Hallelujah Acres Research Casts Doubt On "Ideal Diet"

By Greg Westbrook
Former HAcres Health Minister, founder of Weigh of Wisdom Workshop

If you are a newcomer to the Gen 1:29 Diet, this article may not make much sense right now. Newcomers to the diet often feel like a frisky colt in the early going. Some even overcome serious disease on the diet.

But if you’ve been on the diet for several years like we were, this article may be a godsend. After only three years on the diet, we sadly admitted to ourselves that we were losing ground; going backwards in our health, not forward. If you’ve experienced new and troubling symptoms in your health on the Gen 1:29 Diet, take heart. You haven’t failed the diet. The diet has probably failed you.

The Gen 1:29 Biblical Health movement is built on one single verse in the Bible, and sets itself at odds with the entire spectrum of Biblical teaching on diet. Although there is no moral harm in personal experimentation with the vegan diet, there is everything wrong with teaching the vegan diet as “God’s Ideal Diet” that leads to “ultimate health.”

In this paper, we will closely examine a research paper by Michael Donaldson, PhD and highlight the nutritional deficiencies he found in 141 Hallelujah vegetarian dieters. As we shall see, the diet is not “ideal” because it has several deficiencies. It is:

Too high in carbohydrates
Too low in protein
Low in energy (calories)
Completely missing two essential micronutrients and low in seven others
Requires eating voluminous amounts of vegetables (over a gallon per day) if properly done.

In spite of all the rhetoric from vegan diet teachers, there has never been a civilization in the entire world that has been able to survive on the vegan diet. Every culture depends on some type of animal products to a degree, be it eggs, milk, cheese, or meat (even insects in third world countries). This includes the Hunza people who are often falsely represented as vegan even though they eat dairy and some meat. [1]

This paper is a bit lengthy, but it is filled with priceless information. I hope you read it in its entirety and print it out to use as a reference document. I hope you prayerfully consider all that is written herein.

Sounding the Alarm

For almost a year now, we have been sounding the alarm: The Gen 1:29 Diet (a vegan diet) is a good short-term healing diet, but inadequate for long-term use. We have been collecting WOW Health Surveys [2] from long-term dieters this past year that show a large percentage of people developing health problems on the Gen 1:29 Diet. Many find that short-term health gains often give way to long-term loss of vitality on the diet.

Because of potential problems with the Gen 1:29 Diet, we have switched to a whole-Bible diet called the Plan B Diet^TM. [3] We call it Plan B because it is the second diet given to mankind in Gen 9:3 in the context of blessing Noah. Also, it is based on three B’s: Basic foods, the full spectrum of Bible teaching, and is a Balanced diet including clean animal products. None of the junk food and junk meats in the Standard American Diet is included in the Plan B Diet^TM. More info on Plan B Diet^TM: www.weighofwisdom.com

As I point out in my book: When Hallelujah Becomes “What Happened?” it is not wholesome meat, dairy and eggs that has been making people sick, but the junk foods, junk meats, junk dairy, and junk eggs in the Standard American Diet. God did NOT give us meat to make us sick and die an early death. When people clean up their diet, get the sugar and processed foods out, and eat only “clean”, properly grown animal products, the results can be explosive! (Note: Click here for my book When Hallelujah Becomes “What Happened?”)

We are seeing the same short-term testimonies on the Plan B Diet^TM that we used to see on the vegan Hallelujah Diet^{SM
[4]}! However, we now have no fear that our students will hit the wall of deficiency down the road a year or two as they did on the Hallelujah Diet^SM.

All that being said, why do people crash on the vegan diet after several years? A new (2001) research paper coming from Hallelujah Acres Foundation gives us some great new clues. Even though this study was not designed to uncover problems with the diet, surprisingly, deficiencies were identified. I wish I had read it in 2001 when it was first published, as it could have helped us figure out why we crashed on the diet.

