It surprises people that I get enough protein, being as I haven't eaten meat, dairy, or eggs since 2000. But never have so many people asked me that since I became a triathlete. Do you know about Scott Jurek, who has shattered records on a plant-based diet? Anyway, protein defficiencies are so rare in the US that most medical specialists wouldn't know it if they saw it. A vegan diet is actually a pretty good one for endurance atheletes.The 2nd and 3rd questions I'm asked are, what about calcium? what about iron? Iron defficiency is common in women, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I take iron supplements. Calcium is likewise available (one of the most abundant elements on earth, along with iron) in tablet form, and also comes in fortified bread, juices, and I don't have that icky bovine hormone cholesterol aftertaste. Sorry. Ugh.
You'll notice my readout (above) doesn't include cholesterol. There isn't any. My last blood test showed me to have a cholesterol level of 142. Did you know every 1% higher than 150 your cholesterol is raises your chances of having a heart attack 2%. That means that at 200 - that's right - a 100% chance of having a heart attack.
(Misty, stepping gently off her soapbox now...)
