Sean & Jessica reported a ’transformation’ in their health, fitness and overall well being within just 12 days of becoming vegan. I would like to know why food technician @SophieDietitian advised them ‘it’s very complicated to make sure a vegan diet is safe and adequate’ ‘I’d never recommend it’

There is a lot of research, cases and facts to support a vegan diet without supplements is possible.
The number one killer in the U.S. is heart disease. In the U.K it is number two, after cancer. Heart disease is devastating but it has been found to be almost non-existent in populations with diets based around whole plant foods. Vegans have healthier arteries, intestines, livers and other organs. So why would a dietician not recommend a healthy, well balanced, vegan diet?
There are numerous, well known and lesser known world champion athletes who are vegan:
David Meyer, the World Champion Brazillian Jiu Jitsu athlete
David Haye our very own heavy weight boxing champion
Mac Danzig, mixed martial arts and cage fighting
Heather Mills, disability winter sports world record holder in no less than 5 winter olympic sports
Carl Lewis, 9 gold medals
Meagan Duhand, the Canadian Pairs World Champion for 2015 & 2016

These athletes need all the strength, stamina, health and nutrition you can get, and yet they all choose a plant based diet and they are all at the top of their game. How can this diet not be suitable for all humans? Tim Shieff was there at the discussion and told us in person that he had felt the rewards and benefits of a plant based diet. And despite being concerned about the ‘protein’ myth’ he still wanted to give it a try.

As humans we need to support each other in our endeavours to improve our lives and the lives of others. Our concern for the environment and other living creatures should be a positive thing and have a positive effect on the people around us. Sean and Jessica should be positively supported by professionals to ensure they can live a healthy, well balanced plant based lifestyle. I think what they are doing is great and I’m so glad to see them so passionate about looking after their own bodies and the creatures who would otherwise be suffering to feed us. I congratulate them on making a small change to have a positive impact on the environment.
Almost all of the meat produced for supermarket consumption has been supplemented with some additional additive that was not naturally occurring in the animal. Antibiotics are widely used and over-used on farms to prevent the spread of diseases which are not only treatable in individual cases but can be avoided in large herds with the right kind of farming methods. Many organic farmers use natural remedies and homeopathy to treat animals. And it works, such as HRH Prince Charles, who uses these methods on the Duchy estates to treat any infections and diseases amongst the livestock.

Heavily farmed animals are given multiple vitamin supplements in their food and drinks, because they can not receive all they need from the manufactured diet they are given to survive on. These animals are deprived of sunlight, natural grazing, foraging and other natural food sources and instead they are force-fed supplements to make their meat ‘taste good’. Those supplements are then consumed by people who eat them. I am not a doctor, nor a nutritionist, in fact, I am just a regular, every day woman, who lives in an over-crowded city with high levels of pollution and drinks way too much wine. Yet it is obvious to me that when I cease eating meat and dairy, I feel well, I have more energy, I am happier and more relaxed. I am not missing any nutrients or vitamins required to lead healthy, well balanced life.
A plant-based diet can detoxify the body of pollutants. Even just a step towards eating more plant-based food might lengthen lifespan.
Vegans average fewer nutrient deficiencies than the average meat eater while maintaining lower body weight without loosing muscle. Those eating plant-based diets may experience athletic recovery without affecting the benefits of exercise.
As a caveat, there are important nutritional considerations for those who are pregnant or those who have rare genetic disorders/certain types of illnesses that may require additional vitamins. However, it is always better to try and prevent disease in the first place.
