Animal source foods

Animal source foods (ASF) include any food item that comes from an animal source such as meat, milk, fish, eggs, cheese and yogurt. Many individuals do not consume ASF or consume little ASF by either personal choice or necessity as ASF may not be accessible or available to these people. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.]

Nutrition of animal source foods

Nutritionally, all nutrients found in animal source foods may be replaced by plant-derived foods. Examples are tofu to replace meat (both contain protein in sufficient amounts), and certain seaweeds and vegetables as respectively kombu and kale to replace dairy foods as milk (both contain calcium in sufficient amounts). Certain plant-derived foods are even nutrient-denser than their animal-derived counterparts (eg tofu). [The Anti-Aging Plan by Walford and Walford]

Although a healthy diet containing all essential macro and micronutrients is possible by only consuming a plant based diet, some populations are unable to consume an adequate quantity or variety of these plant based items to obtain appropriate amounts of nutrients, particularly those that are found in high concentrations in ASF. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.] [Dwyer JT. (1994) Vegetarian eating patterns: science, values, and food choices- where do we go from here? Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59:1255S-1262S.] Frequently, the most vulnerable populations to these micronutrient deficiencies are pregnant women, infants, and children in developing countries. In the 1980s the Nutrition Collaborative Research Support Program (NCRSP) found that six micronutrients were low in the mostly vegetarian diets of children in malnourished areas of Egypt, Mexico, and Kenya. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.] These six micronutrients are vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.] ASF are the only food source of Vitamin B12. [Stabler SP, Allen RH. (2004) Vitamin B12 Deficiency as a Worldwide Problem. Annu. Rev. Nutr. 24: 299-326.] ASF also provide high biological value protein, energy, fat compared with plant food sources.

Health impacts of micronutrient deficiency

All six micronutrients richly found in ASF, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc play a critical role in the growth and development of children. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.] [Black, MM. (2003) Micronutrient Deficiencies and Cognitive Functioning. J. Nutr. 133: 3927S-3931S.] Inadequate stores of these micronutrients, either resulting from inadequate intake or poor absorption, is associated with poor growth, anemias (iron deficiency anemia and macrocytic anemia), rickets, night blindness, impaired cognitive functioning, neuromuscular deficits, diminished work capacity, psychiatric disorders and death. [Murphy SP, Allen LH. (2003) Nutritional Importance of Animal Source Foods. J. Nutr. 133: 3932S-3935S.] Some of these affects, such as impaired cognitive development from an iron deficiency, are irreversible even with supplement treatment. [Walter T. (2003) Effect of iron-deficiency anemia on cognitive skills and neuromaturation in infancy and childhood. Food and Nutr Bulletin. 24: S104-S110.]

Animal source food supplementation

Micronutrient deficiency is associated in poor early cognitive development. [Black MM. (2003) Micronutrients and Cognitive Functioning. J Nutr.133: 3927S-3931S.] Programs designed to address these micronutrient deficiencies should be targeted to infants, children, and pregnant women. To address these significant mirconutrient deficiencies, some global health researchers and practitioners developed and piloted a snack program in Kenya school children. [Siekmann JH, Allen LH, Bwibo NO, Demment MW, Murphy SP, Neumann CG (2003). Kenyan School Children Have Multiple Micronutrient Deficiencies, but Increased plasma vitamin B₁₂ is the only detectable micronutrient response to meat or milk supplementation. J. Nutr. 133. 3972S-3980S.] However, some communities are vegetarians for religious or cultural reasons. Efforts must be made to develop culturally appropriate interventions to address the micronutrient deficiencies in these populations, such as through food fortification.

Animal source food production

According to a 2006 United Nations initiative, the livestock industry sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." [ [http://www.virtualcentre.org/en/library/key_pub/longshad/A0701E00.htm LEAD digital library: Livestock’s long shadow - Environmental issues and options ] ] As such, using plant-derived foods is always better in the interest of the environment. Despite this, elevation of certain animals are (somewhat) more environmental than others. According to the Farralones Institute, elevation of rabbits, and chicken (on a well-considered approach) can still be done quite environmental [ [http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/1976-11-01/The-Integral-Urban-House.aspx?page=4 Farralones Institute favoring rabbits and chicken] ] . As such, meat and other produce as eggs may still be produced quite environmental (if this is done on a industrial, high-efficiency manner). In addition, the elevation of goats (and their produce as goat milk and meat) can too be done quite environmentally and has been favored by certain environmental activists as Mohandras Gandhi. [ [http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/masters/mahatma-gandhi/diet.asp Gandhi favoring the environmentally friendly goat and its produce] ]

ee also

*No-carbohydrate diet
*Vegetarianism

References