Venus62 wrote:I define a balanced diet of any type as one that delivers the recommended daily allowances of micronutrients without supplementation.
You don't have to eat red meat but it's an effective way to get iron. You don't have to eat dairy but it is an easy way to get calcium.
There's no doubt supplements can help certain people in certain circumstances. Few would dispute the use of folic acid before and during pregnancy for example. And other population groups may have specific needs. But I maintain it is easier to get the important micronutrients from an omnivorous diet than a vegan diet, and the paper I cited agrees.
Some interesting stuff from the Australian Dietary Guidelines regarding a balanced diet.
Dairy
In Australia, prevalence of lactose intolerance is
95% Asian ancestry
85% Aborigines
56% Southern Europeans.
Australia's Dietary Guidelines include that cow's milk is not suitable for infants, and may contribute to cow milk allergy if given then.
Meat
Aust Dietary Guidelines for 'average' males aged 19-60 allow for around 1 serve per week of meat. How much is a serve? 65-100grams....so the meat recommendation for a larger male is 100grams/week.
(let's presume a typical Australian male spends half their time doing manual labor and half office work, and does around 3.5 hours of moderate exercise a week.)
What! I hear you say! only 100g a week! how did I derive that? well the guidelines for a balanced diet for a typical Aussie male 19-60 from the animal flesh and alternatives group are:
a serve of chicken or meat a third of the time.
a serve of fish a third of the time
a serve of either eggs, legumes, or nuts a third of the time
Fruits and Vegetables
The daily ADG for typical males 19-60 is
5 serves of vegetables
2 serves of fruit
There was good reason for a govt 2 and 5 campaign.
>75% of Australians 19-34 do not eat enough vegetables to form a balanced diet.
70% of Australians >=19 do not eat enough vegetables to form a balanced diet.
50% of Australians >=19 do not eat enough fruit to form a balanced diet.
Yes, yes, I know this doesn't make an omnivore diet bad and a vegetarian diet better.
But it highlights that the
majority of omnivores are malnourished, because they don't eat a balanced diet...and should be taking supplements, or exercising their will to change their taste preferences. Further, considering the incidence of Vit D and iron deficiency in Australian women, most of whom eat more than the recommended amount of meat, vegans are not the only ones that need supps.