Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [35]
At one time, there was a widespread belief that zinc deficiency was a common cause of hair loss, but zinc supplementation has not been shown to help. Some studies have linked low iron status to hair loss in women, and it is possible that iron levels that are at the lower end of normal may not support optimal hair growth.
The essential amino acid L-lysine plays a part in the absorption of iron and zinc, and vegans who don’t eat many legumes could find themselves falling short on lysine. Iron supplementation alone doesn’t always increase iron stores. But in one study, iron supplementation plus a supplement of 1.5 to 2 grams per day of L-lysine increased iron stores and decreased hair loss by half.7 Other supplements, like excessive intakes of vitamin E and folic acid, can adversely affect hair growth.
Finally, women who feel they are losing hair may choose to shampoo less frequently in the belief that this will preserve their hair. This hasn’t been shown to prevent hair loss. In fact, since everyone loses some hair on a daily basis, if you shampoo less often, you’ll see more hair in the tub each time you shampoo, which may convince you that you are losing more hair.
If you believe you are losing more hair than usual, be sure to consider other factors first. If you’ve recently lost weight, gone through menopause, are shampooing less often, are dealing with increased stress, or have been taking supplements of vitamin E or folic acid, any of those might be the culprit. If you think diet might be the cause, you may want to have your iron levels measured.
CHAPTER 7
THE VEGAN FOOD GUIDE
Food guides have been a part of nutrition education in the United States for nearly one hundred years. They’ve come a long way too. The first one, published in 1916, had five food groups: fruits and vegetables; meat, fish, and milk; cereals; simple sweets; and butter and wholesome fats. It was produced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the same group that produces the food guide pyramid for Americans today.
While pressure from agriculture and the food industry shapes current food guides and keeps them friendly to animal foods, the trend has been toward a greater emphasis on plant foods. Even so, government food guides are not especially useful for vegetarians, and they are all but useless for vegans. Therefore we need to create our own.
The food guide in this chapter is not the final word on planning a healthy vegan diet. No single food guide represents the only way to meet nutrient needs. And you don’t need to follow these guidelines with meticulous attention every day. You won’t keel over and die if one day you have only four servings of grains!
This is meant to point you towards a diet that is based on a variety of whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. The guide doesn’t include items like chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, and wine. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have them. They just don’t fit into the food groups that should be at the center of your diet.
THE VEGAN FOOD GROUPS
To translate nutrition information into simple menu-planning guidelines, we’ve divided foods into the following groups:
Whole Grains and Starchy Vegetables
These foods are high in fiber, and provide protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. We’ve included starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes because their calorie content and nutrient profiles are similar to those of grains. Although it’s always a good idea to choose whole grains, products like fortified cereals can sometimes make important contributions to the diet, especially for children and some athletes.
Legumes and Soyfoods
These are the most protein-rich of all plant foods, and they are among the few good dietary sources of the essential amino acid lysine for vegans. We recommend at least three to four servings of these foods every day for adults. Generally, one serving provides around 7 to 8 grams of protein, but many of the soyfoods, such as tempeh, veggie meats, and some types of tofu, are quite