Woman’s Weekly Living Series – July 2019

Should you

be going

Or gluten- or fat-free? And are exclusion

diets good for you? We asked the experts

PHOTOS: GETTY

The pros

✿A well-thought-out

vegan diet has many

health benefits, says

Ali Cullen, nutritional

therapist for A. Vogel.

‘For example, cutting out

animal protein can reduce

your risk of inflammatory

conditions, while

removing dairy products

can help to clear up skin

problems and reduce

catarrhal congestion. The

benefits are greatest if you

start eating more fresh fruit

and vegetables, and eating

fewer highly refined and

heavily processed foods.’

The cons

✿‘It’s just as possible to

eat a vegan junk-food

diet as a non-vegan

junk-food diet,’ says Ali.

‘Poor-quality, salty, sugary,

processed food is not

good for you whether it’s

vegan or not.’ You can

have a problem getting

key nutrients vitamin B12,

iron, and zinc too.

The verdict

✿Make sure your diet is

full of healthy plants, and

take steps to address the

deficiencies in a vegan

diet. ‘Spirulina, kelp,

alfalfa and fermented

foods such as miso and

tempeh are supposed to

contain B12 – but they

are not reliable sources,’

says Ali. ‘Look out

for cereals,

nutritional

yeast and

plant milks

that are

labelled

as being

fortified with B12. Or

take a daily low-dose B12

supplement (3-10mcg).

✿‘Get iron from

wholegrain cereals, green

leafy veg, pistachios,

pumpkin and sunflower

seeds, soya beans, tofu,

cashews, whole lentils,

chickpeas, kidney beans,

tomato paste, wild rice,

cocoa powder, beetroot,

blackcurrants, prunes,

figs and apricots. Take

vitamin C at the same

time to help absorption.

✿ ‘There are many

non-meat sources of

zinc, but they can be

lower in the mineral than

they should be if the

soil they grew in was

depleted. A 15mg daily

supplement is

a good idea,

choose one

that has

copper if

taking it

long-term.’

GoinG Gluten- free

The pros

✿If you’re among the

estimated 1% who have

coeliac disease, then eating

gluten will cause your

immune system to launch

an attack on your body.

Symptoms are mainly

digestive, but you’re

also at increased risk of

other conditions, such as

osteoporosis and bowel

cancer. But will it help

giving up gluten if you don’t

have coeliac disease?

Possibly, says

nutritional therapist

Judy Watson. You

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vegan?

foortiififiedwithB 12 Or

GoinG VeGan