REAL vitamin A foods, please stand up!
When you hear think about vitamin A foods, what sources come to mind? Most nutrition books and internet sources list the following as excellent sources of vitamin A:
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Dark leafy greens
- Cantaloupe
- Bell peppers
Although taken for granted as ideal vitamin A foods, these plants provide only the precursor to vitamin A, carotenoids. Interestingly, we need to be consuming true vitamin A foods, foods containing retinol, to meet our vitamin A requirements.
Retinoids vs. Carotenoids
The most important fact about vitamin A is the difference between retinoids and cartenoids. The vitamin A from animal sources is retinoids, also called retinol, while plant source vitamin A is carotenoids, such as beta carotene.
Animal sources of retinol is bio-available, which means the body can utilize it. The vitamin A from plant sources, in contrast, must first be converted to retinol to be useful in the body. This poses two big problems.
First, when we are in pristine health, it requires at least six units of carotenes to convert into 1 unit of retinol (source). To put this in perspective, that means one must eat 4 1/2 pounds of carrots to potentially get the amount of useable A as in 3 oz. of beef liver (source). What happens if we have digestive issues, hormone imbalances, or other health problems? It requires even more units of carotene in the ratio.
Second, the carotene-to-retinol conversion is HIGHLY compromised. As a matter of fact, this conversion is negligible for many individuals. This conversion is virtually insignificant:
- In infants
- In those with poor thyroid function (hypothyroidism)
- In those with diabetes
- In those who are on a low fat diet or have a history of low fat dieting
- In those who have compromised bile production (think: gallbladder and digestive issues) (source and source)
So, do you still think carrots are a vitamin A food? As with other orange veggies, sweet potatoes provide carotenes. Although beta carotene is an antioxidant, it is not true vitamin A. We must eat true vitamin A foods on a daily basis to meet our requirements for this essential nutritient.
True Vitamin A Foods
What are true vitamin A foods – the foods that give the body retinol, not carotenes?
- Liver from any animal, enjoy pasture-raised liver 2-3 times per week or take desiccated liver capsules daily
- Fermented Cod Liver Oil, which is higher in vitamins (I recommend the Cinnamon Tingle flavor)
- Regular Cod Liver Oil, the Weston A Price Foundation suggests this specific brand of cod liver oil capsules if the fermented option cannot be purchased. (However, there is some controversy that this cod liver oil is now stripped of the naturally-occurring vitamins during processing.)
- Egg yolks from hens foraging in pasture, ideally enjoy 2-4 egg yolks per day (Don’t worry about the cholesterol)
- Butter from grassfed cows
- Heavy cream from grassfed cows
Without a doubt, regular consumption of pasture-rasied liver is the most effective way to consume optimal levels of this vitamin. Men, women, children, and infants should consume liver on a bi-weekly basis. (This book explains how and why to feed liver to your baby). If you don’t enjoy eating liver or liver pate, I believe desiccated liver capsules are a nonnegotiable supplement for overall health and hormone balance.
Vitamin A Foods for Vegetarians and Vegans
As you can see, true vitamin A foods come from animal sources. A vegan diet simply does not provide the body with adequate vitamin A for optimal health. A vegan diet also reduces thyroid function and bile release, which drastically compromises the already poor carotene-to-cartenoid conversion.
From the Inuit in Alaska to the Maori in New Zealand, traditional cultures inherently understood the importance of consuming animal products. That’s why all “primitive peoples” (as Dr. Price called them) from across the globe without exception ate some form of animal products. For more information on the unbreakable dietary laws of traditional peoples, read Dr. Price’s recorded research in his life-changing book.
A vegetarian may be able to meet daily vitamin A requirements by emphasizing pastured egg yolks and grassfed dairy products. If I could suggest one meat-based product for a vegetarian to consume, it would be desiccated liver capsules. Liver is the best source of vitamin A and, gram-for-gram, the most nutrient-dense food.
Widespread Vitamin A Deficiency
The Weston A. Price Foundation offers a uniquely informed recommendation on vitamin A intake:
From the work of Weston Price, we can assume that the amount in primitive diets was about 50,000 IU per day, which could be achieved in a modern diet by consuming generous amounts of whole milk, cream, butter and eggs from pastured animals; beef or duck liver several times per week; and 1 tablespoon regular cod liver oil or 1/2 tablespoon high-vitamin cod liver oil per day. (Source).
