Should I Vegan? Broad topic.

SteveJWatson

Why would you do that? Chicken, pork and Beef are delicious.

I watched a documentary depicting the treatment of livestock, and the conditions that they are subjected to. I just got sick over it. I may not end up being vegan for long, and I am certainly not starting today. But it gave me some serious "food" for thought.

If this is your reason you can buy your meat locally and probably even get a tour of the farm, we have several local owned and operated farms in our area and they treat their livestock respectfully. (as much as you can considering your gonna slaughter them for the meat).

Also: this. I farm livestock ad I like to think I give them a life that approximates their 'natural' existence (although obviously I treat them when they get sick etc). Nothing against Vegans, mind. I have no problem with death but I don't mind if others do,possibly because I deal with it regularly and I can understand people can find it upsetting.

caitlinsaur

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7663/8-tips-for-losing-weight-on-a-vegan-diet.html

That might give you an idea of what to avoid if you go vegan.

I've been vegan for over a year, but I haven't had too much luck with weight loss because I love french fries and wine.
I feel better and am happier/healthier overall. Just remember that meat/dairy free products don't mean "healthy". You will (in theory) cut down your fat intake, though.

Good luck!

Querian

I read The China Study about a year ago, maybe more, and have been slowly removing animal products from my diet. I am vegetarian during the week and I would estimate 50-75% of all my meals are vegan. What I find to be the most important thing is to eat a WHOLE FOODS PLANT BASED diet. That means lots of fruits and vegetable and minimal processed foods.

In college I was a junk-food vegetarian and basically lived on white bread, pastas and cheese. It was not a healthy choice and I eventually went back to eating meat. I am much healthier and happier now eating fruits and veggies and whole grains and beans and legumes. I like to cook so that isn't an issue for me, plus it's really not as hard as some people say to eat well.

There are a lot of reasons to go vegan and health is just one of them. I would continue with your research and maybe try The 30 Day Vegan Challenge which you can find online. I haven't done it but I listen to the podcast by the author and I do plan to try it sometime. Or, if you want to be more like me gradually work more vegan items into your meals and see where you end up. For me it started with meatless Mondays and now if I do eat meat I only eat it on weekends, and not much of it at that. Maybe I will be vegan some day, maybe not, but I do think the research is overwhelming that a whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest way to go.

PS - I've also been listening to Rich Roll's new podcast lately who is a vegan ultra athlete (i.e. 5 ironman distance triathalons in 5 days) and he has a lot of other vegan athletes on his podcast (plus others who live a different lifestyle) so he is very interesting to listen to in terms of elite athletes and vegan nutrition. Very inspirational, too.

SteveJWatson

There are a lot of reasons to go vegan and health is just one of them. I would continue with your research and maybe try The 30 Day Vegan Challenge which you can find online. I haven't done it but I listen to the podcast by the author and I do plan to try it sometime. Or, if you want to be more like me gradually work more vegan items into your meals and see where you end up. For me it started with meatless Mondays and now if I do eat meat I only eat it on weekends, and not much of it at that. Maybe I will be vegan some day, maybe not, but I do think the research is overwhelming that a whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest way to go.

I would say there are plenty of good reasons to go vegan, but health is not one of them - it is perfectly possible to be an unhealthy vegan or a healthy one, just as it is possible to be a healthy or unhealthy meat eater.

gooseberrypink

Chocolate is delicious. Meat is just kinda there for a lot of us. As for a lack of athletes being vegan, vegans compose a very small portion of the population in general, so that accounts for a big reason for that. Star running back Arian Foster is a vegan.

It's worth a try if you feel called to it. Do your research. Don't plan on it being a magical weight loss cure. I've known obese vegans. And don't feel like a failure if it's not for you.

tomatini

I've been vegan for a few years and I think it is sustainable as a lifestyle and diet. I do have some issues regarding impulse control in general, which is why I'm overweight, but not when it comes to eating animal products. I have very strong negative feelings about factory farming so I have no trouble turning down meat and dairy.

As others have said, a vegan diet is not a magic cure-all for a bad diet and bad habits. It is obviously very easy to overeat or eat junk food on ANY diet, veganism included. If you find yourself drawn to veganism for reasons other than just weight loss (like having an objection to animal cruelty) then it is certainly worth investigating. I would start by reading up on vegan nutriton ("Vegan For Life" by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina is a good, easy to understand book on the subject). Next I would pick up some vegan cookbooks or look at vegan blogs and learn how to cook recipes from them! Being vegan is much easier in general if you know how to cook for yourself, and while storebought vegan foods are more common these days, they tend to be heavily processed and full of sodium.

You may have to pay attention closely to some of your nutrients, but honestly, it's not difficult, especially with the trackers on MFP. It is totally possible to get most nutrients (B12 being the main exception) from diet alone, and getting enough protein has never been a problem for me so you can have great success with that as well if you're mindful of it.

