<P> Animal source foods (ASF) include many food item that comes from an animal source such as meat, milk, 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 . </P> <P> Aside from performed vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin D, all vitamins found in animal source foods may also be found in 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). There are some nutrients which are rare to find in sufficient density in plant based foods . One example would be zinc, the exception would be pumpkin seeds that have been soaked for improved digestion . The increased fiber in these foods can also make absorption difficult . Deficiencies are very possible in these nutrients if vegetarians are not very careful and willing to eat sufficient quantities of these exceptional plant based foods . A good way to find these foods would be to search for them on one of the online, nutrient analyzing databases . An example would be nutritiondata.com . </P> <P> Most humans eat an omnivorous diet (comprising animal source foods and plant source foods) though some civilisations have eaten only animal foods . Although a healthy diet containing all essential macro and micronutrients may be possible by only consuming a plant based diet (with vitamin B obtained from supplements if no animal sourced foods are consumed), 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 . 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 . These six micronutrients are vitamin A, vitamin B, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc . ASF are the only food source of Vitamin B. ASF also provide high biological value protein, energy, fat compared with plant food sources . </P> <P> All six micronutrients richly found in ASF, vitamin A, vitamin B, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc play a critical role in the growth and development of children . 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 . Some of these effects, such as impaired cognitive development from an iron deficiency, are irreversible . However, ASF foods have been shown to raise the risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity and other preventable diseases due to the high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol . </P>

Write a short note on food from animals