Should I Become a Vegan?

veganbabe133

I personally really like being a vegan. It forces me to really plan and examine my diet and therefore I have consumed more fruits and vegetables than I ever have before. It is totally up to you though, if you have the time, the commitment and the patience it is truely rewarding. Also, over time, you stop craving the things you once did. Truely a magical experience and I will never go back

bcattoes

You can be unhealthy and vegan. You can be healthy and not vegan. I would suggest doing some research first. It's certainly possible to be healthy and vegan, but there is more to it than just not eating meat or dairy.

But if you know how to do it in a healthy manner, and you want to give it a try, why not? If you aren't happy with it, just add non-vegan foods back to your diet.

tianaclark

Things to watch out for. I tried to become vegan & I lasted about 3 months. Weight loss was nominal and I actually had some digestion issues with an increase in fiber. I would get really stressed out when it came to shopping and I actually spent more money making sure I had all my bases covered. In the end being vegan wasn't for me, I started eating more meat, but don't have it for every meal and I try to get my meat organic. There are a lot of great vegan recipes to incorporate in your daily regimen without having to go full fledged vegan. Or try a juice feast or going vegan for a week to incorporate the benefits. Happy researching!

Jade17694

Having a migraine so my eye sight is a bit off: thought this said "should I become a virgin". LOL.

Glad i'm not the only one, although i don't have a migraine as an excuse!

EmmEfff

I've been vegan for about 6 months now. I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I *HAVE* been able -with my doctor's blessing and surprise - reversed my diabetes and gone off of all meds. I've also got very shiny hair, strong nails, my 57 year-old skin looks amazing, and I'm sleeping through the night without any night sweats. THAT is awesome for a woman of my age.

It's a lot of work and planning. As someone said 'French fries and ketchup are vegan". So are chips.

As I did more and more research, it did become as much about the health of the animals and of the planet, as it was about my own, but I really try not to be too sanctimonious about it... but it sure is hard once you know what you didn't know before...

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

rprussell2004

No.

rprussell2004

everyone is a vegan wen their born until they have sex. i read about surgery to make woman vegans again but their not real vegans again

+1 :drinker:

beckykaz

I think if you want to.... you should give it a try for a month. It obviously isn't for everyone, but for me I've never felt better. There are lots of groups out there that can support you. I am currently not 'vegan' but I working on achieving a 100% whole-food, plant-based diet. Am putting together a blog about my experiences if you'd like to check out for ideas and support.. EZ2bPB.wordpress.com

1shauna1

Well, if you're mostly eating veggie/vegan foods now, just keep eating them. You don't necessarily need the label, do you? And even being vegan, I am sure you still need to watch your calories/fat intake, just as you would with a full food diet.

marycmeadows

I like veggie burgers and stuff like that too - but they are LOADED with sodium, which is not good for you so I don't know that it's any healthier than just eating some fish or meat.....

and that's a pretty major lifestyle change - especially when you've only been thinking about it for the last day or so - and doing it not to gain back weight - definitely not a good reason. I think learning how to eat right is part of the lifestyle change that will keep the weight off..... this does NOT mean cutting out meat (and switching to so called healthy veggie burgers that are reallly no more healthy than meat).....

FitLink

turkey, fish, seafood or chicken

You just listed some of the healthiest foods there are. All of those have great benefits for your body. If you aren't eating those because you think they are unhealthy, what DO you eat?

Being a vegan is no healthier than not, when eaten in moderation. Makes it easier to get protein too if you eat the meat.

If you like meat, and you dont have any issues, whether ethical or biological, then there is no reason to go vegan.

THIS^^ There is no reason to choose vegan over omnivorous except any ethical reasons one might have. It's not healthier, and makes it a lot more difficult to get all needed nutrients. You have to be VERY dedicated to be a healthy vegan.

Di3012

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?

Personally, I would find it too restrictive.

What sort of foods do you consider IS 100% healthy, just out of interest?

FitLink

I like veggie burgers and stuff like that too - but they are LOADED with sodium, which is not good for you so I don't know that it's any healthier than just eating some fish or meat.....

and that's a pretty major lifestyle change - especially when you've only been thinking about it for the last day or so - and doing it not to gain back weight - definitely not a good reason. I think learning how to eat right is part of the lifestyle change that will keep the weight off..... this does NOT mean cutting out meat (and switching to so called healthy veggie burgers that are reallly no more healthy than meat).....

The biggest problem with the average American's diet is processed food, and imitation meats made from soy and other vegetable products are some of the most highly processed foods that exist. These products are NOT healthy and if a vegetarian or vegan diet is mostly based on these it's as unhealthy as the omnivore junk food junkie's diet. Lean organic meat is much healthier.

BohemianPrep

Becoming vegan is a HUGE decision. I am currently a vegetarian and am loving it, but I've been doing it for 3 years and would never consider going vegan.

Being vegetarian has given me a lot of results as far as weight loss is concerned, but you can be unhealthy as a vegan.

For instance, did you know that Oreos are vegan? Cocoa rice crispy puff?



Just because it isn't from an animal doesn't mean that companies have made them healthy.

dancingj2

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.

