Vegetarianism or veganism?

healthyandthin

Which lifestyle is healthier?

erickirb

I vote vegetarian, if you are a vegan you lack a lot of nutrients and must take supplements whereas a vegetarian can get everything they need from diet alone.

Vegan sources of protein are not complete proteins although soy is close, I believe it is missing some or 1 amino acids.

freerange

neither

elid

Neither is inherently healthier. Depends on what you're eating... you can be vegan and still eat a bunch of vegan cookies! (Same for vegetarians who eat a bunch of pizza or something.)

The trick with being vegan is you need to be sure to get complete proteins. It's easier as a vegetarian, because you can eat eggs/cheese/etc. But it's not impossible as a vegan--you just need to plan carefully. This page has a sample menu with suggestions: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

erickirb

neither

Why not?

NoAdditives

I vote vegetarian, if you are a vegan you lack a lot of nutrients and must take supplements whereas a vegetarian can get everything they need from diet alone.

You can't get taurine from non-animal sources and the DHA isn't the same either.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Either. It takes planning for both, I am a vegetarian and quite strict and I was a vegan for 4 years. My doctor loves me and uses my diet as an exaple to his other patients. You need to research and I chose to live this way because I'm against animal cruelty...not for my health.

3LittleMonkeys

I vote Vegan. As long as you are eating organic and no processed soy products.

skinnyack

probably the one you can maintain and goes best with your lifestyle and your ideology or reason for doing so. I think both can be extremely beneficial for you. Vegan is pretty darn hard sometimes if you like to go out with your friends and live in a community that doesn't cater to it. I've tried both and have settled on pescetarian (try to eat veggie but will eat fish- and I still occasionally eat meat). I just found it was more realistic not to lock myself into a box. On the flip side- I have been a very good vegetarian this last week and let me tell you- it feels great! I just feel sexier, my weight loss is going well, my salt intake has been entirely controllable. only bad thing is I find I need to go to the grocery store more often because I'm already out of veggies for meals. good luck to you in making the right choice for you!

Enigmatica

There is no blanket truth that one approach is better than another. I've known both healthy and unhealthy vegans and vegetarians. One of my younger friends has been vegan for 6 years and has become seriously overweight and always feels lousy. I don't blame it on being vegetarian or vegan or an omnivore per se; in any case you still have to understand what your body needs, what's actually healthy, and ensure that you get it.

MistyMtnMan

I vote vegetarian, if you are a vegan you lack a lot of nutrients and must take supplements whereas a vegetarian can get everything they need from diet alone.

Vegan sources of protein are not complete proteins although soy is close, I believe it is missing some or 1 amino acids.

I definitely agree with this. Vegetarian diet is a lot better than vegan. There is just no way to get all of the proper nutrients you need on a vegan diet. My friend who was a vegan for 10 years said as soon as she stopped her hair and nails started to grow again and her skin was a lot healthier. I don't think humans were meant to be that restricted on nutrition.

freerange

neither

Why not?

Because we are humans not cows

Mary92881

After being a vegetarian since I was 12 years old, I went vegan about 6 months ago and I've never felt better! For the record though, I had my biggest struggle with my weight while I was vegetarian due to poor food choices. Also, when I switched to veganism back in October, I gained weight the first couple of months due to poor meal planning. Overall, I think both can be healthy as long as you educate yourself first before making any huge changes.

NoAdditives

neither

Why not?

Because we are humans not cows

It's true, we did evolve eating meat and fish and there are key amino acids we can't get anywhere other than meat or fish. That's why it's not a good idea for children, with developing brains, to be vegetarian.

I was vegetarian for 10 years, vegan for 2 because I didn't like the idea that an animal had to die in order for me to eat. I still don't like it, but it's the way it is. I don't like that plants have to die so that I can live, but I enjoy living, so I do what I have to do.

Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet isn't inherently healthier, it's just more difficult to have a properly balanced diet. And if animal cruelty is the issue, there are ways around that. Don't buy meat from the store, hunt a deer who lived a happy life. If it's done right there is no cruelty in the way the animal is killed. It's quick and as painless as possible. And it's healthier since they aren't pumped with hormones and anitbiotics their whole life.

finafilms

I think both and as other people have suggested it takes planning and it deals a lot with choice. Do plenty of research because there are ways to get your nutrient count (protein included) going vegan even raw vegan. I did raw veganism for a little while and the best resource I had was Becoming Raw. It is a good read for any one just wanting to add more vegan and raw vegan meals into their routine or to go full tilt as it maps out nutrient counts, breaks down the protein myth and gives you sample menus and recipes. Start slow by adding more vegetarian or vegan meals (maybe 1 or 2 per week) and go from there.

Jade_Butterfly

Neither is inherently healthier. Depends on what you're eating... you can be vegan and still eat a bunch of vegan cookies! (Same for vegetarians who eat a bunch of pizza or something.)

The trick with being vegan is you need to be sure to get complete proteins. It's easier as a vegetarian, because you can eat eggs/cheese/etc. But it's not impossible as a vegan--you just need to plan carefully. This page has a sample menu with suggestions: http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Yes my brothers wife is a lacto-vegetarian and has been since she was a kid, so I think it is fine as long as you do your homework, like anything else, and know how to get all your vitamins and proper nutrients from food.

I personally just got rid of eating red meat, and eat limited amounts of the rest. Kind of a mixture between faux meats, poultry and fish.

I also have known people that were vegan and very happy, but like I said do your homework, so that you aren't depleting yourself.

Jade_Butterfly

neither

Why not?

Because we are humans not cows

It's true, we did evolve eating meat and fish and there are key amino acids we can't get anywhere other than meat or fish. That's why it's not a good idea for children, with developing brains, to be vegetarian.

I was vegetarian for 10 years, vegan for 2 because I didn't like the idea that an animal had to die in order for me to eat. I still don't like it, but it's the way it is. I don't like that plants have to die so that I can live, but I enjoy living, so I do what I have to do.

Eating a vegetarian or vegan diet isn't inherently healthier, it's just more difficult to have a properly balanced diet. And if animal cruelty is the issue, there are ways around that. Don't buy meat from the store, hunt a deer who lived a happy life. If it's done right there is no cruelty in the way the animal is killed. It's quick and as painless as possible. And it's healthier since they aren't pumped with hormones and anitbiotics their whole life.

I think this is hilarious "we are humans not cows" Well on the other hand God made breast milk to raise a small infant, He made cows milk to raise a 1300lb animal, but somewhere along the line we as HUMANS decide it is health to drink breast milk from a cow, and wonder why we were gaining weight. BLAH! Great think is everyone gets to have their own opinion.

VialOfDreams

Yes my brothers wife is a lacto-vegetarian and has been since she was a kid, so I think it is fine as long as you do your homework, like anything else, and know how to get all your vitamins and proper nutrients from food.

I personally just got rid of eating red meat, and eat limited amounts of the rest. Kind of a mixture between faux meats, poultry and fish.

I also have known people that were vegan and very happy, but like I said do your homework, so that you aren't depleting yourself.

Quoted for truth.

I became vegetarian over a year ago. Since then, I've lost 100 lbs, and became healthier. My fiance is a flexitarian (eating meat occasionally), and he also lost almost 40 lbs. Although meat eaters can just as easily lose weight, I found it easier as a vegetarian, just because I no longer eat the chicken nuggets, BBQ ribs and other meats that I would surely crave.

There is no "correct" lifestyle. It's about doing your homework, just like the above quote states. If you decide to become vegetarian or vegan, you need to make sure to learn about the appropriate nutrition for the lifestyle of your choice.