50,000 IU of vitamin A per day? You may wonder. Is that for real?
Yes, yes it is. Consuming plenty of true vitamin A foods contributed to the flourishing vitality of traditional cultures, discussed in Dr. Price’s landmark book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Due to the lack of true vitamin A foods in our modern diet, we face an epidemic of vitamin A deficiency. This contributes to the widespread health issues in our culture including:
- Hormonal imbalances
- Infertility
- Mood disorders
- Skin problems including eczema and acne
- Poor immune system
- Thyroid disorders like hypothyroidism
Vitamin A Toxicity: Should you be concerned?
Reports of vitamin toxicity or birth defects with moderate vitamin A supplementation led to a society traumatized by vitamin A toxicity. The studies that link moderate doses of vitamin A to health problems and birth defects use synthetic vitamin A. As with all synthetic vitamins, synthetic A lacks the complex cofactors and “living” integrity of natural A that allows the body to actually utilize the vitamin.
Since the body doesn’t really know how to use the fake vitamin, it collects in the body and can become toxic at moderate levels. In this way, synthetic vitamin A is more of a toxin than a nutrient. Steer clear of multivitamins and fortified grain products to reduce exposure to synthetic A. (Source)
Popping multivitamins won’t address vitamin A deficiency because your body simply cannot utilize the isolated, synthetic vitamin A. Technically, however, there is a pill that will give your body useable vitamin A… and that is desiccated liver pills!
Non-isolated, natural vitamin A in a whole-food source does not cause problems except in extremely high amounts. Dr. Weston Price studied the diets of traditional cultures around the globe and it is surmised from his work that these diets contained about 50,000 IU of natural vitamin A per day. This dose of vitamin A did not cause health problems but contributed to the glowing vitality of what he described as “primitive cultures.”
It all comes down to one nonnegotiable fact: we must consume true vitamin A foods to meet our vitamin A requirements!
Pair Vitamin A Foods with Vitamin D
An essential puzzle piece of the vitamin A story is vitamin D. Vitamins A and D work hand-in-hand: D helps the body utilize vitamin A and prevents toxicity of the natural vitamin A. Dr. Price’s traditional cultures thrived on high doses of natural A because they were also receiving adequate levels of vitamin D through sun exposure and the proper diet.
Cod liver oil, a historically sacred food, offers the unique balance of vitamin A and vitamin D, both in highly bio-available forms. Everyone from babies to pregnant mothers to the elderly can benefit by taking a top quality cod liver product daily.
For those who do not receive 10-20 minutes of daily mid-day sun exposure, I recommend this uniquely absorbable vitamin D supplement taken daily. I never skip my drop a day of this stuff! Experts advise a regular vitamin D serum test if you are taking any type of vitamin D supplement. Learn more from Dr. Mercola about vitamin D serum tests.
Want to absorb vitamin A? Don’t forget the fat!
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. So, we can neither consume adequate vitamin A or absorb this vitamin A if we are on a low fat diet. (Period.) Adequate fat is also increases the poor conversion of carotenoids to useable A. Fortunately, Mother Nature, in all of her wisdom, designed the foods rich in true vitamin A to contain the fat we need to utilize the vitamin.
In particular, butter and animal fats such as lard and tallow stimulate bile release and therefore aid in A absorption and the conversion of carotenoids to useable A. Although these fats nourished our ancestors, animal fats were shunned by recent generations due to poor science. Fortunately, the low fat era is coming to an end as we shed light on the fact that old fashioned fats are good for us!
For the love of true vitamin A, share this post with the buttons below!
I’ve been vegan for a couple years, vegetarian before that. I do endurance sports and I have no deficiencies and I am never ill – ever. I cannot remember the last time I was ill or went to the docs.
These people below that you probably heard of are also vegan and have no deficiencies and are (have to be) in top physical and mental condition as well because their job is to represent their country and be physically the best in their field.