So it's not someone from the same planet as Spock?? :laugh: :laugh: :noway:

Spock is from Vulvan, not Vega.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: This made me laugh so much harder than it should have.

I meant Vulcan

FitLink

Lots of evidence that eating flesh is unhealthy - check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wZendyXhU4

On the other hand - being vegan doesn't mean that you are guaranteed to be healthy nor slim. I'm testimony to that. Eating a healthy vegan diet is not easy, but if you are doing it for the right reasons and get your 'head into the right place' it is easier. I've been a vegan for years and gradually put on weight.

There are lots of over weight vegans because they tend to eat a lot of nuts and other foods high in fat. Also, vegan processed foods can be just as bad for you as non-vegan processed foods (I've recently proved this to myself).

I've recently completed a 5 week detox :sad: it was hard, but worth it. It has also shown me that I need to stay away from many foods that even though they are vegan, they are not good for me.

Good luck hun!

Could you provide actual, scientific, peer-reviewed evidence, rather than a YouTube video trying to sell something? YouTube isn't peer-reviewed. There isn't any actual, scientific, peer-reviewed evidence that vegan diets are superior to omnivorous diets for health.

grex1949

I would say it's a bad idea for anyone, even people opposed to eating animals for ethical reasons. If you're concerned about ethical treatment for animals, there are plenty of organic, humane local farms in most places that don't treat their livestock like...well, livestock. I personally tried doing a vegan diet, and although I was doing my best to get adequate proteins, vitamins, minerals, etc, I still felt sick, tired, and weak all the time. I couldn't do it for very long and I wouldn't recommend anyone try it honestly. It's not worth it.

Now I just do what I can when I can and only buy organic or locally farmed meats / dairy. It's not always viable, but hey, I'm human and I do what I am financially capable of given my family's income. Being vegan is extremely hard for most people. If you have the money to buy only organic and only locally farmed / organic meat / dairy - you should do that instead I think. Much better for the animals and for your local farmers. And, much healthier for you!

Just to clarify, there are plenty of vegans (in fact most who follow it based in its original premise) who don't eat animals for more than welfare reasons. Please don't assume that all who abstain from eating animals for ethical reasons do so only because of modern industrial farm animal production, though there are plenty of veg*ns who do. Some people believe it is wrong to consume or otherwise exploit animals for any reason.

^^^This. I hesitate to even post this because because I don't want to get in to some big veg*n debate- but some of us were vegetarians since before factory farming became a hip issue. I was first a vegetarian at 3y/o when I befriended a chicken at the farm down the road from my house, only to make the mental connection between my buddy chicken and dinner chicken. As most toddler's convictions go, it didn't last long, but when I was 11 I made the switch permanently.

P.S.I think someone already alluded to this, but there's some really messed up stuff that goes on at "organic" dairy and meat farms. If you have ethical issues with meat/dairy, the organic seal means virtually nothing.

It all depends who is caring for the animals. Factory farming or 'organic' farming doesn't mean anything if the people working there aren't doing things correctly. There are plenty of factory farms who treat their animals good and I'm sure organic farms as well and visa versa. Just depends on the individuals who are there and just as in any profession and in life in general you're going have some who aren't so nice and some who are.

I tried for almost two years to maintain a more-or-less strict Vegan lifestyle, starting out primarily for dietary reasons, but morphing into more of an animal welfare/ethical rationale. Let me tell you, maintaining a Vegan lifestyle is hard work. It's almost a full time job. I found myself agonizing over the fact that my cars (both purchased before my new-found lifestyle) both featured leather upholstery. Needless to say, my shoes, belts, a couple of my jackets, my wallet, untold other small items around the house, were all made of leather. What started as a dietary choice became political and ethical, and ultimately, untenable. I'm not about to give my shoes, belts, jackets, cars and my wallet a "decent burial". I did replace my wallet after it wore out with a cool camo wallet I found at the Miramar Base Exchange while visiting my daughter and her family, though.

So, one might say that I've failed in my Vegan quest.

I still refuse to eat meat (including, of course, fish). I do my best to avoid dairy and eggs, but these staples are contained in most processed foods you buy in the store. If I go out to eat, I will not freak out if my salad contains bits of cheese or egg. It's too much trouble to keep sending things back to the kitchen. (And who knows what happens to your meal back there when you do that, anyway?)

I draw the line at eating dead animals. The thought leaves me feeling ill. I don't think I will ever eat flesh again. But that's just me.

Bottom line: Don't choose a Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyle to lose weight. There are easier ways to balance your diet than eliminating all animal products. On the other hand, if you are concerned with animal welfare issues, I encourage you to consider trying the Vegan lifestyle.

SonicaBE

i made the change some 4 months ago- love it.

FitLink

I've been vegetarian for 30 years and vegan off an on. I'm pretty solidly vegan now. I think it's the healthiest way to eat in the world.

If you're saying that in vegan vs omnivorous, vegan is always healthier, you're plain and simple wrong. I can eat a totally vegan junk food diet and a totally healthy diet including animal products. YOUR diet may be healthy, but there's nothing intrinsically more healthy about simply being vegan.

tigersword

Another negative to being vegan. Vegan's can't eat honey, because it comes from an animal. No honey = no bueno.