Why should I go VEGAN??
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the answer to "why should I go vegan" for me is "who cares?"
Do what you want. Just don't expect people to enjoy folks being preachy about it. There are really not appreciable health benefits to it without additional considerations, (a vegan can eat Oreos all day long, after all... its more than just being a vegan, it's about making good food choices, no matter what) but if that's how your ethics go, then that's a good enough reason in itself.
Happy omnivore here.0 -
Wow... What a reaction! AND this is why one shouldn't post their dietary choices and try to convince others to espouse them. Trying to tell someone that they should do something for <insert list of reasons here> puts one on a level equal to that of Jehova's Witnesses and Mormons and all others who try to convince people to join their churches. If we don't want to, we're not going to. While these people have the best intentions, it gets annoying when they keep coming around and trying to win you over, particularly when they come over on Friday evenings right when you're about to have dinner... But I digress. While it is good for you and those who have become vegan/vegetarian/paleo....lithics?/etc. and found that it works for you, there are plenty of others who have other methods that work just as well and make them happy. For all of those who have responded positively and negatively to this post, there is no need to harp on others for their dietary decisions. The one thing that I will say about vegans/vegetarians, I have learned from personal experience- It makes your farts smell absolutely terrible. Most farts stink, but these are particularly pungent.0
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the answer to "why should I go vegan" for me is "who cares?"
Do what you want. Just don't expect people to enjoy folks being preachy about it. There are really not appreciable health benefits to it without additional considerations, (a vegan can eat Oreos all day long, after all... its more than just being a vegan, it's about making good food choices, no matter what) but if that's how your ethics go, then that's a good enough reason in itself.
Happy omnivore here.
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.0 -
but, of course, this is why I do it, and what works for me. everyone's different, and if you disagree, you're free to make your own choices!
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the answer to "why should I go vegan" for me is "who cares?"
Do what you want. Just don't expect people to enjoy folks being preachy about it. There are really not appreciable health benefits to it without additional considerations, (a vegan can eat Oreos all day long, after all... its more than just being a vegan, it's about making good food choices, no matter what) but if that's how your ethics go, then that's a good enough reason in itself.
Happy omnivore here.
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.
again, who cares, it works for you... go for it.
What works for me, works for me I've lost weight at a healthy clip, my health is better than it has ever been in years, and not a vegan.
I log calories because it keeps my snacking in check. Trust me on this, I can be the fattest vegan you ever saw if I don't hold my snacking to account. My weight problem was not caused by what I ate so much as how much I ate, and I can polish off a box of Mary's faster than anybody! grin0 -
the answer to "why should I go vegan" for me is "who cares?"
Do what you want. Just don't expect people to enjoy folks being preachy about it. There are really not appreciable health benefits to it without additional considerations, (a vegan can eat Oreos all day long, after all... its more than just being a vegan, it's about making good food choices, no matter what) but if that's how your ethics go, then that's a good enough reason in itself.
Happy omnivore here.
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.
again, who cares, it works for you... go for it.
What works for me, works for me I've lost weight at a healthy clip, my health is better than it has ever been in years, and not a vegan.
I log calories because it keeps my snacking in check. Trust me on this, I can be the fattest vegan you ever saw if I don't hold my snacking to account. My weight problem was not caused by what I ate so much as how much I ate, and I can polish off a box of Mary's faster than anybody! grin
totally agree with you - just wanted to point out that there are appreciable health benefits to cutting down on meat. but congrats on your success! that's awesome!0 -
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.
Cutting DOWN on meat and upping vegetable intake ... .two things mainstream health professionals have been banging on about for decades for the proven health benefits. COMPLETELY different to being a vegan and consuming no animal products whatsoever. You are an omnivore who eats more plant material than animal products just as I am.0 -
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.
Cutting DOWN on meat and upping vegetable intake ... .two things mainstream health professionals have been banging on about for decades for the proven health benefits. COMPLETELY different to being a vegan and consuming no animal products whatsoever. You are an omnivore who eats more plant material than animal products just as I am.
true, though I eat many more entirely vegan meals than not.0 -
totally agree with you - just wanted to point out that there are appreciable health benefits to cutting down on meat. but congrats on your success! that's awesome!
Thanks
I'm not opposed to other people's choices, just don't want to add another variable to gluten free. (celiac disease here) I agree that a largely plant-based diet is healthy, and I make sure I eat enough plant-based foods, especially to help with fiber intake as that helps the digestive system a great deal. It doesn't have to be a fully plant based diet in order to be healthy.
Eating out tends to be when I eat more meat (easier for gluten free to eat something grilled and naked, so this tends to be healthy by default minus the sauces where fat and calories and gluten get piled on), I eat less meat at home as well.0 -
the answer to "why should I go vegan" for me is "who cares?"
Do what you want. Just don't expect people to enjoy folks being preachy about it. There are really not appreciable health benefits to it without additional considerations, (a vegan can eat Oreos all day long, after all... its more than just being a vegan, it's about making good food choices, no matter what) but if that's how your ethics go, then that's a good enough reason in itself.