Venus and Serena Williams – world top tennis players
Novak Djokavic – world top tennis player
Rich Rolls – ultramarathon and ultra ironman world champion
Fiona Oakes – ultramarathon world champion and record holder
Patrik Babouian – strongest man in Germany and world record holder strong man
Nate Diaz – MMA (beat Conor McGregor in the last 6 months)
David Haye – boxer
Kendrick Farris – world weightlifter record holder
Carl Lewis – 9 Olympic Golds for athletics
Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1- world number 1
Torre Washington – international body builder
Steph Davies – world champion rock climber
Tia Blanco – world champion surfer
The list goes on but I only have limited time to spare to show people who are likely afraid to make positive changes that a vegan diet is great for you. If you go on any of their pages they’ll have a breakdown of what they eat which and how easy it is to get everything you need from whole-food and plant based food. Just look into it. You might look back and be grateful down the line when you have avoided heart disease (number 1 killer in the world) which is brought on by high fat meat and dairy diets.
I agree that there are many incredible performance athletes who follow a vegan diet, but I believe it to be the exception not the rule. We can certainly swap anecdotes for days, about whether a vegan or traditional-food diet is most helpful for athletes. Many of my colleagues work with dancers and athletes in their practice, and a switch from veganism to traditional food reduces injuries for their clients. The literature shows that heart disease is not caused by high cholesterol or the fat from meat/dairy: http://empoweredsustenance.com/is-cholesterol-bad/, http://empoweredsustenance.com/low-fat-diet-bad/
With respect, a vegan diet is completely safe and healthy, and in fact, AND (as well as other medical organizations), actually supports vegan diet for all ages, as well as for high-performance athletes. You discuss that the athletes mentioned are the exception, which I would argue is false. The truth of the matter is, all diets can lack nutritional qualities; the key is for the person to plan their diet to ensure they are meeting the requirements- this is true for non-vegans. It is truly disheartening (and scary) that non-professional “nutritional experts” are out here endorsing such nonsense. It is time that people start listening to actual experts in the field.
A vegan diet makes total sense, there is no cruelty, there are no forests cut down to graze animals on, no methane gasses that affect climate change extra vegtables and fruits grown in that spacenow used for animals to help with climate change, no animal fats clogging up your heart . Whats actually goos about a meat and dairy diet?
only millions of acres of land cleared for soy and corn or canola right?
Carnivores have to take a lot more supplements to counteract the negative effects of animal protein than do vegans to promote their health.
THIS. Thank you for injecting some reason/sanity here. The last thing our planet/species needs is MORE people consuming animal products – but no, not just animal products… animal products that require even more resources than usual (i.e., “organic” or “pasture-raised”)! Oy. I really can’t fathom people who think their 70-100 (tops?)-year-life on this earth demands farming practices that are literally dooming our existence so they can be “healthy” … even if that were true, please see how selfish that sounds. But thankfully, it’s not true. Very healthy, strong, too fertile (lol) vegan over here too. Dropping the last sources of animal foods from my diet (four years ago) was the final key in my wellbeing and even if it weren’t, I’m never going back now that I know the knife’s edge our planet is perched on in terms of our future survival. 6 billion people can’t eat pasture-raised meats and dairy. I’m sorry but they just can’t. End of story. But I’m glad I read this because it always makes me chuckle heartily to see anyone who believes “traditional” or “primitive” cultures (whatever the hades those purposely vague terms mean!) represent a glowing portrait of human health – LOLOLOL. The Weston Price “Foundation” truly has a lot to answer for….
what is it with (western) vegetarians and vegans that they feel to criticize everyone who doesn’t eat the way they do? i grew up in a traditionally (lacto-ovo) vegetarian culture – hindu indian (who, you’ll note, were and are NOT vegans, because it is NOT healthy for humans) – and there was never this contempt for meat-eaters that i see western vegans and vegetarians demonstrate through their comments littered across the interwebs.
if you think being a vegan is good for you – great. do your thing. don’t go crap on other people’s way of lives, that they have come to through much learning and hard-fought experience. it’s just plain rude.
i for one have healed myself (and i’m almost shocked myself to say that, but it’s true) of post-viral CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) by following a whole foods diet that exhibits many of the characteristics of traditional diets as explored by weston a. price. and even though i’ve known about the WAPF way of eating for years, and thought that i was mostly following it, it wasn’t until i really doubled down and focused particularly on regularly consuming 1) organ meats and 2) fresh seafood (both hard to find, and time-consuming to prepare, nowadays) – that i saw a change in my condition. and by change, i mean – i don’t even feel like i HAVE CFS anymore.
it’s amazing. and i feel like a dolt for not changing my ways sooner. but upon reflection: i know why i didn’t: because despite the fact that i knew about and supported the WAPF way of eating, i was so affected by having grown up in the US during the “lowfat is healthy” era, and by the sometimes-militant vegetarians and vegans where i live, that at a subsconscious level, i was still wary of eating more meats and seafood.