Michael Donaldson, PhD, Exposes Deficiencies In Hallelujah Vegetarians

In his 10-page article entitled Food and Nutrient Intake of Hallelujah Vegetarians [5] , Michael Donaldson, PhD, explains the results of a study he did on 141 people on the Hallelujah Diet^SM (84 women and 54 men). Dr. Donaldson is the director of the Hallelujah Acres Foundation. You can read the full article at: http://www.hacres.com/nutrient_intake.pdf .

After evaluating the 7-day food diaries of these Hallelujah vegetarians, Dr. Donaldson sounds an ominous note of alarm:

“Some modifications of this dietary pattern to provide vitamins B12 and D, and higher intakes of iron, selenium, zinc and protein may be necessary for successful long-term health.” [6] (emphasis added)

In stark contrast to Dr. Donaldson’s warning above, the following summary of his findings appears on Hallelujah Acres’ website:

Source: http://www.hacres.com/articles.asp?artid=114

“What this study reveals is that intakes of most vitamins and minerals are adequate while following The Hallelujah Diet^SM.

“Only vitamins B12 and D were extremely low. Hallelujah Acres recommends a vitamin B12 supplement and sunshine, the natural source of vitamin D, to make up for these low intakes.

Unfortunately, Hallelujah Acres makes no mention that calcium, iron, selenium, biotin, zinc, pantothenic acid, iron and protein were also found deficient in Dr. Donaldson’s study. Rather than sweeping this valuable information under the carpet, it needs to be highlighted in bold neon lights.

This is a classic case of calling the tank “half full” when it is actually “half empty.” Of the 24 vitamins and minerals tracked by Dr. Donaldson, there were significant shortages in 9 of them: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium, biotin, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin and iron. It was also low in protein, fats and energy.

How would you like to have enough money to pay all but 9 of your bills out of 24 bills at the end of the month? You would soon be in debt over your head. Similarly, when our body fails to get 9 of the essential nutrients, it is only a matter of time until deficiencies mount up.

Dr. Donaldson agrees that vitamins B12 and D are the “most critical” deficiencies [7] , but he voices serious concerns about other deficiencies as well: [8]

“Protein intake was very low in this population.” Page 297

“Further studies are planned to evaluate the long-term effects of this low protein diet.” Page 300

“Further studies are needed to ensure that a positive calcium balance is achieved following this dietary pattern.” Page 300

“Further studies are required to determine if zinc status is compromised following the diet surveyed here.” Page 300

“Iron utilization could be impaired by sub-optimal vitamin B12 status.” Page 300

“Vitamin D status of this population has not yet been investigated.” Page 301

“On low energy diets, great care must be taken to ensure adequate nutrition; if energy intake is too low (<50% of DRI [Daily Recommended Intake], one is at risk of seriously compromising their health.” Page 301

How serious are these deficiencies? I believe after reading this article, you will agree they are very serious! We will examine these deficiencies in detail below and show how our own WOW Health Surveys surprisingly confirm these deficiencies.

One more topic in this article involves the inability to stick to the diet (frequent cheating on the diet). Again, from the Hallelujah Acres web site comes this statement:

“Many times a diet that is lower in calories will result in widespread deficiencies, causing hunger and inability to stick to the diet.” Source: http://www.hacres.com/articles.asp?artid=114

Indeed, this appears to be exactly what is happening on the Hallelujah Diet^SM. If we did nothing but focus on the protein deficit, this alone is staggering. Dr. Donaldson found that protein intake of the 141 Hallelujah vegetarians (at .66 grams/day/kg body weight) was only slightly above the minimum physiological requirement for protein. [9]

This should be considered a glaring red flag. How can a pregnant mother or growing child or athlete expect to thrive on a protein intake barely above minimum physiological requirement?

Not surprisingly, Dr. Donaldson found that most of the Hallelujah vegetarians actually ate animal products during the week. A whopping 58% of the Hallelujah vegetarians (82 out of 141) ate animal products even though many of them were health ministers. While they probably felt guilt and failure over eating animal products, the lack of protein in the diet may have been a major factor in driving them to cheat.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the deficiencies on the Hallelujah Diet^SM.