Edestiny7

Veganism is better than vegetarianism because vegan means zero cholesterol and less saturated fat. The ONLY supplement that vegans must take is B12. Because I live in the northeast, I must also take vitamin D, but that was before I became vegan as well. As far as complete proteins, there are plenty of vegan foods that are complete proteins. Sacha Inca seeds are. Quinoa grain is. Lental Walnut burgers. But in general, food eaten throughout the day will give the body what it needs protein wise. You do not need to eat a certain combination.

I began eating vegan last September. I already could hardly eat any meat because of kidney stones and was considering cutting it out altogether. I decided to go a step further though, for acne, allergies, phlegm, etc... I haven't looked back. A big help to me is the website veggiebrothers.com. I buy low sodium, tasty, vegan food from them. Other things I buy from the natural foods section of Hannafords and my local natural foods store. Feel free to look at my diary to see what I eat on average.

hippiechel

people who are against vegetarianism and/or veganism have obviously not read up enough on the topic. you can survive well and live healthily on an omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan diet. personally, i think the vegan diet is the healthiest of all, if done right. i am a vegetarian, but i try to eat as vegan as much as possible. there are a lot of great books out there on veganism and vegetarianism, and even websites. of course there are pros and cons to all these diets, but i really want to say that those people who believe that you cannot be healthy on a vegetarian or vegan diet are ill-informed.

leavinglasvegas

I don't agree that either are unhealthy. There is just a plain lack of education that exists out there. Everybody thinks you need meat to survive, you don't, you need protiens, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These things exist in nature, not just meat and dairy. Whether you want to go veggie or not, it in important to be educated. Period. Especially lately, plant-based diets are increasingly popular. It isn't just hippies like me, doctors, researchers, nutritionists, scientists are coming to agreement...

The most impressive data arises from a study of 1904 vegetarians over 21 years by the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsche Krebsforschungszentrum). The study's shocking results: vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50%! Women vegetarians benefit from a 30% reduction in mortality. ........

.....Research by a team led by Professor Ibrahim Elmadfa at the University of Vienna found a much better than average intake of Vitamin C, Carotinoides, Folic acid, fiber and unsaturated fats. Where shortcomings may arise is for Vitamin B12, calcium und Vitamin D in a vegan diet. Astoundingly, however, study participants did not suffer from diseases, such as osteoporosis, typically related to inadequate intakes of these micro-nutrients.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13/benefits-of-vegetarianism_n_112431.html


The Dietary Guidelines—issued by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services every five years—are the blueprint for all federal nutrition programs, including school meals. The new Guidelines devote two full pages to vegetarian and vegan nutrition, and point out that these eating patterns provide nutritional advantages and reduce obesity, heart disease, and overall mortality. Vegetarian diets may include dairy products and eggs, while vegan diets avoid all animal products.

http://www.pcrm.org/news/dietary_guidelines_back_plant-based_diets_fight_obesity_110131.html

We've all heard that plant protein is "incomplete" compared to meat protein, and that plant foods have to be carefully combined to make a "complete" protein. But that's just a rumor that was never based on science. The American Dietetic Association abandoned that idea decades ago. Susan Havala Hobbs, Ph.D, R.D. describes how the ADA discarded the protein combining idea:
There was no basis for [protein combining] that I could see.... I began calling around and talking to people and asking them what the justification was for saying that you had to complement proteins, and there was none. And what I got instead was some interesting insight from people who were knowledgeable and actually felt that there was probably no need to complement proteins. So we went ahead and made that change in the paper. [The paper was approved by peer review and by a delegation vote before becoming official.] And it was a couple of years after that that Vernon Young and Peter Pellet published their paper that became the definitive contemporary guide to protein metabolism in humans. And it also confirmed that complementing proteins at meals was totally unnecessary.8.5

Vegetable Proteins Can Stand Alone, Dennis Gordon, M.Ed,R.D., Journal of the American Dietetic Association (March 1996, Volume 96, Issue 3), pp. 230-231
8.5 Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment?, p. 38.

