Women's Nutrition (Sorry men, but we have more specific needs.)

Women get their own section, because we have some specific concerns that our breast-less, reproductive system-less friends don't have to the same degree. Osteoporosis (exacerbated by estrogen fluctuation) and breast cancer DO affect men, but not nearly to the same degree. Cervical cancer and fibroids DO NOT affect men except indirectly (suffering of a loved one). Do the scope of the subject matter, I'll start you off with some information about osteoporosis and hope that you'll be WOWed enough to check back soon and learn about the other aforementioned female specific issues.

25% of 65 year old women in the US (Canadian statistics are similar if not identical) suffer from Osteoporosis: classified as a loss of 50 to 75% of original bone material from the skeleton (1). When I first decided to become a vegan, my Mother was worried about the fact that Osteoporosis runs in her family, and without dairy intake, I would become a sitting target. Osteoporosis is, in fact, a disease caused by a number of things, the most important of which is not adequate calcium intake, but excess dietary protein! (2) Even if you were to increase your calcium intake , if you are consuming protein in excess of your dietary needs, the body can actually go into negative calcium balance and will draw calcium from the bones to neutralize the acidic state that excessive protein creates in your blood. With as little as 75 grams of daily protein (less than ¾ of what the average meat-eating American consumes) more calcium is lost in the urine than is absorbed by the body from the diet (even if calcium intake is as high as 1400 mg per day: which is more than the recommended daily allowance)(3.) "…calcium-losing effect of protein on the human body is not an area of controversy in scientific circles…most important dietary change that we can make if we want to create a positive calcium balance that will keep our bones solid is to decrease the amount of proteins we eat each day. The important change is not to increase the amount of calcium we take in." - DR. John McDougall (4). Still not convinced: the Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the largest study of this kind ever undertaken and here are the results.

By the age of 64:
Male vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 3%
Male meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 7%
Female vegetarians had an average measurable bone loss of 18%
Female meat-eaters had an average measurable bone loss of 35%
Although calcium deficiency is not the leading cause of Osteoporosis, it certainly pays to consume good vegetable sources of calcium, such as: kale, collards, mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, bok choy, black beans, chick peas, calcium-processed tofu, calcium-fortified soy milk, calcium-fortified orange juice, and blackstrap molasses (5). This along with sufficient vitamin D and exercise (increases bone mass) and the avoidance of smoking, caffeine, soft drinks (their phosphorous displaces calcium), excessive alcohol and sodium and the absolute avoidance of false and misleading advertising put out by the Dairy Board, you're on your way to a supreme bone health!

(1) Robbins, John, "Diet for a New America", Stillpoint Publishing, 1987
(2) "Diet for a New America"
(3) "Diet for a New America"
(4) "Diet for a New America"
(5) Marcus, Erik, "Vegan - The New Ethics of Eating", McBooks Press, 1998