Should I Become a Vegan?

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  • _snw_
    _snw_ Posts: 1,305 Member
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    don't you think you should become a vegan (or not) because of your ~own~ thoughts on the subject?
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
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    french fries and ketchup are vegan.
  • rachelelizabeth88
    rachelelizabeth88 Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm a vegetarian, and I would only recommend this kind of diet for someone who believes in the ethical part of it-- not to use it as a weight loss tool. I would only say go vegan if it's what you really believe, because otherwise it can be very hard for you

    Good Luck!
  • HealthyHappyVegan
    HealthyHappyVegan Posts: 58
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    Hey there! Obviously a vegan over here and my only advice is this:
    DO NOT become a vegan just because it's a quick weight loss tool. I became vegan for many different reasons I wont get into on here but you CAN be completely healthy as a non-vegan.

    Vegans can be healthier than meat eaters but meat eaters can also be healthier than vegans. Depends on how you use these labels, I guess.

    Basically, just make sure you're doing things for the right reasons. I'm a vegan, get all my nutrients and vitamins, but it takes a lot of research and preparation. Good luck with whatever you chose!
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    I would recommend it. Message me if you'd like some more info x
  • reka74
    reka74 Posts: 70
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    It's your decision...
    If you want to read a little more before you try I hardly recommend: The China Study from Colin Campbell.
    I started to read more after this incredible book and educate myself... than changed things around.
    Good luck
  • maddymama
    maddymama Posts: 1,183 Member
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    A few thoughts (skimmed others responses, so they may have already been pointed out).
    1)Veggie burgers, veggie chicken patties, etc. are often very processed and then also have ingredients added that are not very healthy. If you really want to go vegan, try to learn how to make your own veggie burgers, etc., so you can control the content.
    2)Appetite for Reduction is a great cookbook if you want to eat vegan and be healthier. I really like alot of the recipes in the cookbook. I am not vegan, but a flexitarian. I try to eat less meat than I used to. I try to eat one or two meals a week with meat, one or two vegetarian, and one or two vegan meals.
    3) You will need to really watch your diet as a vegan. It's easy to eat enough fake food to make you gain weight.
    4) It may not be the meat making you ill, but how the meat or other foods are prepared.
  • jennacurtis1981
    jennacurtis1981 Posts: 2
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    I have been thinking about becoming a vegan too. One of my favorite magazines "Women's Health", always features gorgeous women who are vegans. Many celebrities swear that it works wonders. I've developed a food phobia after watching " forks over knives" and other documentaries. We buy very expensive grain fed beef and USDA organic chicken. I think for the most part I've decided I can live without that meat. I can't seem to eat it in good conscience knowing how unhealthy and filthy it is. I think I will be a "most of the time" vegan. I enjoy eating beef at cook out's and turkey on Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure I will forgo it the rest of the time. I've found some veggies with protein and iron.
  • RocketsGirl
    RocketsGirl Posts: 346 Member
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    don't you think you should become a vegan (or not) because of your ~own~ thoughts on the subject?

    well put...I think THIS is what is most important. What you think, not what some random internet people think.
  • bms34b
    bms34b Posts: 401 Member
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    No.


    I was a vegan for a year...I tried it specifically to lose weight, and guess what, I lost only 3 pounds in the entire year. Don't go vegan unless you have other moral reasons. Here's a short list of foods you should stil want to eat:
    -eggs
    -lean meats like chicken and turkey
    -skim milk
    -greek yogurt

    Too healthy and delicious and filling to say no to!
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Let's go ahead and get this out of the way now.

    Being Vegan or Vegetarian is a lifestyle, not a diet. The idea of not eating meat, poultry, or fish because it's unhealthy is a pretty ignorant statement. Healthy is subjective. You can be a Vegan or a Vegetarian, be overweight, sit your *kitten* on the couch all day and be at higher risk of CVD and CHD then someone that eats meat, is of healthy weight and exercises.

    If you refuse to eat meat, poultry, or fish because:

    1. It's against your beliefs.
    2. You are repulsed at the thought of eating meat from animals.
    3. You have an allergy to meat products.
    4. You have some kind of medical condition that prevents you from eating meat products.

    Then this is all good and well and it's respected.

    However, if people are going to pass off not eating meat ,poultry, or fish because it's "unhealthy", then I suggest you stop now and go read some peer reviewed research and studies on the topic.

    Have a nice day.
  • TrinaCanDoThis
    TrinaCanDoThis Posts: 115
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    Having a migraine so my eye sight is a bit off: thought this said "should I become a virgin". LOL.
    HA HA HA HA HA!
  • TrinaCanDoThis
    TrinaCanDoThis Posts: 115
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    Let's go ahead and get this out of the way now.

    Being Vegan or Vegetarian is a lifestyle, not a diet. The idea of not eating meat, poultry, or fish because it's unhealthy is a pretty ignorant statement. Healthy is subjective. You can be a Vegan or a Vegetarian, be overweight, sit your *kitten* on the couch all day and be at higher risk of CVD and CHD then someone that eats meat, is of healthy weight and exercises.

    If you refuse to eat meat, poultry, or fish because:

    1. It's against your beliefs.
    2. You are repulsed at the thought of eating meat from animals.
    3. You have an allergy to meat products.
    4. You have some kind of medical condition that prevents you from eating meat products.