i’m so thankful that i finally came to my senses and made a change. i feel like i’ve made a 180-degree turn in my life — i literally feel like i have my life back. and what’s the point of being “alive” if i’m not actually living? if i’m just lying in bed, like a corpse, all day long? not much point, it seems to me.
i’ve had this illness for years. i’m being treated by the #2 doc for my illness in the country. i’m following all the latest treatment protocols that they know of — and i trust that they’re on the cutting edge of medical treatments for my condition. but none of that really made much of a difference. changing my diet made a difference. vegetarianism can work for many people, IF carefully practiced. but for many others of us, our health can only be restored by truly eating an omnivore diet, which is what we evolved to eat. i will never go back to eating mostly vegetarian – or even back to an omnivore diet where i mainly eat muscle meats from land animals, which is what most “meat eaters” in the US eat – ever, ever again. you betcha my life and health simply isn’t worth it.
I had a similar situation. I was vegan for 4 years (vegetarian for many years before that), and I had horrible digestive issues, chronic fatigue syndrome and vitamin/mineral deficiencies. I don’t eat a lot of meat now but do include nutrient dense foods such as organ meat, bone broth, fermented cod liver oil and grass fed ghee. My digestion improved hugely, my chronic fatigue syndrome disappeared and my vitamin/mineral deficiencies resolved. I will never go back to being vegan, I didn’t know how much veganism was making me sick and weak until I started eating more nutrient dense animal foods. I think everyone (and their microbiome, and genetics) is different and while some people may thrive on a vegan diet others don’t. From an environmental aspect it can be argued that a vegan diet for every human on this planet is best but as the previous commenter said, what kind of life is being exhausted in bed all day…
Many people who become vegan eat a very poor diet and then wonder why they get sick. The human body gets used to consuming their previous diet. 99% of all vegans grew up in a meat-eating family, as I did. We changed because we saw the selfishness and cruelty of killing animals for humans as “food”, the pollution into the environment, and the wastefullness of feeding crops, like 90% of all soy and 80% of all corn, to farm animals– 10 to 20 pounds of crops to create 1 pound of cow flesh, and the many diseases related to eating animal products.
Mothers milk is the most natural substance in the world, for BABIES of each species until they are weaned. Then the animal eats solid food and never goes back to mothers milk. Humans are designed for human milk only. Cows’ milk is made for baby calves to help them grow. Yet, humans convince ourselves that the milk of a 1200 pound cow is meant for us, as human children or adults, to consume. Take the milk away from the calf so we can drink it? how selfish!. For people who are addicted to eating animals, they will continue to eat them and find multiple ways to justify those choices, including finding ‘natural’ animals as therefore ‘okay’ to eat. The choice is yours’ to make.
There are thousands of humans who have reversed their chronic diseases by eating a whole food vegan diet. Eliminating the cause of the problems reversed the condition. While many vegans eat many processed vegan foods, I do not and have been vegan for over twenty years. It is not what you eat but what your body absorbs. The comparative anatomy of carnivores and omnivores, herbivores and frugivores shows humans were never designed by God to eat animals. Just because we CAN eat them does not justify what we have done through thousands of years of addiction. Dr. Michael Klaper has an interesting video explaining why he believes meat-eaters can have a difficult time becoming vegan, among other reasons they are addicted to carnitine and the fat within. namaste’, rachel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8YlCOCEUsk
Most people have no idea, of what’s in their foods, they buy from the grocery store. I have learned a ton about this subject, over the last 3 or 4 years. It’s all chemicals and GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). Most “health” websites, won’t even mention anything about these two things. But the food and drink people are buying in the grocery stores are full of these. I wish I could tell everyone to eat and drink only “Organic’s”.
