pros and cons of eating vegan?

CorvusCorax77

Another pro: cholesterol free diet (which can help reduce heart disease chances)....

You can get protein on a vegan diet, it's just if you want to have a high protein diet, you will be eating a lot of processed products. I think the best protein sources are tempeh, sprouted tofu, boca burgers, gimme lean products (if you can eat wheat gluten that is).... I also recommend protein shakes- you can get rice, soy, or hemp. I am focused on weight lifting so the hard part is getting the protein.

The only con is that the sources of protein are limited- especially if you are trying to have a higher protein to carb balance in your diet. Vegan cheese (daiya) and vegan yogurt has lower protein than dairy. Dairy ice cream has more protein.

If you aren't worried about protein, I don't think there is a con to being vegan. Just take your vitamins and enjoy lots of yummy food.

(I am not vegan, but I tend to eat mostly vegan, bake vegan, cook vegan, etc. I was vegan for 11 years).

Querian

I tried to look at your diary to see what you are eating now but it is closed. Beans, tofu, tempeh and even spinach and strawberries have protein, I don't know how much you are eating now or what sources but here is an article about how much you really need:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/how-much-protein

Mine is an unpopular viewpoint but I think the emphasis in recent years in eating an enormous amount of protein is detrimental to most people. Unless you are a marathoner or a serious body builder you don't need the amount of protein that is often recommended. The article here says most women need about 46 grams a day. Even if you increase it a little to cover your workouts you don't need a crazy amount of protein. I know a lot of people will disagree with me. And as long as you are getting your carbs and sugars from fresh produce and whole grains you should be okay.

I'n not a vegan but I do eat that way often, feel free to look at my diary.
Breakfast today - vegan
AM Snack today - vegan
Afternoon snack today - vegan
Dinner might be vegan - haven't decided what to make yet!

Yesterday was almost completely vegan (there was an egg in the hoecakes) and I got 64 grams of protein.

Akimajuktuq

There are many converted vegans who have published their experiences with the lifestyle. It might be useful to read some of their experiences. One common theme of the experiences that I have read is that they insisted that they were healthy even while their health (including mental health) was deteriorating drastically. Some of these vegans damaged their health permanently.

There are challenges with it both from a dietary standpoint and environmental/ethical standpoint. There is absolutely no way to for us to live without consuming other living organisms. (Plants are alive too and actually have complex behaviour.) Intensive modern grain agriculture (fed to animals and humans-healthy for neither) is extremely destructive to soil organisms and aquatic ecosystems. Animals must be a part of agriculture or the nutrient cycle is disrupted (replaced with petrochemical fertilizers) and topsoil is lost rapidly. Personally, I'd rather have cow dung on my veggies than industrial sludge-but that's just me. Based on my research/experience, I think grain agriculture is what is unethical.

However, it helps to have some experience with the natural world and knowledge of how food gets on one's plate to actually understand what the heck I am trying to say.

Edit: I see the cholesterol/saturated fat/heart disease myth is alive and well in this thread. So sad.

magerum

Pros: I got nothing.

Cons: You're not eating meat or dairy. Both of which are delicious (and nutritious).

ahamm002

Unless you have food allergies or sensitivities, there is no health related to reason to choose a vegan diet. It's not super healthy! It's unnatural and likely to inhibit both fat loss and muscle building due to the lack of high quality protein. Epidemiology does not show that vegetarians or vegans live longer than the rest of us.

Yes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, etc are all super healthy and you should eat lots of them. But just because they're good for you does not mean that meat is has to be unhealthy. If you want to be healthy, eat healthy foods. That should include at least 5 (but preferably 9) servings of fruits and veggies per day. You also need plenty of protein, and your best sources of protein are animal sources. There are numerous healthy non vegan options that include a long list of lean meats, dairy, and eggs.

whierd

Con: No meat.

/thread

FlaxMilk

If you want to be a vegan or a vegetarian for some moral or ethical reason, there are many pros. If you want to be a vegetarian or a vegan because your doctor has said you need to be for your health, there are many pros. If you are doing it to try to lose weight, and that is your main or only reason, you will likely not stick with it and will not find improved health from going vegan. There's tons of delicious, highly caloric foods widely available that vegans can eat.

If you have reasons that will help you stick with it, go for it and you'll find tons of ways to eat healthfully as a vegan. I'm very happy as a vegan, but weight loss isn't part of the equation for me (as a reason for being vegan). If it were, I'd probably eat all the foods all the time. (I knew someone who was a vegan for her health. What that really meant was eating vegan foods unless something too tasty to resist came along, which likely defeated the purpose for her anyway.)

affacat

i'm normally vegan, but haven't been for a couple months for various reasons (and the exceptions are very specific minor ingredients, not anything major). however, i prefer being vegan and have long maintained an extremely healthy lifestyle being so (and will be again). it's easy with research, and extremely delicious if you know what you're doing.

i used to 'love' the taste of meat and dairy, so going vegan well over a decade ago was an extremely difficult choice for me. now, the very thought of eating meat is rather... gross? my choice was purely ethical, not dietary.

a couple notes -- find replacements. for example, i tend to really like fake meats. pasta and veggie meatballs are awesome. i had a hard time at first till i found stuff that mentally fit the bill of the 'meal' i was conditioned to eat since birth.

also, in the past 15 years, 'replacements' are far, far better. the advancements in vegan food (both prepackaged and at restaurants) is downright amazing.

early on, if you're absolutely craving something, have it. then go back to not having it. just because you make an exception doesn't mean you need to give up on going vegan entirely. as time goes by, you'll find your 'exception' craving approaching zero (much like after eating healthy for a couple months a fast food burger would taste greasy and disgusting).