    Then this is all good and well and it's respected.

    However, if people are going to pass off eating meat ,poultry, or fish because it's "unhealthy", then I suggest you stop now and go read some peer reviewed research and studies on the topic.

    Have a nice day.
    LIKE! :)
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I did not mean to be condescending about the term vegan. I just do not like to assume that everyone knows what I know...

    However, I do thank you for your comments.

    You weren't being condescending at all, *a lot* of people do not know the difference between vegan/vegetarian/pescetarian, etc. Actually, technically, the original definition for the term vegan included an ethical component, and generally still does.

    It can be difficult for some people to stick to if there is not the ethical component, and then they end up getting frustrated and feeling like a failure. Why not consider starting with a plant-based diet? That's where many people start. Just focus your diet on plants, make anything else the sides/condiments to your meals. That's completely healthy. See how you feel from there. If you see a doctor regularly, get your annual physical with blood panel, etc, to make sure everything's good.

    If you decide to go plant based, consider joining one of the groups here, such as Happy Herbivores. You'll generally get a lot more support there than you will from the general forum.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    For about the last day or so, I have been thinking about changing my diet and becoming a vegan. For those who are not familiar with what the term vegan means -- it simply means a person who does not consume any animal products what so ever. It is not that I do not like eating turkey, fish, seafood or chicken, it is simply that even these foods are not 100 percent healthy for anyone...

    Right now, i weigh 195 lbs and I do not want to gain all of the weight that I had lost over the past nine months. I do not want to get fat again.

    In addition, my favorite foods are veggie burgers, veggie chicken patties, leafy vegetables, peanut butter, almond butter, whole wheat cereals, whole grain bread rounds, and tomatoes...

    The online research is mixed. Some articles indicate that a vegan diet is the healthiest type of diet. But there is other lines of research that seem to claim that it is necessary to consume some animal products.

    What are your thoughts?
    The foods you listed as your "favorite foods" are actually no more healthy, and in some cases, less healthy than the food you listed as "not 100% healthy for everyone." A vegan diet is an alternative diet. It is no more or less healthy than any other type of diet. Most research shows that true vegans are just as likely to have the same exact health problems as people who eat meat, and both sides have about the same lifespan. It's basically a personal preference, although with Vegans, 99% of the time it's more for ethical reasons than health reasons.

    Also, Vegan means no animal products at all, not just food wise, but everything in life. No leather, no fur, etc.
  • PeaceCorpsKat
    PeaceCorpsKat Posts: 335 Member
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    If you are going to do it you will need a lot of discipline. Being a Vegan means that you need to think about everything you eat. I would suggest eating vegan 2 or 3 days out of the week and work on increasing that to 7.

    Talk to Vegans, ask a nutrionist. Log everything you eat so you know you are getting all the proper nutrition.

    Vegan lifestyles can be extremely healthy if they are done correctly. Good luck
  • rainydaze613
    rainydaze613 Posts: 112 Member
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    A vegan diet can be perfectly healthy, as long as you're not completely living off packaged vegan snacks or premade meals. However, I think you should make the choice based on your own beliefs and not see it as a type of weightloss method. Vegan diets in general tend to be lowest in saturated fats though, so that's a plus. There are always going to be debates on veganism and whether or not humans need dairy/meat, but there are many people out there who are living perfectly healthy vegan lives- at the healthiest they've ever been, in fact. So, if you figure out what to eat properly as a vegan, I'd say go for it. My mom has been vegan for over 10 years and her fitness and health has improved tremendously.
  • teresaottesen
    teresaottesen Posts: 7 Member
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    As you state you wanted to be a vegan but did not list a vegan life style, It is more than just food it is a life style that excluded more than just meat.

    Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients. Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines. Most vegans also avoid the use of all products tested on animals, as well as animal-derived

    Sounds like you want to be a vegetarian just excluding the meat but keeping: dairy, eggs, and such. Or are you wanting to be an ovo-lacto-vegatarian?
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I've been a vegetarian for almost 20 years, and I've gone through vegan periods over the years, but I've always ended up back as a vegetarian despite the ethical reasons that I don't want to eat eggs and dairy, because its really hard. Without real commitment, I would say its impossible. It is much, much easier to eat at a restaurant or at someone's house being vegetarian than vegan.

    There is no diet that is inherently healthy- whether you are a vegetarian, vegan, paleo, pescatarian, atkins, or south beach there are always loopholes that let garbage food "fit" the diet, (I'm pretty sure oreos are vegan) so you have to be responsible to make the best food choices for yourself. :drinker:
  • WhitneyAnnabelle
    WhitneyAnnabelle Posts: 724 Member
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    I haven't had problems with it. In fact, as someone with chronic illness, it has improved my quality of life significantly. There's no reason a person has to meet the criteria listed above for someone to exclude animal products from their diet. To suggest that wanting to exclude them for religious reasons and not needing to "do your research" is also irresponsible. I may not do it for religious reasons or because I'm allergic, but I'm no different than anyone else. If you are sincerely interested, you do need to do research, but that's not to say it's not a viable option so long as you take care of your dietary needs.

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