I was a 5’4 lady, and found out one day, that I was 165lb woman, and my weight kept on rising. I was always reading the many health newsletters that I was receiving everyday, and one day it hit me. I have to change my whole eating and drinking habits. And I did. I went to everything organic. And one day (about a month later), my 25yr old daughter came to me, and said, “Mom, come here”, and I was like, “whaat?”. She said, “get on this scale”, and I said “why”? And she said, “just do it”, and so I said “ok”. I stepped on there, not expecting anything, except to see me at 167, but I was down to 125lbs! And I about fell down in shock! I nearly cried! I had no idea. So since then, I’ve learned more about organics than ever. People really need to learn about, what I like to call “clean foods”. There’s so much to know about them. That their are companies, that are lying about being organic, because more and more people are learning about the man made chemicals that are in most everything, and the GMO’s that are in most everything too. There’s sooo much I could write, about all this, but I’m going to stop here, and wish that anyone that reads this, will get the urge to know more, like practically all white foods, bread, sugar, salt, flour, etc etc…are stripped of all their vitamins and minerals, and when your kids box of cereal says that all these vitamins are added, their man-man, not natural, and their bodies can’t use them! And sooo much more! One more thing. Organics are a little bit higher priced. Look for discounts, and items that are discontinued..also Walmarts and Targets have jumped on the organic bandwagon too. Sign up for organic websites, so you’ll know which brands to trust. Look for a green and white circle, that says “USDA Organic” on the front of any bag, box, or canned items. I’ll stop here, but just remember, you ARE what you eat! Oh, the bad thing about this story? I had to buy a whole new wardrobe! LOL…ok, not bad, who doesn’t love a shopping spree??
I totally agree with you. It is up to each individual to find out what is best for them, not ‘one size fits all’. I was plant-based for years and suffered for it. My body tells me what I need and I just have to listen. I think blood types matter, and although I won’t eat meat again, as an ‘O’ type I do well with a few eggs and a bit of fish a week.
That’s awesome. You can eat grass and that way there’s more pasture-raised, organic food for the rest of us. Like you said you can not feed the entire population with this kind of food. Stay vegan, please.
“..demands farming practices that are literally dooming our existence so they can be “healthy” ..”
You mean like mono crops controlled by Big Ag that have a huge carbon footprint from start to finish and require mountains of chemicals and poisons to maintain…ps..if you have no idea what your talking about its best not to say anything..
Mate, the majority of crops you are talking about are used for animal feed. If more people stopped eating animals we WOULD need less of those crops.
So please stop supporting “Big Ag” so much by going vegan!
I dislike the fact that great areas of forest lands are destroyed for thoughtless use of grazing. It needs to be stopped and prevented by punitive measures.
What I despise even more is the wasted land and water used for farming many of the following.
Wasted water usage in growing of almonds (and other nut crops), avocados, rice, sugarcane, bananas and in some parts of the world coffee. Wasted land use for growing sugar beets; seed oils (soybeans, corn, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed especially); corn for ethanol; apples, grapes, citrus and other fruits for juicing.
Many of these crops especially seed oils and sugar are mostly harmful to our health because they are the main ingredient in processed foods. Oils are extracted and toxically processed. Sugar in juices and juice concentrates are just as toxic as white sugar itself. The worldwide consumption of these bogus foods is creating a diabetic pandemic that will make Covid look like a walk in the park.
Returning the tens of millions of acres to grazing land for ruminant agriculture may singularly be the best option for the future of the planet. Grasslands are one of the best carbon sinks. And unlike a burning of forest areas if a grassland burned, its underground root systems will bounce back in a shorter time.
Ruminants on grass contribute less damage to wildlife birds, snakes, and insects than any farming of seasonal crops by default of not ripping up the soils and they’re rebuilding the topsoil as well. Ground nesting birds, insect species and reptiles are not destroyed or dislocated because of farm machinery.
A few last thoughts. There needs to be more slaughtering operations around the country. Moving animals to large facilities is unhealthy for the animals and for the overall nutritional superiority of their end products. More jobs across the country and less use of fossil fuels in transportation are a side benefit.
60-75 years ago most people ate more on a seasonal basis and we were healthier for it.
Chicken, turkey and pork raised conventionally in this country is next to worthless because their feed makes the fat profile close to that of seed oils (and probably close to diabetic themselves). The dumbest thing I’ve ever read on a package of “organically raised chicken turkey or pork”is that it was “100% vegetarian fed”. Having raised chickens and turkeys and friends raising pigs … these animals are anything but vegetarians. They are all mono gastric omnivores.
And though this my be uncomfortable to hear but animal blood especially from cattle was the norm years ago for creating firefighting foams. Might think about the toxic messes around the country created by using PFOAS in firefighting foams contaminating water supplies. And btw … dehydrated animal blood is one of the best sources of agricultural nitrogen. My backyard garden does well with it. And it keeps the deer away and in the habitat they belong.