Happy omnivore here.
so personally i'm not 100% vegan, though I'm about 90% at this point. and if I may, there really ARE benefits to cutting down meat intake and upping your veggies. here are the big ones:
1) you will be healthier in terms of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc without having to count calories. It's much harder to be overweight eating a primarily veggie-based, whole food diet (obviously there are exceptions - like if you eat a sleeve of oreos daily - but on the whole, this is true)
2) your body will recover faster. you won't need as much sleep, you'll be able to train harder more often, and you'll look and feel younger. This is because you're getting more nutrients that are easily digestible, so your body can focus its energy on cellular repair instead of breaking down meat - which takes quite a long time.
3) you will help contribute to lowering pollution and greenhouse gasses - as livestock production accounts for the second highest amount of air pollution - more than all the trains, cars and planes in the world combined.
ALL THAT SAID - cutting out ALL meat will make it harder for you to reach certain vitamin levels and thus you really do need to do a lot of research and get a thorough understanding of what you'll need to do/eat to ensure you're body is able to do 1 and 2 above.
So me, personally, I'm not cutting all meat out, but when I'm home, and can cook for myself, I'm keeping it as vegan as possible. I figure whatever I can do to 1 - get healthier and 2 - help protect the environment is worth doing.
THIS. Actually the main reason why I feel so strongly about going vegan is reason number 3, because we all live here and this is something everyone contributes to. I think the health of OUR world is something that everyone should care about enough to at least do a little research on the subject. Animal products for me are the easiest things to cut out because I only ate them because I liked to. Not eating it will not put me out any. I wasn't trying to be 'preachy' I just think if you have a cause that you firmly believe in you should share your reasons with others. Some people will hate it and some won't, but at least I will feel like I have done what I can.0 -
I can't believe someone called Skinny Bit** and PETA good sources.
Again, if you want to be vegan, more power to you. You have more willpower than me. But please freaking educate yourself. PETA is the most useless organization ever. They are attention hoes and spout so much crap it's unbelievable.
I care about animals. I don't like the idea of using animals frivolously by wearing fur or testing on them for makeup, etc. But please show me something that PETA did to actually help an animal as opposed to harassing people doing relatively innocent things like showing dogs, collecting minions, letting them loose, etc.
Penn & Teller's Bull**** episode is a good place to start for more info. I did a persuasive speech in college on them. I could go on and on, but start with watching that. It pretty much covers it.
Please do not give to them. They do not help animals. HSUS isn't much better. Give to your local animal shelter, give your business to places that treat animals well, don't test on animals, etc, but DO NOT donate to this waste of an organization.0 -
I have no problem with people being Vegan - at least they appreciate that the dairy industry is inextricably linked to the beef industry, egg laying chickens are, of course slaughtered after one laying cycle and that wool is a by-product of sheep farming.
I do have a problem with:
Diet evangelism - I dont tell you you should be eating meat, so don't tell me I shouldn't be.
The environmental argument - the whole 'one acre of crops could feed more people than one acre of pasture' is simply oversimplistic, naieve horsecrap. Arable land is worth intrinsically more because you can grow crops on it. All land is not the same. I am a sheep farmer - where I run my animals you could not get a plough and the soil is often so shallow it wouldn't be worth it, so the only crop you can produce is sheep.
Edited to add: I personally dont have a problem with the 'death' thing - in fact I think a quick death is one of the nicer things that can happen to you in the grand scheme of things, rather than rot in a hospital like humans seem to want to.0 -
I have no problem with people being Vegan - at least they appreciate that the dairy industry is inextricably linked to the beef industry, egg laying chickens are, of course slaughtered after one laying cycle and that wool is a by-product of sheep farming.
I do have a problem with:
Diet evangelism - I dont tell you you should be eating meat, so don't tell me I shouldn't be.
The environmental argument - the whole 'one acre of crops could feed more people than one acre of pasture' is simply oversimplistic, naieve horsecrap. Arable land is worth intrinsically more because you can grow crops on it. All land is not the same. I am a sheep farmer - where I run my animals you could not get a plough and the soil is often so shallow it wouldn't be worth it, so the only crop you can produce is sheep.
Edited to add: I personally dont have a problem with the 'death' thing - in fact I think a quick death is one of the nicer things that can happen to you in the grand scheme of things, rather than rot in a hospital like humans seem to want to.
the argument isn't so much "we'd use that land for crops" as it is "raising livestock contributes to air pollution and global warming at an alarmingly high rate, so we should do less of it"0 -
To the OP who asked, "Why should I go VEGAN??"
I looked back at my MFP diary for the nutrients it tracks for some simple comparison between now, eating a whole foods plant based diet, vs. last summer. Last summer I was bike riding 120 miles per week at least, between commuting, mountain bike trail riding and downhill lift-served competitive riding. I was eating one day vegitarian (lacto-ovo).
These are the best weekly numbers from a 7 week period where I didn't miss a day logging my food. To reiterate, these are weekly totals, the best of the 7 weeks. The averages were lower. The worst case lower still.
