Vegan Vs. Bacon

dmf80

Vegan is no more conducive to weight loss or good health than eating an omnivorous diet. Heck, plenty of "unhealthy" foods can be vegan. Cookies, candy, soda, ketchup, cheetos, potato chips, all vegan.

If you only want to do it because you think it will make you lose weight, don't do it. It will be a waste of your time, as it won't help you lose weight anymore than a sensible non-vegan diet would. And you'll probably be unhappy due to the severe restriction and forced elimination of foods you like. Why do that to yourself?

Most candy is not vegan. Most candy is made from white, bleached sugar. To achieve this "bleached" look they tumble the sugar in animal bones....rendering a non-vegan product. GOOGLE is your friend.

daffodilsoup

At first I thought this thread was a showdown between the two and I was thinking is that a serious question? Bacon would kick vegan's skinny b*tch *kitten*!

Unnecessary. There's really no need to bash people's lifestyles because they happen to be different than yours. My "vegan b*tch *kitten*" can probably bench press you.

OP, as a vegan, I will tell you that going vegan does not necessarily mean weight loss. While it does cut out a lot of typical "pitfall" foods, keep in mind that weight loss comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Veganism can be a compassionate, beautiful and healthy way of life if the person sticks to veggies, fruits, whole grains and plant-based proteins, but if you're a vegan that eats Oreos and a box of pasta every night, it might not work out. Just like omnivorous diets, veganism is all about good food choices and maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit.

Also, tempeh bacon.

tabulator32

I went totally vegan for about six weeks when I started with MFP. It was completely worth it and I feel so good and energetic.

Certainly, it is not the only reason I lost weight. In fact, it is easy to be vegan and stay fat! I was doing it for health reasons and for educational reasons. I was doing it for the experience.

It was awesome.

I am not going to let it keep me from having an occasional piece of bacon...although, honestly, I have yet to have bacon since I tried veganism. I HAVE resumed eating some chicken and fish. No dairy or eggs for me, either. Its all about health choices for me.

If denying yourself the occasional piece of bacon is causing you to think about it too much...enjoy a couple slices of bacon!

kate_sunflower

At first I thought this thread was a showdown between the two and I was thinking is that a serious question? Bacon would kick vegan's skinny b*tch *kitten*!

Unnecessary. There's really no need to bash people's lifestyles because they happen to be different than yours. My "vegan b*tch *kitten*" can probably bench press you.

OP, as a vegan, I will tell you that going vegan does not necessarily mean weight loss. While it does cut out a lot of typical "pitfall" foods, keep in mind that weight loss comes down to calories in vs. calories out. Veganism can be a compassionate, beautiful and healthy way of life if the person sticks to veggies, fruits, whole grains and plant-based proteins, but if you're a vegan that eats Oreos and a box of pasta every night, it might not work out. Just like omnivorous diets, veganism is all about good food choices and maintaining a reasonable calorie deficit.

Also, tempeh bacon.

It was a joke? And how do you know that I don't like vegan food? I actually was vegan for a while and enjoyed making raw and dehydrated food but decided that it wasn't for me. I happen to love a lot of vegan food... chill out before you freak out on a little joke I made.

2April

Vegan and Bacon are on opposite ends of a spectrum. Why not try to add some more vegetables to your meals and go meat free a couple of days a week. Most vegans I know had been vegetarians for a long time before making the switch.
I could never do it because I not only love meat, but also eggs, butter, and cheese. My younger sister recently stopped eating meat and her Christmas dinner looked so sad. Had she been a vegan then we would have had to separate her potatoes before adding the milk and butter. Some people make a vegan lifestyle work but it is a huge commitment and not necessarily healthier.

iuangina

Bacon tastes good. There is no reason to go vegan just because you want to lose weight. I enjoy meat and still am losing weight. The vegan lifestyle by itself will not cause you to lose weight. It's still about calories in vs calories out.

daffodilsoup

It was a joke? And how do you know that I don't like vegan food? I actually was vegan for a while and enjoyed making raw and dehydrated food but decided that it wasn't for me. I happen to love a lot of vegan food... chill out before you freak out on a little joke I made.

Not really sure how my response constitutes a freak out, or how I was supposed to infer from text that it was a joke. Sounds like somebody needs to take their own advice.

coliema

I saw the word bacon.....and I had to come visit.

TracyGA

Why does it have to be all or nothing? If you want to eat vegan most of the time and have your beloved bacon on Sunday mornings I don't see anything wrong with that.

I know that a lot of people who choose a vegan lifestyle do so because of animal rights issues and they are very passionate about not consuming animal products at all. If that is what you are passionate about, then you will have to make the choice to cut out the bacon.

If you are wanting to eat vegan simply because you feel it is a healthier way to eat, then don't worry about splurging on some bacon every once in a while. Everything in moderation.

I am very open-minded and intrigued when it comes to different styles of eating. I'll give anything a try, but at the end of the day I try to eat whole, real foods and try to avoid the processed stuff.