If you're looking for vegans or almost-vegans on MFP, there are a bunch in the Happy Herbivores group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores

kmcosgrove115

I went whole food, plant strong a month ago and feel amazing - it is surprisingly easy and great recipes come from the Happy Herbivore cookbooks, Engine 2 or Forks Over Knives - plant strong means no meat, no dairy and no oil so sort of hard core If you need support, let me know - watch Forks Over Knives on Netflix - changed my life!

kimazoo

I love my vegan lifestyle. As with most things, you can be unhealthy and be vegan. However, I think it's easier to eat healthy vegan. If you tend to over eat or binge, you can over eat on fruits and veggies which have far less calories than let's say ice cream or candy bars. Eating lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains will keep you full. I really do feel like I'm eating all day long with my plant-based/whole foods diet.

My husband and I started eating vegan Jan 2012 and have never felt better or healthier. We both have a ton of energy. We rarely get sick and when we do, it's not as intense as those around us. We dropped a good 10 pounds in the first week (we cut out all processed foods including soda and sweets) without exercise or anything. My husband was pre-diabetic, had borderline high-cholesterol, and his blood pressure was also borderline high. He hasn't had to take any meds and after turning to a vegan diet, his numbers went back to normal. I was having lots of pain in my body (fibro issues), my heat was racing a lot, migraine headaches, and I was experiencing skin issues. Everything went back to normal for me after being on a vegan diet for 3 weeks. I'm not saying everyone will have the same results but I do know we did. Being pain free is a huge motivator for me!

There are a ton of vegan support groups on MFP that are full of great encouragers. I'd suggest joining a few of them as well as looking at some of our food journals for food/menu ideas.

Wade406

A vegan diet is superior for health. This is well established. Another comprehensive study of diet is/has been conducted by Loma Linda University. It is the Adventist Study.

You can learn more about some of the key things learned from these studies here:
http://www.llu.edu/assets/publichealth/adventist-health-studies/documents/ahs-overview.pdf
and here:
http://www.llu.edu/assets/publichealth/adventist-health-studies/documents/adventist-quality-life.pdf
and here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677008/?tool=pubmed

Luvmyhubby222

I would agree to spend some time on Happy Herbivores. A lot of meat eaters have the usual knee jerk responses to this issue, and many of them are wrong. Those of us who have been vegan for any amount of time have usually done quite a bit of research about the relevant topics (animal treatment, health benefits/risks, cost efficacy, environmental impact etc). As you educate yourself more and more, it becomes pretty obvious that there are more reasons to go plant based than the fleeting and selfish "meat is yummy" argument. If you put them in a pro vs con argument, the choice becomes crystal clear. Friend me/message me anytime with questions. Good luck!

Wade406

Vegetables have all the protein you need. And you can skip the eventual heart attack or stroke when you reach your senior years.

Tobacco = / = meat


And veggies aren't going to net me 180+ grams of protein per day........There's a reason there isn't an abundance of vegan bodybuilders or elite level athletes who are vegans........


I'll gladly take the potential health risks that come along with enjoying the foods I love and being able to meet my current fitness goals.

1. My point was because you like something doesn't have anything to do with whether that something is beneficial for you. Smokers like tobacco. You like meat. It doesn't mean its good for you simply because you "like" it.

2. You are convinced you need 180+ grams of protein per day. If you consumed half that, and stayed with your weight training regimen, what would happen? I would offer to you that you (your liver) are eliminating most of that protein. Your training is the primary part of your gains, not the protein intake. I used to be the guy (when I was half my current age) that found it important to bench twice my bodyweight (I weighed 170-ish and benched 340-ish). Now my source of pride comes from being able physically outperform compared to guys half my age, whether its digging ditches, chopping wood, climbing a mountain, or playing ultimate frisbee.

3. Health risks. You say that now. I am 54 years old. My father had his first bypass surgery at 54. My mother acquired type 2 diabetes at 63. Two thirds of all people over the age of 65 in the US have diabetes. As you age, chronic disease becomes increasingly important to you. Sadly, diet is more important than exercise for long term overall health. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the US. In our 20's and 30's we're bulletproof. I don't want to be the guy who gets a clue in his 70's that he's got chronic conditions that it's too late to recover from. You and I are likely in different phases of life. The smart ones start earlier. I wish I would have started 20 years ago.

And by the way, be concerned that you don't have happen to you what happened to me and many others like me. You get used to your caloric and protein intake, as well as your energy expenditure. Then something happens that greatly changes your expediture (an injury, marriage, kids, job change, etc). It is essential that your intake goes down to match that. If it doesn't you may face unwanted weight gain. And that sucks.