
- Eating too little and using veganism as a restrictive diet to control weight
- Eating too much raw food, especially kale, spinach & soy which can block iodine uptake by the thyroid and cause hypothyroidism (slow, sluggish metabolism, weight gain and irregular menstrual cycles)
Veganism (when done properly), does extremely well on the fibre, antioxidant, macro-minerals and folate front, but it poses a risk for the following nutritional deficiencies…
- Adequate protein: required for muscle development, all cell development & growth, brain health, cognition, neurotransmitter production, hormone health, liver detoxification, tissue regeneration (including the gut)
- Iron: building & oxygenation of blood, growth and development, immune health, energy, phase 1 liver detox enzymes
- Zinc: hormone health, cell development, neurotransmitter production, tissue repair and healing, immune health
- Vitamin B12: nerve health and development, energy production, methylation, neurotransmitters, liver detoxification
- Vitamin B6: hormone balance (esp progesterone), nerve health and development, energy production, methylation, neurotransmitter production
- Vitamin A*: skin health, immune health, vision and eye health, gut repair
- Omega 3 fatty acids*: anti-inflammatory fats in all cell membranes, cardiovascular health, memory & cognition, brain development and overall brain health
- Vitamin D: we need plenty of cholesterol in our skin to convert the suns rays to the active D3 form. Active usable vitamin D is also only found in animal foods such as fish, liver and butter. Low fat vegan diets pose a risk for poor vitamin D absorption resulting in deficiency.
All of the above nutrients are they key ones involved with hormone balance, reproductive function and the healthy development of a baby.
**Nutrients such as Omega 3 DHA+ EPA and Vitamin A can be made in the body from plant foods, however they require adequate levels of zinc and B vitamins (typically low in vegan diet). So even if you are getting loads of plant based nutrients, conversion to their active and usable forms may not be happening.
Ok now let’s shine the light onto the meat-eater diet. This too can go horribly wrong! Major pitfalls…
- Overconsumption of meat! Yikes, there is no arguing, on a whole we eat too much meat, too often and too large a portion.
- Consuming factory farmed meat or eggs. Animals that aren’t living with space and grass are usually sicker, stressed and require antibiotics and steroids. You do not want to consume that!
- Grain fed meats= pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats rather than grass fed varieties that are rich in omega 3 anti-inflammatory fats
- Relying on meat as the main source of food and therefore skipping or eating too little plant based foods
- Low fibre and excessive meat protein is a disaster for bowel health, bowel motions and poses a risk for bowel cancer
- Hydrogenated fat/oils such as margarine contain trans-fat which are not recognisable to the body and may cause cell dysfunction, oxidative damage and pose a cardiovascular risk
- Hormones & pesticides in conventional meat and dairy (the horrors!)
What a balanced meat-eater diet looks like…
- The predominant food source is huge variety of plants (vegetables and fresh herbs)
- Grass fed, free range and organic meat and eggs in small amounts, in a quantity that suits the individuals body weight and shape and digestive capacity
- Sustainably caught wild fish 1-2 times a week
- Quality grass fed real butter and/ghee, not margarine
- Nuts and seeds
- 1-2 pieces of fruit a day
- Some meat free or vegan days each week
A balanced diet containing mostly vegetables and some quality and more ethically sourced animal products provides all the nutrients the human body needs in the correct forms. That last part is important. You’ll hear and read that spirulina and mushrooms contain vitamin B12, leafy greens and soy contain iron and all plant foods and tofu contain proteins- BUT it’s the forms that count. Plant B12 and iron is very different and poorly utilised compared to animal B12. The protein content in plants is often too little, incomplete or bound to fibre making it almost impossible to breakdown and absorb completely. Soy is one of the most allergenic and hormonally problematic foods we can eat (worthy of a blog post itself).
Veganism and fertility
In clinic we have observed that a restrictive vegan diet is one of the most common causes of amenorrhea (absence of menstruation) and the resulting infertility. Some of these women may have started using the vegan diet as a way to reduce calorie intake and have fallen into a negative relationship with food, which is overly restrictive and deprives the body of what it needs. That’s not the case for every vegan, however we do see it a lot and it is a concerning pattern emerging from the younger upcoming generation who have adopted the vegan diet but don’t have the education to eat well on it.
The good news is, that when these women have introduced some grass fed meats, eggs, bone broth and fish back into their diets, their cycles return and often fertility is restored. Their bodies are also in a better position nutritionally and physically to grow a healthy baby and carry to full term.
If eating animal foods is not an option
For some, it’s unquestionable to change from a vegan diet to eating animal foods again. In this case we roll up the sleeves and take on the challenge! As a naturopath and nutritionist I have spent a long time researching this area to provide dietary advice for my vegan clients. I respect and admire that for some it breeches their deepest ethics or religious beliefs. It may be possible to live and thrive on a vegan diet but it takes a lot of education, commitment, preparation, dedication and some supplementation to ensure all the nutritional demands are met.
Working out the best diet for you
We all know someone who raves about how one of the latest raw vegan diets or paleo or ketogenic, intermittent fasting, bulletproof etc transformed their health and their life and how everybody should do it too. If only it was that simple! I’ve seen the vegan diet transform some and destroy many others. Paleo has suited most but sometimes messes up a few. Bulletproof has clogged the poor livers of too many and the ketogenic diet has flat lined (not literally) some poor souls. Intermittent fasting has created dramatic change in loads but messed up the metabolism of a great number of people. You can see that there is no one perfect diet. There are too many factors at play- genetics, cultural heritage, migration, blood type, microbiome, food preferences, metabolism, organ function, digestive strength & capacity, insulin responses…the list goes on. What to do? Listen in to your intuition and common sense first. Then seek a health practitioner to do some fine tweaking based on your individuality, constitution, seasonal changes and food preferences. It really isn’t all that complicated when it comes down to it, I promise!
Lauren is a Naturopath and Fertility Massage Therapist with a BHSc Naturopathy and a Certificate in Fertility Massage. A true advocate of holistic health and wellbeing, Lauren offers her unique treatment of Fertility Massage at Angea together with her naturopathic expertise and functional testing. To make an appointment to see Lauren please call 9510 3700 or email reception@angea.com.au