The Tank Is 27% Empty!

Low caloric intake by definition means low energy. Dr. Donaldson found the diet on average only supplied 73% of RDI (Recommended Daily Intake) for energy. [10] This means the energy tank is 27% empty, just over ¼ tank low!

At first glance, this doesn’t seem too severe, but on second thought, how would you like to take a 27% cut in pay? Similarly, if you cut 27% out of your caloric intake, it will have a severe impact on your energy level.

The Gen 1:29 Diet is often presented as a high-energy diet, but there is a triple whammy working against the typical Hallelujah vegetarian.

First of all, the diet is inherently low in energy intake (calories) at 73% of RDI. Secondly, as we shall see, deficiencies of zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin, and iron are common on the diet. Each of these deficiencies can lead to fatigue in itself. Finally, with protein quite low at only 9% of calories, [11] there is too little protein to build muscle. (Note: Nutritionists commonly recommend a 15% protein diet)

Perhaps this triple whammy is why we see a high percentage of people reporting poor energy and lack of strength on our own WOW Health Surveys: [12]

Don’t feel like exercising or working: 63%
Lack of stamina, endurance and strength: 64%

On top of the above triple whammy comes another blow: The dieter is told the diet isn’t working because he isn’t exercising enough. Unfortunately, exercise is not the silver bullet to correct a deficient diet, and it will only drive a person further down the deficiency curve, leading to worse problems.

Vegetarian athletes are often cited as “proof” of high energy on the vegetarian diet. This is very misleading, because vegetarian athletes invariably eat dairy and eggs and/or large amounts of soy isolated protein powders (a highly processed food). Yes, they are lacto-ovo vegetarians eating milk and eggs, but they are absolutely NOT vegan athletes. To imply that a vegan can do athletic sports at a world class level is misleading at best and dishonest at worst.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian athletes are highly competitive, but a vegan athlete is not, simply because of the low energy in his diet and inability to get enough protein. A popular vegetarian website warns that vegans will lose weight if they expend more than 1000 calories in sports activity (roughly the amount of energy to play a round of golf if you carry your clubs). Source: http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/Vegetarians.htm

Protein Deficiency

As already noted, protein intake was very low, barely above minimum physiological need for these 141 dieters. On average, men ate an average of only 47.2 grams per day (Table IV). [13] But the average dieter is not the one that loses his health; it’s the dieters on the lower end of the scale. How much protein did those on the lower end of the scale eat?

From Table IV, we can estimate that 9 men (16% of the men) consumed less than 33.8 grams per day (based on standard deviation) [14] . This is extremely low!

At 55 years of age and 153 pounds, my protein need is approximately 55-73 grams per day [15] depending on physical activity level. If I were only getting 33.8 grams per day like some of the Hallelujah vegetarians, I would likely suffer serious long-term problems on the diet including muscle wasting and lost vitality. In fact, this is exactly what happened to me!

Before my years on the Gen 1:29 Diet, I always had several building and repair projects going on around the house and farm, but after a few years on the Gen 1:29 Diet, they all came to a grinding halt for lack of energy. Eventually, I became so weak and feeble that I couldn’t even operate some of our equipment, such as our trencher. Work around the house became limited to very light work: changing light bulbs, taking out the trash, sweeping out the garage, and picking oranges from the orchard.

Muscle loss is a big concern on the Gen 1:29 Diet. A separate study by Dr. Donaldson: Fibromyalgia syndrome improved using a mostly raw vegetarian diet: An observational study seems to confirm muscle loss after just 7 months on the diet. In this study, subjects reported that hand strength was down significantly (by 23%) in the right hand, and down by 17% in the left hand. [16] With this much muscle loss after only seven months, one can only wonder how much muscle wasting would occur after several years on the diet. (Details are in note 16 at the end.)

I have a friend who is very meticulous in recording his workout weights and repetitions. After a few months on the Gen 1:29 Diet, he realized that he was losing strength since he could no longer perform at his previous level. Now that he is no longer on the Gen 1:29 Diet, his strength is coming back in force, and his muscular build (noticeably absent in long-term Gen 1:29 dieters) is also returning.

