selatik1 (October 12, 2008 at 12:11 am)

Vitamin-A deficiency in pregnant mothers results in babies with eye defects, displaced kidneys, harelip, cleft palate & abnormalities of the heart. Vit. A stores are rapidly depleted during exercise, fever & stress. Even those who efficiently convert carotenes to vitamin A cannot quickly & adequately replenish vitamin A stores from plant foods.Parents who are raising their children vegan may wish to look beyond the persuasively written yet highly innacurate advice coming from vegan writers.

selatik1 (October 12, 2008 at 12:06 am)

It is very unwise, therefore, to depend on plant sources for vitamin A. This vital nutrient is needed for the growth and repair of body tissues; it helps protect mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, throat and lungs; it prompts the secretion of gastric juices necessary for proper digestion of protein; it helps to build strong bones and teeth and rich blood; it is essential for good eyesight; it aids in the production of RNA; and contributes to the health of the immune system.

selatik1 (October 12, 2008 at 12:04 am)

Carotenes are converted by the action of bile salts, & very little bile reaches the intestine when a meal is low in fat. Adding butter to vegetables & adding cream to vegetable soup is wise, because butterfat stimulates the secretion of bile needed to convert carotenes from vegetables into vitamin A, while supplying very easily absorbed true vitamin A. Polyunsaturated oils also stimulate the secretion of bile salts but can cause rapid destruction of carotene unless antioxidants are present.

selatik1 (October 11, 2008 at 11:59 pm)

Strenuous physical exercise, excessive consumption of alcohol, excessive consumption of iron (especially from "fortified" white flour and breakfast cereal), use of a number of popular drugs, excessive consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids, zinc deficiency and even cold weather can hinder the conversion of carotenes to vitamin A, as does the lowfat diet.

selatik1 (October 11, 2008 at 11:58 pm)

the transformation of carotene to retinol is rarely optimal. Diabetics & those with poor thyroid function -- half the adult US population -- can't make the conversion. Children make the conversion very poorly & infants not at all —they must obtain their precious stores of vitamin A from animal fats —— yet the low-fat diet is often recommended for children.

selatik1 (October 11, 2008 at 11:53 pm)

Of all the carotenoids, beta-carotene is most easily converted to vitamin A. Early studies indicated an equivalency of 4:1 of beta-carotene to retinol. In other words, four units of beta-carotene were needed to produce one unit of vitamin A. This ratio was later revised to 6:1 and recent research suggests an even higher ratio.1 This means that you have to eat an awful lot of vegetables and fruits to obtain even the daily minimal requirements of vitamin A, assuming optimal conversion.

selatik1 (October 11, 2008 at 11:49 pm)

no, dogsarebetter, it is YOU who might want to research a little more. Plant foods --including vegetables -- contain NO vitamin A or significant D -- only animal fats do.Carotenes or carotenoids found in plant foods are not the same as vitamin A.Under optimal conditions, humans convert carotenes to vitamin A in the upper intestinal tract by the action of bile salts and fat-splitting enzymes.

dogsarebetter (October 11, 2008 at 5:36 pm)

You can get A and D from spinach,carrots,and beans. You obviously didn't research before going vegan.

FancyMouseGal (October 11, 2008 at 1:46 pm)

they seem like really good parents. thumbs up to them!

alixr (October 6, 2008 at 2:23 am)

This is awesome. I was raised as a vegetarian, and am now a vegan, and have never felt better. Good for these parents for raising their children so healthily!