Saturated Fat 97 grams
Cholesterol 776 milligrams
Potassium 11,394 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 192 grams
Vitamin A 106%
Vitamin C 216%
Calcium 98%
Iron 73%
Last week I logged the week, and I ate whole foods plant based, no oil, no cheese, no meat, no dairy.
Satuated Fat 37 grams
Cholesterol 20 milligrams
Potassium 17,242 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 454 grams
Vitamin A 186%
Vitamin C 483%
Calcium 108%
Iron 137%
The switch from calorie dense foods from the Standard American Diet to nutrient dense foods in this diet is in the numbers. And by the way, calories are roughly the same, maybe more net calories this time of year because I'm not riding my bike, I'm backcountry skiing so I don't get out as much.0 -
It's kinda hard to argue with the facts, ain't it?0
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It's kinda hard to argue with the facts, ain't it?
Love it. 0 -
Not taking the bait.
I'm not asking anyone to 'take the bait.' I just think people should be more aware. There's something to be gained by knowing what you need and don't need, knowing what's healthy and unhealthy, and knowing how products get from the source to your plate and what the effects of that process are.
I encourage you to watch the documentary and then take a definite stance, but don't just deny the information for the sake of wanting to stay ignorant.
I have watched a few of the "documentaries". My opinion is it all seemed to be biased propoganda and scare tactics. I still eat meat and don't feel the least bit bad about it. Of course I live in a farm community and buy locally when possible.0 -
LOL. I consume animal protein, mostly fish and eggs and a lot of veg and my numbers are higher on a percentage basis across the board. I would imagine your next statement will be that your saturated fat and cholesterol is lower......that's nice.To the OP who asked, "Why should I go VEGAN??"
I looked back at my MFP diary for the nutrients it tracks for some simple comparison between now, eating a whole foods plant based diet, vs. last summer. Last summer I was bike riding 120 miles per week at least, between commuting, mountain bike trail riding and downhill lift-served competitive riding. I was eating one day vegitarian (lacto-ovo).
These are the best weekly numbers from a 7 week period where I didn't miss a day logging my food. To reiterate, these are weekly totals, the best of the 7 weeks. The averages were lower. The worst case lower still.
Saturated Fat 97 grams
Cholesterol 776 milligrams
Potassium 11,394 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 192 grams
Vitamin A 106%
Vitamin C 216%
Calcium 98%
Iron 73%
Last week I logged the week, and I ate whole foods plant based, no oil, no cheese, no meat, no dairy.
Satuated Fat 37 grams
Cholesterol 20 milligrams
Potassium 17,242 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 454 grams
Vitamin A 186%
Vitamin C 483%
Calcium 108%
Iron 137%
The switch from calorie dense foods from the Standard American Diet to nutrient dense foods in this diet is in the numbers. And by the way, calories are roughly the same, maybe more net calories this time of year because I'm not riding my bike, I'm backcountry skiing so I don't get out as much.0 -
LOL. I consume animal protein, mostly fish and eggs and a lot of veg and my numbers are higher on a percentage basis across the board. I would imagine your next statement will be that your saturated fat and cholesterol is lower......that's nice.To the OP who asked, "Why should I go VEGAN??"
I looked back at my MFP diary for the nutrients it tracks for some simple comparison between now, eating a whole foods plant based diet, vs. last summer. Last summer I was bike riding 120 miles per week at least, between commuting, mountain bike trail riding and downhill lift-served competitive riding. I was eating one day vegitarian (lacto-ovo).
These are the best weekly numbers from a 7 week period where I didn't miss a day logging my food. To reiterate, these are weekly totals, the best of the 7 weeks. The averages were lower. The worst case lower still.
Saturated Fat 97 grams
Cholesterol 776 milligrams
Potassium 11,394 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 192 grams
Vitamin A 106%
Vitamin C 216%
Calcium 98%
Iron 73%
Last week I logged the week, and I ate whole foods plant based, no oil, no cheese, no meat, no dairy.
Satuated Fat 37 grams
Cholesterol 20 milligrams
Potassium 17,242 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 454 grams
Vitamin A 186%
Vitamin C 483%
Calcium 108%
Iron 137%
The switch from calorie dense foods from the Standard American Diet to nutrient dense foods in this diet is in the numbers. And by the way, calories are roughly the same, maybe more net calories this time of year because I'm not riding my bike, I'm backcountry skiing so I don't get out as much.
Really! What's you secret? How are you doing it seriously? I compared last summer till now. I ate nothing but lean meat, lot's of veggies, low cooking oil, etc.
My net calorie count last week was 1,800-ish.
I would love to know how your percentage fiber is better than mine. What about your vitamins?
One explanation is that I do drink alcohol... Empty calories, no nutrients. Do you drink any alcohol? Maybe that's your secret...
And yeah my cholesterol is lower, and yeah its cool you don't think anything of that. How old are you? Hopefully you can stay bullet proof indefinitely. Good luck with that.0
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