i recommend that if you're a meat eater currently, going vegan is better than going vegetarian. many new vegetarians overdo dairy (especially cheese) to a ridiculous degree, and obviously if you're attempting vegan you avoid that pitfall entirely. you can always carefully add cheese or whatever back into your diet after a few months, though by that time, you probably won't even want to.

affacat

Unless you have food allergies or sensitivities, there is no health related to reason to choose a vegan diet. It's not super healthy! It's unnatural and likely to inhibit both fat loss and muscle building due to the lack of high quality protein. Epidemiology does not show that vegetarians or vegans live longer than the rest of us.

if you do it right, it is absolutely super healthy.

also of note, you can build plenty of muscle and stay extremely trim vegan. i've always, always, always been at my healthiest vegan. of course, there are unhealthy vegans, but i mean, c'mon, anyone can eat wrong... if all you eat are vegan cookies, yea, you're not going to get healthy.

escort9580

Try not to focus on what you are going over. Realistically vegan diets are low in calories and you will lose weight. Most americans think they need way more protein than is necessary. In actuality the protein you get from most vegetables is enough for your body to thrive. Some of the pros are you can usually eat until you are satisfied without going over your calories. The cons are that when you go out many places have meat products in them secretly. Did you know that in some places they use beef broth to flavor their rice. it is hard to be vegan when going out unless you stick to the salad bar and even then you should stick to the fruit because the vegetables and rices and pastas usually have butter and the salads are topped with cheeses and the sauces- who knows what are in the sauces.

MelsAuntie

Pros: I got nothing.

Cons: You're not eating meat or dairy. Both of which are delicious (and nutritious).

EXACTLY. Now excuse me while a grill up a nice rare steak.

eileenm777

Mark Bittman is launching his new book Vb6 (Vegan before 6) which may offer some ideas and a healthy approach toward veganism. It's a eat vegan before 6pm plan (2/3rds of the time). Good recipes, too.

amaranthine1018

Loma Linda Little Links and Big Franks are DELICIOUS replacements for meat, if you want to eat vegan. I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I like them waaaaay more than meat sausages or hot dogs.

OMGeeeHorses

I am a Prescitarian (sp always bad at it xD). I went this way because I couldn't live without my seafood or eggs. I do have to eat beef (yuck!) because I need high amounts of iron because I am badly Anemic and pills won't cut it ( doctors orders). I went vegetarian for 2 years, then started having issues and got a huge blood panel and stuff done by my doctor to find out what was going on. Come to find out I was Anemic badly, Vitamin D deficient and a small list of other things. Mind you I know it was probably my weight and certain bad things I ate. But I am sure a lot of it was because my body wasn't getting enough of what I needed when I went Vegetarian. I did my research before doing it and must have not been doing enough of the right stuff to keep my body happy and healthy. So I just added seafood in here and there along with eggs.. I hardly do dairy and when I do its when I go to others houses and can't avoid what they already made with dairy for food. I do eat as small of a portion as I can as I am VERY lactose and just yeah that's no fun at all >_<! But being vegan is HARD!! but very rewarding from what I can see from some of my vegan friends. I would so do it if I could but doctor doesn't recommend at this time, till I get some of my other issues figured out. I trust my doctor and my body. SO maybe see your doctor and talk over with them about what your seeking in the lifestyle change, who knows maybe you should be a vegetarian other than a Vegan ! Also like someone said any carbs or sugar from fruit is not bad! its healthy sugar and carbs, not the processed crap from boxed foods and such.. So breath and enjoy your food without problem !!

TheDevastator

cons: no eggs or swiss cheese, two of my staples

MaryJane_8810002

I am a vegan and I am only going to say one thing: DO YOUR RESEARCH!

watfordjc

I was pescetarian for a while because that's what I was eating.

If you go vegan, your "cheat" meal choices will be restricted - eating your favourite chocolate will be as off-limits as eating bacon.

ETA: If you are not lactose intolerant, it is possible a vegan diet will make you. I've seen anecdotal stories, but haven't looked to see if there have been any scientific findings. You also have to be more strict with what you eat so you aren't deficient in some micronutrients.

ashkinlaw

I'm trying to eat vegan, at least for most of the day.

Soo, what are you eating the rest of the day?

ahamm002

if you do it right, it is absolutely super healthy.

also of note, you can build plenty of muscle and stay extremely trim vegan. i've always, always, always been at my healthiest vegan. of course, there are unhealthy vegans, but i mean, c'mon, anyone can eat wrong... if all you eat are vegan cookies, yea, you're not going to get healthy.

Well sure. But a vegan diet is not necessarily healthy anymore than any other diet is. Since solid protein is the most filling macro-nutrient, vegan diets may be suboptimal for weight loss. So losing weight is not a good reason to become a vegan. It's really more of an ethics / lifestyle decision.

ahamm002

Try not to focus on what you are going over. Realistically vegan diets are low in calories and you will lose weight. Most americans think they need way more protein than is necessary. In actuality the protein you get from most vegetables is enough for your body to thrive.

Well I'd have to disagree with you there. A typical American diet is very high in carbs and too low in protein. Plant proteins tend to be much lower quality than animal proteins in terms of building muscle.

Some of the pros are you can usually eat until you are satisfied without going over your calories.

Well that just depends on food choices. I personally think it's very easy to overeat bread, crackers, cereal, etc. Whereas overeating chicken breast, salmon, and 1% cottage cheese are pretty tough.