Could people do a bit more thinking before picking sides and not listening to others.
Lastly, in the grand scheme of the planet, the biggest problem on earth is the number of people.
We’re getting to watch the slow swirling of the “nutritionally deficient” drain that over population has created. We may not see mass starvation but poor fetal development and marginal health is coming soon to a planet you’re on.
EXCELLENT comment, Mike! When I researched and found out how many lands are being decimated, how almost 100% of our soils are literally DEAD, and how many MILLIONS of animals are pushed out and most are killed – so that the huge crops can be grown….I was stunned. Vegans preaching and preaching (and I used to be one of them)….so self righteous and acting like they “know”…. and whining about all the animals that are killed. They don’t even think about how many animals THEY kill by ingesting the foods that are grown in those dead soils. Farmers need to add two different minerals to the dead soil just to get a “healthy” (not) plant to surface! Vegans also **never** think about how they are killing PLANTS. I mean…plants have been proven scientifically to have feelings and they react to harm and imminent death. But since vegans claim that plants don’t have “eyes”, or “blood” (yes they do, it’s just not red) or “a mother”…. then the lives of plants don’t matter. How ARROGANT of humans to believe that just because a living thing isn’t set up the same as a human, that their lives don’t matter. Clue yourself in, vegans…. ALL life matters and it isn’t up to you to decide which ones allegedly don’t. Just because plants don’t have a nervous system LIKE US, doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain in their own way. How do YOU know they don’t feel pain? Are YOU a plant? HYPOCRITES! ALL of you! Get off of your holy, high and might judgement seats and stop your finger pointing!!
I always wondered when people say they feel better after they’ve stopped eating animal products if they were consuming CAFO animals that are full of inflammatory fats. In that case, I can see how veganism might be a step up. There are days when I only eat Ayurveda foods which are mostly vegan (but they use plenty of ghee on vegetables to help assimilate their nutrients).
Lastly, pasture-raised animals can be sustainably raised, as Jenny from the Nourished Kitchen wrote about it. Corn and soybean are the most damaging crops to the environment, mostly because they are used to feed cattle. That is just one of the reasons grass-fed cows are ‘greener’, no pun intended. I believe that eating less but higher quality animal products can be a sustainable practice.
If Dr. Weston Price research on the diet of native people isn’t convincing enough, at least look at the conclusion made by Magnesium Man that retinol vitamin A (not beta-carotene) is required to make copper bioavailable and prevent oxidation of the arteries. You can look up Root Cause Protocol for more info.
Wow, the very best thing for Mother Earth is the droppings from those animals, it is wonderful for our soils, please catch up.
The WAP diet heals… it works. Im proof of that. Had 2 filings fall out because the teeth enamel repaired. If vegan can do that more power to you. Hope you are taking supplements with your shitty diet.
I have been vegan for 14 years and vegetarian for 30 Im rarely ill, am a healthy weight and have a clear concience. I cannot be responsible for the suffering animals endure to feed people who can live well and healthily without it. My diet isnt shitty but I would suggest that eating corpses may be
Many of the athletes on your list do have illnesses relate to nutrition. Serena Williams for example.
My dear – heart disease is not caused by fat — it is caused by carb.
You’re an idiot if you think vegans don’t get heart disease look up the facts they get just as much if not more.
While there’s plenty of research to cite, I’ll stick to what I know, and that’s real life. I moved from one side of the pendulum to the other, carnivore. I did NOT feel good eating no meat, but I was dedicated and stuck with it. Yes, I researched and yes, put INCREDIBLE amounts of time into planning meals etc. I stopped and went to regular meals, and then keto and then, incredibly, found the carnivore world. I thought that had to be untenable. It’s not. And unlike veganism which is NOT found in past cultures, carnivore has a solid history of long term healthy populations, old, young, pregnant, highly active etc. The entire point of this reply however, is that the one thing that’s been noted even more often than all that, is the sheer number of post-vegan and vegetarian folks that have had to search desperately to find answers for their health issues, which resolved quickly upon transition to carnivore. These were often folks who had lives and businesses, blogs, testimonials, HUGE COMMITTMENTS, not just a passing fancy, to a way of eating, which destroyed their health, but was resolved by eating carnivore. This isn’t one, two, or three people, this isn’t even dozens – we’re talking DROVES of people. It’s hard to accept, because we are/were so very dogmatic that THIS WORKS. It doesn’t, and those folks may be ok, and I have nothing to say about their health except YEA!! I’m glad they’re doing ok!! But I can give you a dozen examples of folks who HAD TO change, to save their own lives, for every name on the list above. Like I said, I was also a non meat eater for a long time and I truly value that way of thinking. If it worked, I’d still be there. (nice try with the response of “you weren’t doing it right…” Bull. Yes I was.) IT’S not right, not how I was doing it. I spent lots of time and research and on and on as were the many, many folks who ALSO were seriously committed and changed direction. NOT due to ideology, but simple health. I wish you good success, but honestly, I’m guessing you’ll eventually find that plants aren’t the friends we thought. In the meantime, know that your decisions are yours to make, and are valuable. But recognize that in all truth, while the ideology is awesome, better health is found elsewhere. Or at least, recognize that while YOU choose one path, be sure to value and respect others who have learned that a different path is highly valuable to them.
