As a follow-up to PCRM's menstrual pain and PMS study, Neal Barnard, M.D., and colleagues evaluated the acceptability of the vegan diet, which all participants were required to follow. The findings, published in the November-December 2000 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education, confirmed that a vegan diet, free of meat, dairy products, and eggs, was just as acceptable as their usual diet. Although many physicians are reluctant to prescribe a vegan diet for their patients for fear it is too restrictive, many people who try it are sold for life.
Several factors appear to play a role.
First of all, ordinary, low-cal diets simply require the dieter to eat smaller, blander portions of what they have been eating their whole lives. Eating a bit of chicken or fish with a sprinkling of plain vegetables on the side is unappealing to most people. Vegan menus, on the other hand, feature ample portions and fresh tastes. Secondly, vegan diets get results. Lastly, social support makes a difference.