Renowned Cleveland Clinic researcher Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D., highlights the need to change standard approaches to heart disease in an article to be published next week in the American Journal of Cardiology. Dr. Esselstyn explains why common methods of treating heart disease, such as stent and bypass surgeries, may have their place among a minority of patients, but for the vast majority, they are not as effective as low-fat, plant-based diets. The author acknowledges that physicians’ time constraints can limit the ability to provide information to patients. But ultimately, educated patients experience weight loss, blood pressure normalization, and improved or resolved diabetes, angina, and heart disease.

Esselstyn CB. Is the present therapy for coronary artery disease the radical mastectomy of the twenty-first century? Am J Cardiol. 2010;106:902-904.


Large studies in England and Germany showed that vegetarians were about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat eaters.1-3.....................Overall, these studies showed significant reductions in cancer risk among those who avoided meat.4 In contrast, Harvard studies showed that daily meat eaters have approximately three times the colon cancer risk, compared to those who rarely eat meat.

1. Thorogood M, Mann J, Appleby P, McPherson K. Risk of death from cancer and ischaemic heart disease in meat and non-meat eaters. Br Med J. 1994;308:1667-1670.
2. Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R, Eilber U. Mortality patterns of German vegetarians after 11 years of follow-up. Epidemiology. 1992;3:395-401.
3. Chang-Claude J, Frentzel-Beyme R. Dietary and lifestyle determinants of mortality among German vegetarians. Int J Epidemiol. 1993;22:228-236.
4. Barnard ND, Nicholson A, Howard JL. The medical costs attributable to meat consumption. Prev Med. 1995;24:646-655.

The Dietary Guidelines—issued by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services every five years—are the blueprint for all federal nutrition programs, including school meals. The new Guidelines devote two full pages to vegetarian and vegan nutrition, and point out that these eating patterns provide nutritional advantages and reduce obesity, heart disease, and overall mortality. Vegetarian diets may include dairy products and eggs, while vegan diets avoid all animal products.

http://www.pcrm.org/news/dietary_guidelines_back_plant-based_diets_fight_obesity_110131.html

c7eat2live

Im a vegetarian/flexitarian...I eat meat and fish on occasion. Honestly the decision for me is really ethically based...I simply disagree with the way animals are raised for consumption and vehemently refuse to buy products that are inhumane. I also just don't feel the need to eat animals for protein or whatever, I eat lentils, beans, soy and nuts and don't miss meat really at all

milaxx

There is no blanket truth that one approach is better than another. I've known both healthy and unhealthy vegans and vegetarians. One of my younger friends has been vegan for 6 years and has become seriously overweight and always feels lousy. I don't blame it on being vegetarian or vegan or an omnivore per se; in any case you still have to understand what your body needs, what's actually healthy, and ensure that you get it.

THIS. Like any other eating choice, it's a matter of getting the proper nutrients. When I first when "vegetarian" I realize now I became more of a junk-a-tarian than anything else. I was eating loads of pasta and tons of any cheese that didn't contain animal rennet. Yes I was eating a lot of vegetables, but I also ate loads of fake meat.

I have gradually decreased the amount the processed food in my diet, and make my own veggie patties, I also limit the amount of dairy and processed soy I eat, as well as limiting the amount of gluten in my diet. It took looking at my diet overall to really find what works for me. vegetarianism, veganism, pescatarianism or omni can all be healthy diets. It just takes doing your research and figuring out what works best with your lifestyle.

Jade_Butterfly

people who are against vegetarianism and/or veganism have obviously not read up enough on the topic. you can survive well and live healthily on an omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan diet. personally, i think the vegan diet is the healthiest of all, if done right. i am a vegetarian, but i try to eat as vegan as much as possible. there are a lot of great books out there on veganism and vegetarianism, and even websites. of course there are pros and cons to all these diets, but i really want to say that those people who believe that you cannot be healthy on a vegetarian or vegan diet are ill-informed.

Absolutey!!!