Pondering the Vegan side of life

penutbuttercups01

So I have been pondering the thought of going Vegan, I eat vegan 3 days a weel already, I just find that it helps my sense of well being.
Of course I still maintain my clean eating lifestyle I just choose to steer away from animal based products and stick with a more plant based sugarfree, GMO free , gluten free & processed free diet...

I don't think it will be too hard, my main issue being my partner would never do it and being in sydney ,australia the availability of vegan restaurants or vegan options at restaurants is very scarce.
Any thoughts form anyone?? has ony one experienced significant increase in well being and also weightloss from swapping dietary habits???

2aycocks

My 19 yr old step granddaughter went Vegan and it nearly killed her. You don't get the nutrition you need and it's very harmful to your health. You are much better off just doing a regular healthy diet.

LoseYouself

My 19 yr old step granddaughter went Vegan and it nearly killed her. You don't get the nutrition you need and it's very harmful to your health. You are much better off just doing a regular healthy diet.

You CAN get the nutrition you need, but it needs to be properly planned and you need to educate yourself on it before taking it on. The American Dietetic Association even acknowledges that a properly planned vegan diet is nutritionally adequate for ALL stages of life, including pregnancy. So your granddaughter's situation isn't necessarily the fault of veganism, but her food choices and attention to getting the nutrients she needed. Clearly she had a deficiency somewhere.


To the original poster-

I've been vegan for 1.5 years so far, and my doctor is THRILLED. She said she admires it, and that my blood work looks absolutely perfect! My level of iron is actually HIGHER now than when I ate meat. My thyroid function has also drastically improved out of the blue since going vegan.

If you want helpful information on veganism, definitely post this in a group or forum for vegans and vegetarians. They'll give you the information you need to make your decision, since it is definitely a very personal decision and commitment to make. Posting about veganism in this general area of the forum tends to get rude responses and negativity on considering veganism.

Whatever you choose to do, either way, I wish you the best of luck!

MinMin97

I did that for a while, just because it was an amazing culinary adventure. It felt awesome TBH. However, I don't think it's good long-term, I need meat. I like dairy. and I am cooking for a whole family. It really broadens your culinary skills, though! I was making dehydrator breads and cookies, delicious salads, desserts....it was fun.

Trechechus

If you want to be veg and gluten-free, just keep in mind that many, many meat substitutes have gluten in them. Seitan is wheat gluten, and most veg chick'n products are made of seitan.

MinMin97

One thing I discovered is many dairy/meat substitutes have a food additive called carrageenan.
You might want to be aware of this, because it is a gastrointestinal irritant, and many people have IBS symptoms because of it! I personally can't even eat a bite of something containing it, my gut will be mess-up for a week.
I learned to avoid this additive. Although it is sourced from Irish Moss, which is perfectly okay to consume when processed naturally, most often the carrageenan added to foods is a petrolatum-processed, altered product which is not good. Too bad it's added to food.
whoops forgot to add a link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

darla499

I feel SO much better since going vegan.

I was vegetarian for a couple years but ate a lot of cheese and yogurt and got a lot more fat than what I think of as healthy now.

I initially lost a lot of weight quick but I've since upped my calories, so it's slowed down ... but I'm not even thinking about the weight loss anymore. Weight loss will happen. The fact that I feel so much better is what matters to me now.

BobbyDaniel

I've been eating mostly vegan for about 6 months now, I'm the only one in my house doing this and I live in a small town in Southwest Louisiana where fried seafood is the norm...but I'm making it. It was actually a much easier transition than I expected and there are so many resources out there to get you through it if you choose to go for it. I keep track of my macros and more often than not I'm hitting them and regularly go over my daily protein goals since that is what most people tend to worry about. I also take a B12 supplement. I say give it a try, if it works, stick with it, if it doesn't, try something else.

FlaxMilk

Some people use "vegan" as eating disorder masking. If someone's vegan diet almost killed them, I'd be questioning that.

Mslmesq

I'm comfortable eating vegan or vegetarian most of the time, but I admire people that go all the way. Good luck to you whatever you decide.