Since the data in Dr. Donaldson’s study lumps 59 vegans in with the 82 non-vegans who ate animal products, we can only wonder how little protein the vegans were receiving. It is most disappointing that Dr. Donaldson did not separate the data for the 59 vegans who participated in the study, as this surely would have painted a more accurate (probably more grim) picture of the vegan diet.

Signs of Protein Deficiency

Early signs of protein deficiency include: [17]

Increased secretion from nose and mouth
Edema of hands and feet
Muscle cramps and/or menstrual cramps
Low tolerance for exercise
Bleeding gums

Severe long-term protein deficiency with low carbohydrate intake can lead to a condition called Failure to Thrive. Symptoms include: [18]

Extreme hunger
Gross weight loss
Growth retardation (in infants)
Wasting of subcutaneous fat
Muscle wasting
Reduced insulin secretion
Reduced thyroid function
Recurring persistent infections

On the other hand, if dietary protein is low, but carbohydrate intake is relatively high (much like the diet of the 141 subjects), symptoms are somewhat different:

Edema (water retention, swelling). Edema is much more common in women than men because of the effect of female hormones on the body's metabolism and circulation. Edema is deceptive because it gives the appearance of being “chubby”, making a person appear fully nourished. [19]
Chubbiness from overeating on carbohydrates with low protein
"Flaky paint" dermatosis (skin flakes off like bad paint) [20]
Thinning, decoloration, and reddening of the hair
Enlarged fatty liver
Petulant apathy (bad-tempered, cantankerous, cranky)
Retarded growth (in infants)
Impaired immune response
Recurring persistent infections

A number of the symptoms above are fairly common on the Gen 1:29 Diet. Fortunately, most people begin to cheat on the diet out of necessity as they slip into deficiency. Those who cheat by eating animal products will tend to pull out of the deficiency, whereas those who cheat with more fruit will only fall further into protein deficiency.

Few Gen 1:29 dieters reach this point, but severe prolonged protein deficiency in a low-energy diet can lead to a serious medical problem called Protein-Energy Malnutrition (PEM). This condition is common in developing countries due to deficient diets, but can also be self-inflicted by adherence to deficient diets.

Food Sources of Protein

Animal products including beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and milk are the primary source of protein although small amounts can be obtained from fruit and vegetables. Protein is relatively abundant in nuts, but nuts also contain large amounts of fat, making them a less desirable source of protein. For example, almonds are approximately 13% protein, but they are 74% fat. Walnuts are even higher in fat at 81% with only 8% protein.

Grains and legumes, if properly combined, are the best source of protein for vegans, although they are not a significant part of the Hallelujah Diet^SM.

Note: As we shall see later, the Hallelujah Diet is not precisely defined in some areas, yet followers are encouraged to do the diet 100%. Grains and legumes are somewhat ambiguous since they do not appear at all in the ideal diet column on page 65 of Recipes For Life [21] , but they do appear in the food pyramid on page 63 of Recipes For Life in tiny amounts. This, of course, leaves the dieter without clear direction.

Vegetarians (not to be confused with vegans) commonly eat eggs and dairy to help get enough protein. Without eggs and dairy, vegans have no significant source of protein except for soy products. We do not eat soy products since they are highly processed, far from a basic whole food.

Vitamin And Mineral Deficiency

Several serious deficiencies were identified in the diet of the Hallelujah Vegetarians. Table 1 shows all the deficient nutrients along with the approximate daily need for each nutrient. High-risk individuals are highlighted in yellow, and Extreme-risk are highlighted in red. I strongly recommend you read this table thoroughly and understand the risks of the vegan diet.

Calcium:

Referring to Table 1, note that all 87 Hallelujah women were low in calcium intake. On average, daily calcium intake for the Hallelujah women was 577 mg; about half of normal daily need depending on age. However, some women received as little calcium as 421 mg per day, placing them at extreme risk.

