My dad was once again trying to pull me away from vegetarianism with facts that I obviously already knew, when he threw one at me that I didn't know about.



He says that cabbage and cabbage-like vegetables (I'm guessing he means the dark green leafy vegetables) contain large amounts of oestrogen, and so by eating them more often for iron, I am stunting my development.



Is this true? And if so, what can I do about it?

never heard of this, if you have a very varied diet, but exclude all animal products, you will have a very healthy life, if you are young it does not hurt to include a multi vitamin in your diet, you can get them especially fro vege`s.

go onto some vege sites on the net, they give you good info about diet.

That's new to me!! Hows about all those Eastern European countries that eat heaps and heaps of cabbage?? Haven't noticed any stunted development there. At worst, you might get a bit gassy.

Thanks, it's reassuring to know what you think.

Trouble is, he's a doctor, and says he found out about it from a medical document. But then again, he did say that meat was 100% protein the other day... I won't worry. Thanks

My completely unresearched and unscientific answer:



My best friend has been having various "female" problems and has been since long before becoming a vegan. (She has only been vegan for a couple of months.) She had ovarian cysts, and recently found a lump in her breast. After discovering the lump and seeing the doctor she met with a reputable nutritionist who told her that vegetables like Brussels sprouts (which is a member of the cabbage family) and similar veggies actually help inhibit estrogen, and are great for women with various estrogen-related problems.



So take that for what it's worth, which may not be a lot.

If your father is a western trained doctor, he has been educated in a system that does not agree with the fact that the human body is not meant to eat meat (although the truth is becoming more well known).

So why would you trust him (on those issuses) anyway?

Yep, that's what I found out when I became vegetarian, it's cruciferous veggies which are good for it, and cabbage is a cruciferous veggie (also broccoli, cauliflower, chard, kale, mustard greens, turnips, rutabagas, lettuce and of course cabbage and many others). Also pumpkin seeds are good for prostate health, and I think olive oil and canola oil are good for testosterone levels too.

So, if it is true, what is so wrong with being a bit stunted. What in heck does that mean anyway? He makes it sound like you will be itty bitty. I am female, thus have plenty of estrogyn, and am 6 feet tall. I know many women who are naturally large like that. It is genetics, not whether I ate cabbage or soy beans.



Also, pardon my saying, but shame on him for trying to scare you out of one of the healthiest life-styles around. As a doctor, he should know the dangers of eating too much meat. Such statements seem to come from someone who is not exactly curious, and unable to step outside "conventional" knowledge.



Doctors are not magical. In many cases, they push drugs for drug companies because they get a nice kickback. This also goes for philosophies about what you should eat.

My friend's mother is a neurologist ans she says pork chops and bacon are good for your brain. What do you say about that?

From what I have read, phytoestrogens (estrogen-like hormones that come from plants) can occupy estrogen receptor sites in the body, which means that the body's own estrogen will be excreted in the urine. This is actually good for people who have estrogen-related problems, or produce estrogen in excess, but may be bad for people who do not produce and recycle enough of their own estrogen.



So its easy to see why people can get confused, because it goes against common sense to consume plants rich in phytoestrogens if you have problems that may be caused by too much estrogen.



Men make their own estrogen too, but in much smaller quantities. My understanding is that phytoestrogens will not do things like make men sprout moobs, but that xenoestrogens, which come from plastics and other non-organic sources, and can also occupy estrogen receptor sites, are much more dangerous for both men and women.