ARTICLES: Corriere della Sera, August 19, 2009.
Experts Use: Ok vegetarian diet
official pronouncement of the American Dietetic Association, but with some caveats.
But to be studied well and never improvised, especially for children.
Experts Use: Ok vegetarian diet
official pronouncement of the American Dietetic Association, but with some caveats.
But to be studied well and never improvised, especially for children.
LONDON - The paper has a certain weight. It is indeed the word of the American Dietetic Association, the journal of the association has taken a position on a vegetarian diet with some sort of official statement on the subject. That sounds something like "carefully planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally balanced and offer benefits for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If they are well designed, are appropriate in all stages of life and can be also suitable for pregnant women, children and adolescents. " NO
the sudden - this side of the ocean is almost entirely agree Carlo Cannella, president of the National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, who comments: "Vegetarian diets are definitely positive for the health and also safe, as long as you follow specific criteria. That can not be improvised, because they require knowledge that not everyone: those who want to take this path should be followed by a physician or by someone competent. Each can then learn to manage their own power, but do not rely on praticoni or let go for DIY. "
CHILDREN - The risk of deficiencies exist in fact eliminating meat, fish and, in most versions of "hard", even dairy products. For this Cinnamon calls for caution when it comes to children: "With the kids would go real slow. I fear a lot of extremism, especially the parents who take radical positions and requiring children, even very small, restrictive diets that may lead to an unbalanced diet, with all the attendant risks during a sensitive period as that of growth. For more - continues Cinnamon - the vegetarian diet involves the consumption of higher amounts of food, because foods that make nutrition a density lower. A similar scheme may thus be more difficult to follow in childhood. "
ADVANTAGES - Caution then with the smaller, but apart from that the expert Italian wedding the U.S. position: "If well conducted, vegetarian diets are not hazardous. The risk of marginal deficiencies and relates more nutrients such as vitamin B12 which is hard to find in foods allowed: for example, there is tofu or mushrooms, but it is quite unusual to consume large quantities of these foods, "says Cannella. Go ahead then, if it is followed by an expert telling us what and how to introduce in daily life. The benefits are not few, as explained by the American Dietetic Association, "Vegetarians have a lower average body mass index, a lower risk of high cholesterol, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Their diet contains low levels of cholesterol and saturated fats and instead brings large amounts of fiber, vitamins C and E, magnesium and potassium, flavonoids, carotenoids, folate - U.S. experts write -. These differences may explain some of the nutritional benefits of a vegetarian diet varied and balanced, which is also associated with a lower probability of cancer. "
MOTHERS - In the American document there are sections devoted to specific benefits of a meatless diet, osteoporosis, cancer, le malattie cardiovascolari e una parte dedicata a rassicurare le future mamme vegetariane: «La loro alimentazione può essere nutrizionalmente adeguata e non pericolosa per loro stesse e per il bambino», scrivono gli autori. La raccomandazione finale ribadisce però il concetto più importante: «È fondamentale affidarsi a nutrizionisti esperti, che possano dare consigli e informazioni appropriate sui nutrienti essenziali e come garantirseli, sulle modifiche da fare per venire incontro a restrizioni alimentari imposte da allergie, malattie o, semplicemente, per affrontare le diverse età della vita».
Elena Meli