Calcium deficiencies can lead to brittle nails, cramps, delusions, depression, insomnia, irritability, osteoporosis, palpitations, periodontal disease, rickets (can lead to permanent bone deformities in children), and tooth decay.

**Warning** Pregnant or lactating woman need 1200-1300 mg per day of calcium and should be highly cautioned to consider the risks in light of the scant calcium available on the Gen 1:29 Diet.

Vitamin B12

Looking again at Table 1, we see an extreme risk for women for vitamin B12, even more so if pregnant. The average intake of vitamin B12 was 0.51 mcg/day; however, this is due to the fact that over half of the Hallelujah vegetarians ate animal products. Those who ate no animal products and did not supplement received no vitamin B12 whatsoever, a nightmare scenario for repeat vegan pregnancies.

Vitamin B12 deficiencies can lead to anemia, constipation, depression, dizziness, fatigue, intestinal disturbances, headaches, irritability, loss of vibration sensation, low stomach acid, mental disturbances, moodiness, mouth lesions, numbness and spinal cord degeneration.

**Warning** Pregnant women need 2.6 mcg per day of calcium and should be highly cautioned to consider the risks in light of the scant B12 available on the Gen 1:29 Diet.

Of all the essential vitamins, B12 is the most interesting one because it can only be obtained in appreciable amounts from animal products, not plant sources. Yet it is an essential vitamin! Without B12, we become host to a number of deficiency symptoms.

The fact that this vitamin is missing altogether in the vegan Hallelujah Diet^SM is evidence that the diet is neither “ideal”, nor viable for long-term health maintenance. Of course, the simple “fix” is to take a synthetic vitamin B12 supplement manufactured in a laboratory. Would God give us an “ideal” diet that depends upon the existence of laboratories to manufacture substances that are missing altogether in the diet?

NUTRIENT INTAKE FOR HALLELUJAH VEGETARIAN WOMEN
Nutrient	Diets Deficient In This Element [22]	Daily Requirement [23]		Daily Intake At Or Below: [24]	Daily Intake (on average) [25]
Calcium	All 87 women	Adult Women **	1000 mg	421 mg	577 mg
		Women over 50 ***	1200 mg
		Pregnant / Lactating ***	1300 mg
Vitamin B12	84 out of 87 women	Adult Women ***	2.4 mcg	0.0 mcg	.51 mcg
		Pregnant ***	2.6 mcg
Selenium	64 out of 87 women	Adult Women ***	55 mcg	0.0 mcg	67 mcg
		Pregnant ***	60 mcg
		Lactating ***	70 mcg
Biotin	56 out of 87 women	Adult Women*	30 mcg	19 mcg	29 mcg
		Lactating **	35 mcg
Zinc	49 out of 87 women	Adult Women *	11 mg	4.9 mg	6.7 mg
		Pregnant **	13 mg
		Lactating **	14
Pantothenic Acid	44 out of 87 women	Adult Women *	5 mg	3.33 mg	5.19 mg
		Pregnant **	6 mg
		Lactating **	7 mg
Niacin	20 out of 87 women	Adult Women *	14 mg	7.91 mg	14.8 mg
		Pregnant **	18 mg
		Lactating **	17 mg
Iron	19 out of 87 women	Adult Women ***	32.4	10.2 mg	14 mg
		Women over 50 *	14.4 mg
		Pregnant ***	48.6
NUTRIENT INTAKE FOR HALLELUJAH VEGETARIAN MEN
Nutrient	Diets Deficient In This Element	Daily Requirement		Daily Intake At Or Below:		Daily Intake (on average)
Calcium	52 out of 54 men	Adult Men **	1000 mg	478 mg		687 mg
		Men over 50 **	1200 mg
Vitamin B12	50 out of 54 men	Adult Men **	2.4 mcg	0.0 mcg		0.65 mcg
Selenium	18 out of 54 men	Adult Men	55 mcg	29.4 mcg		54.3 mcg
Biotin	14 out of 54 men	Adult Men	30 mcg	25.2 mcg		37mcg
Zinc	39 out of 54 men	Adult Men *	11 mg	5.8 mg		8.3 mg
Pantothenic Acid	16 out of 54 men	Adult Men	5 mg	4.21 mg		6.35 mg
Niacin	8 out of 54 men	Adult Men *	16 mg	10.6 mg		18 mg
Iron	2 out of 54 men	Adult Men	14.4 mg	12 mg		17 mg