You cannot get A, B12, D, K2 (mk4), heme iron, creatine, carnitine, taurine, collagen, DHA, EPA from plants. Vegan diet is systematic malnutrition by definition. It’s an eating disorder and mental illness (deliberately depriving the body of essential building blocks).
It can take years for symptoms of nutrient deficiencies to manifest in disease. Elite athletes in their prime of their life have a large margin for error when eating a destitute vegan diet. But their health will collapse eventually. A handful of vegan pro athletes out of thousands is statistically meaningless.
Assuming this article is 100% correct then why not try juicing. Juicing is not for everyone but you can consume 10 times as much vitamin A this way and your body can convert it to retinol and you can add say apples to your carrots to enhance the absorption of your vitamin A. food synergies are awesome we really need to understand them better.
most people are not efficient in converting plant pigments from plants in so called vitamine A best way is to eat organ meats
Exactly right, Alton! Juice your fruits and vegetables people!! Your body will absorb SO MUCH more vitamins and minerals that way!
But the most IMPORTANT thing? All fruits and vegetables in the grocery stores, have been sprayed with tons of chemicals! Please, buy as many of those as you can, in ORGANIC! They might cost more, but I’ve always believed that I’d rather pay that price, than pay a doctor in the long run. Sign up for newsletters about this “organic” subject, so you can know about the brands to trust, because a lot of companies are lying about their products being organic, so they can increase the price, to get the money. Knowledge is power! You can eat (drink) MANY more vegetables and fruits, by juicing, as you could by just eating them alone. Your body will absorb way more vitamins and minerals this way too!
Organic is good, but honestly, they get sprayed with a LOT of chemicals. I have read again and again from organic farmers that we are being deceived about their produce not being sprayed. Their sprays aren’t “as” harmful, but they are still harmful. Organic farmers came right out and admitted this. They often remark that they CANNOT grow large amounts of food without spraying.
Alton, again, if you read the article, you know that you want animal sources in order to take in actual vitamin A, over the precursors which not everyone can translate to vitamin A. That said, you mentioned Juicing. You might take a gander into looking at how carbs effect the body. When you juice, you not only are increasing the pre-cursors (which you have decided are a good thing, though it’s still not actual vitamin A) but you’re ALSO hugely increasing the carbohydrates. You are removing all the fiber and the material that slows down absorption of sugar, and fills you up so you don’t eat too much of that sugar product. Again, eat whatever works for you, and if precursors work, and tons of sugar work, then YEA!!! But know that taking out the fiber isn’t really a great thing as you are using that to slow absorption of that sugar (NOT a good thing, in any way) and you’re STILL not getting actual vitamin A.
Can you cite the references you used for your article? Is this based on pseudoscience or has there actually been research based evidence referenced in your article?
Dr. Shanahan has hundreds of references in regards to this topic and others close to it in her book Deep Nutrition.
When you eat and use the ENTIRE animal (who fertilizes it’s own food source), you get much, MUCH more bang for your buck per gram in terms of calories and vitamins than plants. So, if we are talking about nourishment and surviving, an animal will get you there.
Pseudo-science my ass. This vegan-only nonsense is a city, modern-day invention by hippies. Human civilization as a whole have been eating both plant and animal foods from the dawn of the earth till now. All of that is for a very good reason. It is because humans are omnivores. Our bodies need the nutrients from both plants and animals (in balance) to be at our maximum best in health.
