In a shocking new revelation, a leading medical expert is warning parents that a vegan diet can lead to severe health problems including epilepsy and developmental disorders.The report, out in The Sun Online sees chief physician Allan M. Lund at the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen claiming that vegan food can have severe consequences and has joined in a fierce debate in Denmark about the suitability of a growing number of families who feed their children on a vegan diet.According to Lund, the problem is that poor food, which needs vitamin B12 added, can have serious consequences for children and several who had been on a vegan diet have been treated at the medical centre.Speaking to a local channel, Dr Lund said that such a diet may involve developing different brain symptoms – with muscle weakness, poor contact and epilepsy. He further added that in the long term it could possibly also cause mental retardation.The doctor added that parents should not completely remove meat, eggs and dairy products from small children’s diet – without consulting a dietician.I bet it comes as no surprise that, when you’re after weight loss, researchers have found that eating more non-starchy vegetables (like cucumber, mushrooms, or salad leaves) gives you an edge.Using vegetables for losing weight is a smart idea – they are low in kilojoules/calories, contain vitamins and minerals, and fill you up with their fibre and water. They have what nutritionists call a low kilojoule density. In other words, there’s a lot to eat on your plate but they have fewer kilojoules in each bite. In the old days, diet sheets would call them “free vegetables” as you could eat as much of them as you wanted. They were, and still are, incredibly low in everything you don’t want and powerhouses of things you do, like antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals.They can substitute for starchy root veges like potato or starchy grains like rice or cous-cous so you eat less. And you can add them to any grains you cook to create a half-grain, half-vege dish such as a green fried rice. These veges like capsicum, mushroom, celery, artichoke hearts ‘dilute’ down the final carbs you eat yet leave you feeling good. Which means if you replace other sources of food with these, you’ll lose a lot of weight.Carrots are top of my list among vegetables for losing weight. I just love the crunch and convenience of carrots.