Table 1: Nutrient Intake of Hallelujah
Vegetarians Compared To Daily Need

* Moderate risk **High risk ***Extreme Risk Note: Vitamin D deficiencies not shown, as they are easily satisfied with adequate sunshine.

There is nothing wrong with taking a man-made vitamin B12 substitute, but there is everything wrong with calling a diet that is missing an essential nutrient “God’s ideal diet.”

Another question we should ask ourselves about synthetic vitamin B12: How can a chemical substance manufactured in a laboratory totally and completely replace something found in nature?

Vitamin B12 is not a trivial substance. It has the largest and most complex molecular structure of all the vitamins. It is unique among vitamins in that it contains a metal ion, cobalt. For this reason cobalamin is the term used to refer to compounds having B-12 activity. [26]

We must understand that chemical approximations of vitamin B12 are not the same as the real vitamin B12 provided in animal products. Another thing science cannot duplicate is the delicate, synergistic balance of vitamins and minerals as they are packaged by God in real foods.

Note: An article entitled: Vitamin B12 and the Hallelujah Diet^SM is posted on Hallelujah Acres web site that contains clear warnings about B12 deficiency.

(Source: http://www.hacres.com/articles.asp?artid=105 )

Unfortunately, this article is difficult to find unless you use their search engine and type in vitamin B12. Knowing the dangers of B12 deficiency, I would think that an article of this importance would be prominently linked to main web pages as a clear warning for children and pregnant women.

Women on a vegan diet can easily suffer vitamin B12 deficiency, especially pregnant and lactating women. Some develop a false sense of security thinking they are on an ideal diet, and don’t realize the need for supplementation. This accentuates the need for a clear warning on vitamin B12.

Selenium:

A full 64 of the 87 Hallelujah women were low in selenium intake. While the average selenium intake was sufficient at 67 mcg per day, some women apparently received none at all. If so, they would be at extreme risk.

Selenium deficiencies can lead to growth impairment, high cholesterol levels, increased incidence of cancer, pancreatic insufficiency (inability to secrete adequate amounts of digestive enzymes), immune impairment, liver impairment, and sterility in males.

Iron:

Iron found in plant sources is non-heme iron and is less absorbable than the heme iron found in animal foods. For this reason the RDA for iron from plant foods would be 1.8 times the normal RDA for iron. [27] Therefore the RDA for iron is: (1.8) times (8 mg/day) = 14.4 mg/day for adult men and women for iron from plant sources.

Hallelujah vegetarian women ate as little as 10.2 mg per day, satisfying just 71% of the RDA for iron for vegetarians.

**WARNING** There is a huge red flag for pregnant women hidden in the bushes here. Pregnant women need MUCH MORE iron than the average person - up to 48.6 mg/day (plant-source iron). Some Hallelujah vegetarian woman ate as little as 10.2 mg/day of iron. Please read and beware if you are a pregnant woman on a vegan diet!

Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, brittle nails, confusion, constipation, depression, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, inflamed tongue and mouth lesions.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is seriously lacking in the Gen 1:29 Diet but I have not included it in Table 1 because it is easily obtained from sunlight in a normal healthy person. However, if a person lives in an area where sunshine is not abundant, vitamin D will be lacking in the diet. A significant number of people cannot get adequate absorption from the sunlight, especially dark skinned people in a northern climate during winter.

Biotin, Zinc, Pantothenic Acid, Niacin:

Women appeared at risk for deficiencies in these elements, especially if pregnant or lactating.

Biotin Deficiencies can lead to dermatitis, eye inflammation (burning eyes), hair loss, loss of muscle control, insomnia and muscle weakness.