What the experienced vegans don’t tell you, is how they strictly monitor their diet, and all the extra money spent in supplements to carefully make up for all deficiencies due to the fact they don’t eat meat/meat-derived products.
It’s cheaper, healthier and easier to simply not be a vegan and eat a balanced diet from all food groups.
Ask one of them about Andreas Moritz, then listen to the crickets…
I have to agree with Michael. I read somewhere, where are teeth are formed to eat meat too.
What’s been happening over the past decade or so, and is still happening, is that all animals are factory farmed. That means their being given antibiotic shots (because they live in filth), and hormone shots (to make them grow bigger…faster), and are fed GMO (genetically modified organism) grain. ALL of THIS, goes into YOUR body! Now, the word has been spread, and I’m sure everyone has seen an article somewhere, where they are saying, that antibiotics are almost useless to people now. And you wonder why?
Anyway, if your not eating meat, that says it’s grassfed, with none of those “shots”, then your health WILL decline! I LOVE meat, and anyone who doesn’t, well, their just crazy. Like Michael said, humans have been eating meat since the dawn of time. Back then, meat was “clean”, and good for ya! Unfortunately, our government doesn’t want to help us be healthy. They won’t stop the high price of “good”, “clean” meat, or for that matter, all ORGANICS! They don’t care if we get sick, because that feeds the “elite” of this world, with our money! And I’ll stop there, before I get REALLY mad…at one of MANY things, our president is deficient on. I bet they don’t eat GMO’s in the White House. Anyone want to bet?
Google the picture for the teeth of a tiger and that of a cow and compare. The teeth of meat eating animal is pointed and sharp, for catching animal and tearing off the meat. The teeth of grass eating animal is flat like a knife. It is for cutting grass. Then use a mirror to look at your teeth. You’ll find 2 pointed teeth in the upper jaw and 2 pointed teeth in the lower jaw. The other front teeth are flat. It is a proof that we human being is omnivore: we are born to eat both type of food in order to be healthy, whether you like it or not.
3 ounces of beef liver, however, contains much more vitamin a than is necessary. According to cronometer, a single ounce contains 180% of the recommended daily value. Only a bit over half an ounce would be enough. This means you only need around 0.8 lbs of carrots for 100% daily value of vitamin a. This is still a good amount, but as someone else mentioned, juicing would work just fine.
Except….if you actually READ THE ARTICLE…..you’re aware that carrots don’t have vitamin A at all, but the precursors, which CAN translate to vitamin A in SOME, not all individuals. Second, No one said you need to eat the entire liver, lol. “eat liver” is not “eat an entire liver.” Also, if you read the above, you might know where vitamin A is STORED. So if you eat extra….it’s stored, yeah? Juicing increases the sugar content, and removed all fiber. While you really don’t need fiber in your diet (another major misconception) if you’re eating sugar, the fiber slows down absorption and fills you up so you’ll EAT LESS of that sugar product. Juicing = higher sugar, and more PRECURSORS. NOT actual vitamin A, but more sugar. If this works for you, awesome!!!! But it’s no better than telling mommies to feed their kids lots of juice. (Not the worst thing you could do, but certainly time we can update our advice to be a bit more sound and thoughtful.)
Osteoporosis and wrecked hormones are coming your way vegans.
“ideally enjoy 2-4 egg yolks per day”. Chloine in Egg Yolks is a high risk factor for developing aggressive prostate cancer in men. Search Term: “”Choline in Egg Yolks prostate cancer” No free lunch… at least not for men!
So someone like The Rock who eats 12 plus eggs a day is unhealthy? Better write him a letter so he knows.
Do you offer a subscription to your posts/information? If so, please add me to your list! thanks!
The first four words of the first sentence…
I am reading a book on vitamin K2 and cannot believe that I did not know its importance and widespread deficiency even though I have always read extensively on nutrition. I only now understand the importance of combining vitamins A, D and K2 for healthy bones, cardiovascular system and beyond.
I have always taken vitamin D3 but was told wrong information about vitamin A being toxic as a supplement and being widespread in fruit and vegetables.
I wish I found about this years ago.
P.S. Regarding earlier comments Djokovic is not vegan although he does largely eat plant based food. He does however have an a number of people who carefully plan and prepare his food so that every nutritional element is represented. Most vegans and vegetarians I know eat mostly pasta.
I cant open the link for vitamin D on amazon. Can you pls tell the name of the supplement? Thanks!