I don't mean this to be offensive, but something that has always made me curious is why somebody would choose a vegan lifestyle and then eat a "mock" hotdog or "mock" chicken nuggets. To me, that is still a form of processed foods.

I once heard somebody say "don't eat anything that your great-grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." To me, that makes perfect sense.

I think we all have to do what feels right for each of us and we have to stop beating ourselves up so much for not following rules that we make up for ourselves along the way.

HMD7703

Is there no tofu option to bacon? Granted, IMHO there is no option to bacon except turkey bacon. LOL

iuangina

I once heard somebody say "don't eat anything that your great-grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." To me, that makes perfect sense.

I think we all have to do what feels right for each of us and we have to stop beating ourselves up so much for not following rules that we make up for ourselves along the way.

I love this!

Rhea30

So the veggie police don't hunt me down if I sneak in meat every once in awhile huh? Good to know. My problem is that I have a hubby and to pre-teen boys who've promised to take over the kitchen if I try to push the veggies. Little do they know I've been swapping out the ground meat for veggie meat in the spaghetti for the last month. It makes me laugh a little (on the inside) every time the compliment the dinner.

Just eat more veggies and a balance diet. I know that is cliche but it really helps, you don't have to be vegan and vegan doesn't mean healthy. What if you become vegan but still not caring to the veggies and just eat other junk instead? You'll still be unheathy. The ground meat in the spaghetti is just fine and nothing unhealthy but along with the ground meat you can incorporate other veggies into the spaghetti so its more filling by portion size and balanced. I enjoy putting chop up tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and onion in mine, along with some ground up lean meat (if I have it at the moment)

rml_16

It was a joke? And how do you know that I don't like vegan food? I actually was vegan for a while and enjoyed making raw and dehydrated food but decided that it wasn't for me. I happen to love a lot of vegan food... chill out before you freak out on a little joke I made.

Not really sure how my response constitutes a freak out, or how I was supposed to infer from text that it was a joke. Sounds like somebody needs to take their own advice.

It was pretty clearly a joke to me. I think you read it wrong, based on your reaction. She was calling veganism itself a "skinny *****," not someone practicing the lifestyle.

Vegan_Chick

you could make tofu bacon which is pretty good as well. Sometimes, its the flavorings that you would miss, not exactly the meat. So the smoked flavor in this might do the trick for you.

Here is a recipe for Tofu Bacon

This marinated smoked tofu fries up into crisp veggie bacon! Freezing the tofu and thawing helps to improve the texture, and makes it easier to slice."

Ingredients:
1 (7.5 ounce) package firm tofu (smoked if you can find it),
frozen and thawed
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons margarine

Directions:
1. Slice the thawed tofu into very thin slices (like bacon). In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, water, maple syrup, liquid smoke, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. Place the tofu strips into the bowl to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
2. Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly fry tofu strips until crisp, turning once, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and serve immediately

Grimmerick

If it's that you don't want to support factory farming. You could still enjoy a little of your favorite meats once in a while by buying from a local farm where the animals are raised and slaughtered humanely it's a little more costly but to me worth it to make sure you are still supporting your own ethics and morals about factory farming. If you have to have bacon then at least you know where it came from and that it had a good life. I eat fish that my fiance catches, and I feel much better about it because it was wild and free and I must say the taste is hands down way better, no comparison.

daffodilsoup

It was pretty clearly a joke to me. I think you read it wrong, based on your reaction. She was calling veganism itself a "skinny *****," not someone practicing the lifestyle.

Apologies then - my mistake.

kate_sunflower

It was a joke? And how do you know that I don't like vegan food? I actually was vegan for a while and enjoyed making raw and dehydrated food but decided that it wasn't for me. I happen to love a lot of vegan food... chill out before you freak out on a little joke I made.

Not really sure how my response constitutes a freak out, or how I was supposed to infer from text that it was a joke. Sounds like somebody needs to take their own advice.

It was pretty clearly a joke to me. I think you read it wrong, based on your reaction. She was calling veganism itself a "skinny *****," not someone practicing the lifestyle.

Yup. Hey - even IF someone called me a skinny b*tch I'd take it as a compliment! Haha maybe I'm just a weirdo

MrsCon40

I once heard somebody say "don't eat anything that your great-grandparents wouldn't recognize as food." To me, that makes perfect sense.

I think we all have to do what feels right for each of us and we have to stop beating ourselves up so much for not following rules that we make up for ourselves along the way.

I love this!

My grandparents were from MN and it took them about 20years to recognize tacos and burritos as food when they moved to CA. This argument makes no sense.

ArroganceInStep

Is vegan some kind of low fat bacon? Sounds kind of yucky

JmeHarris

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. I agree with the idea of avoiding processed foods, I've already given up the middle of the grocery store in favor of the produce/meat/dairy sections. I think I'll take a month or two to gradually wean the majority of meat out of my diet and then see how I feel about cutting it out entirely. Since I'm unable to eat lactose, egg, or bean products, protein is a problem for me. That's why I've been playing with the veggie meat. Cross your fingers for me. : )