Zinc Deficiencies can lead to acne, amnesia, apathy, brittle nails, delayed sexual maturity, depression, diarrhea, eczema, fatigue, growth impairment, hair loss, high cholesterol levels, immune impairment, impotence, irritability, lethargy, loss of appetite, loss of sense of taste, low stomach acid, male infertility, memory impairment, night blindness, paranoia, white spots on nails and wound healing impairment.

Pantothenic Acid Deficiencies can lead to abdominal pains, burning feet, depression, eczema, fatigue, hair loss, immune impairment, insomnia, irritability, low blood pressure, muscle spasms, nausea and poor coordination.

Niacin Deficiencies can lead to bad breath, canker sores, confusion, depression dermatitis, diarrhea, emotional instability, fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite, memory impairment, muscle weakness, nausea, skin eruptions and inflammation.

Red Flags From Table 1:

Table 1 shows extreme risk for certain Hallelujah vegetarian women for calcium, vitamin B12, selenium and iron. If pregnant or lactating, the risks appear even worse. And we must remember that the risk is not only to the mother, but also to the child.

Women are at high risk for all other elements, depending on age and whether pregnant or lactating.

Men are at high risk for calcium and vitamin B12. If men ate more animal products than women, this may explain why men appeared at lower risk than women in general.

Again, it is surprising that nutrient deficiencies of this magnitude have been identified by Dr. Donaldson, particularly in a research program undertaken to highlight the benefits of the diet. Since 58% of the dieters ate animal products, we can be certain that those that did not eat animal products were very low in nutrients. It would be most interesting if Dr. Donaldson would isolate the vegan dieters from the non-vegan so we could have a more accurate reading on vegan diet nutrients.

Do these findings mean that nobody can thrive long-term on the Gen 1:29 Diet? Not at all. Some people appear to be able to endure nutritional deficiencies for a long period of time and do appear to thrive. But these folks must not think that just because they thrive, everybody can thrive.

Few people have the constitution to cope with nutritional deficiencies in the long term. The teaching that the Gen 1:29 Diet is a “one-size-fits-all” is not only presumptuous, it is also dangerous.

Deficiencies Lead To Health Problems

Why the Difference?

Our findings regarding long-term health problems developed on the Gen 1:29 Diet are not in agreement with Dr. Donaldson’s study of 141 Hallelujah vegetarians. He collected questionnaires regarding quality of life and health assessment from the 141 dieters, noting that there was a dramatic improvement in all markers including physical functioning, vitality and mental health. [28] Why did these 141 dieters record such improvements in their health, yet our WOW Health Surveys show severe long-term health issues with the diet? There are several reasons for this disparity:

· The 141 Hallelujah vegetarians were not a cross section of the average dieter. They were an elite group, many of whom were health ministers, who are very enthusiastic about promoting the Gen 1:29 diet. These were obviously people for whom the diet was working well; otherwise they would have already dropped out of this elite group.

· The average time on the diet was 28 months. While 28 months is plenty of time to develop problems on the diet, it usually is not enough time for people to realize that the diet is the source of their newly developing health problems. Normally, at 28 months, most people are in full blown tinkering mode, totally unaware that any newly developing health problems are due to the Gen 1:29 Diet.

With this in mind, let’s look at several long-term health issues that are tied to deficiencies in the diet:

Mental / Emotional Problems

A deficiency in any of the vitamins or minerals in Table 1 creates its own health problems in the long-term. For example, it is commonly known that low calcium leads to osteopenia and osteoporosis. But a deficient diet will normally produce several deficiency problems. Over half of the Hallelujah vegetarian women ate a diet deficient in seven elements: calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium, biotin, zinc and pantothenic acid. What happens when several of these deficiencies “gang up” on our unsuspecting dieter?

Let’s assume that a person is low in calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin and iron; all common deficiencies on the Gen 1:29 Diet. If we just look at the symptoms related to mental and emotional stability for these elements, we can see that the mind is probably going to be affected to some degree:

Calcium: Delusions, depression, irritability.

Vitamin D: Nervousness.

Vitamin B12: Depression, irritability, mental disturbances, moodiness.

Zinc: Amnesia, apathy, depression, irritability, memory impairment.

Pantothenic Acid: Depression, irritability.

Niacin: Confusion, depression, emotional instability, irritability, memory impairment.

Iron: Confusion, depression.

Depression appears on the list above six times, irritability appears five times, memory impairment appears twice and confusion appears twice. Can you imagine the cumulative effect of deficiencies in all these nutrients?

We were surprised ourselves when mental issues surfaced as the number one problem in our own WOW Health Surveys.

Table 2 shows that mental issues were commonly reported on our WOW Health Surveys of long-term Gen 1:29 dieters.

In our own family, we now realize that we all suffered to a degree from lost mental/emotional capacity, but we nearly lost our son, Terry, due to severe depression. Click here to read his testimony.

We are also aware of several people who have nearly lost their sanity on the Gen 1:29 Diet. One case is a lady with no previous history of depression who, after only a few months on the diet feared that she was losing her mind and faced certain institutionalization. Having backed out of the diet by adding clean animal products, she is now sound in mind once again.

These two cases represent the extreme of how the Gen 1:29 Diet can affect people, but one can only wonder what lesser, mostly undetected reduced mental capacity people are suffering. From what I have seen, some Gen 1:29 Dieters are totally unaware of the mental/emotional capacity they may have lost.

After all, how can a person know he’s losing mental/emotional capacity when he’s losing the ability to think straight? It is a self-blinding syndrome. (Lost mental and emotional capacity often shows up in relationships that just don’t seem to work right any more, people are hard to get along with, and sometimes the home life just isn’t sweet anymore.)

Fatigue, Lethargy

Mental problems are by no means the only long-term problems people have with the diet. As you can see from Table 2, 64% of the people reported: “Lack of stamina, endurance, and strength”. Nearly two thirds (63%) reported: “Don’t feel like exercising or working.” Again, fatigue and lethargy are caused by a host of various deficiencies: vitamin B12, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin and iron.

Physical Problems

Lack of sufficient protein coupled with various vitamin and mineral deficiencies stack up to cause a host of physical breakdown problems as Table 2 shows. Loss of muscle and muscle tone is the most often reported problem. All these problems are what happen to a person who does not provide his body with the building blocks he needs to regenerate the body. I endured heart palpitations for years on the vegan diet thinking that I was the only one to ever develop this condition on a vegan diet. To my great surprise, I found about one fourth (25%) of Gen 1:29 dieters also have developed heart palpitations on the diet.

Poor Digestion

On the vegan diet, the digestive system becomes more finicky and less robust as the years go by. Eventually, every meal and snack becomes an event that requires careful thought. As shown in Table 2, 43% of the people reported “Trouble coping with food combinations” and 39% reported “Unable to digest food quickly.”

Symptom Developed On Gen 1:29 Diet - From WOW Health Surveys [30]	Percent Experiencing This Symptom	Possible Missing or Deficient Element [31]
MENTAL / EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
Scattered or foggy thinking	66%	Vitamin B12, niacin, iron
Inability to concentrate	46%	Vitamin B12, niacin, iron
Grouchy	48%	Calcium, vitamin B12, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin
Low tolerance to stress	58%
Negative thinking	50%
Memory loss	55%	Zinc, niacin
Lack of motivation for daily tasks	44%	Zinc
Mood swings	44%	Vitamin B12, niacin
Depression	50%	Calcium, vitamins D, B12, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin, iron
Panic attacks, paranoia	15%
FATIGUE, LETHARGY
Lack of stamina, endurance and strength	64%	Vitamin B12, zinc, pantothenic acid, niacin, iron
Don't feel like exercising or working	63%
Run down, chronically tired	43%
Diminished sex drive	36%	Selenium, zinc
PHYSICAL PROBLEMS
Loss of muscle and muscle tone	61%	Biotin, protein, niacin