Veganism

Options
2»

Replies

  • YeaYeaPueblo
    YeaYeaPueblo Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Depends on the reasoning for being vegan. If it's for weight loss, then I'm kind of off put by the idea cause no diet except one in a deficit will promote more weight loss than another diet. The food just tends to be more voluminous which is why weight loss may occur, some of the food is also very calorie dense. The fact for someone becoming vegan for humane reasons I find justified cause it's their belief. But when I hear people say they are going on a vegan diet to drop weight, I kind of squirm lol

    I agree. I spent most of this year as a vegan for factory farming concerns. My toddlers needed higher calorie foods though, so I brought cheese and eggs back into the home. I currently eat VB6 diet - allowing for a little bit of feta or other cheese during dinner, and 100% vegetarian otherwise.

    I didn't like feeling uber-restricted by the vegan lifestyle (reminded me of my college days spent crash dieting) so as a compromise I buy eggs from a local farm and eat cheese very sparingly. I'm happy with my lifestyle now!

    Try reading the China Study or Vegan for Life if you're interested in the benefits of a vegan or mostly vegan lifestyle. VB6 = vegan before 6pm: it's a dietary approach by Mark Bittman. He has some literature out there on its benefits. Also worth looking into!


  • Nikki10129
    Nikki10129 Posts: 292 Member
    Options
    melissalatzel25 wrote: »
    Veganism is really the perfect human way of eating... If you put a baby in a cot with an apple and a bunny, please let me know the day the baby will eat the rabbit and play with the apple... :) The lifestyle fixed my digestive disorders , i now eat unlimited calories mostly carbs from veg fruit and grains , but i also indulge in those vegan junk foods haha (oreos, pringles etc etc etc and vegan icecreams brownies and all those raw cheesecakes ). and it opens your mind to all forms of aninal exploitation and is just better for the planet and everything really... If you love animals and dont believe any living being should suffer then i think you shouldnt pay companies to keep doing it for your tastebuds... Especially when the human intestines are long and designed to digest fruits the best of all food groups, its a no brainer what our main food should be. Too much sugar in fruit? No problem, since every cell in human body runs off of glucose :) please check this guy GARY YOUROFSKY , hes an inspiration! Try youtube his name.. Youll love the guy

    Just a note, I really don't know many babies that would eat the apple either ;)
    Humans evolved as omnivores, when we started incorporating meat into our diets it gave us that extra boost that allowed us to evolve with the ginormous frontal lobes we have today not seen in other primates.
    Now-a-days due to overpopulation and destruction of natural resources I personally don't see regular meat consumption as a sustainable way of life when you can grow more grains on less ground and feed more people. But it's purely ethical reasons for me and has nothing to do with health, since like it's been mentioned, it does require a little more planning and attention.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    vinegar_husbands wrote: »
    You'll feel great at first, but then your B12 stores will run out.

    Not if you take a supplement or eat fortified foods.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    Options
    I'm really concerned about the baby eating French fries from the floor of the car. The baby should be safely strapped into a car seat. I suggest eliminating French fries from our diets. Ya know, to save a baby's life. If even one baby is saved by the elimination of French fries in our diets, it'll all be worth it! </soapbox>
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    I have been vegetarian in the past (started by my choice at age 13). And I have been an omnivore as well. I recently have been through a bizarre medical injury (I was wrongly prescribed a med that injured me), and it caused me to have severe food intolerance ). The foods cause nerve pain in my face (it's a histamine reaction). So, I am on a strict diet trying to recover from that. I'm vegan, low histamine, and I can't eat oils. It's ridiculous. But, I eat lots of vegetables and my diary is open to friends. I have been vegan for a couple months now. I do miss eggs. I eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds (like flax and chia), garbanzo beans, quinoa, coconut milk (fortified with calcium and B12), coconut bliss frozen desert bars. I take supplements. Someday I might add back chicken. I am glad to be vegan for the ethical reasons as well. And that's just a personal choice. My husband and kids aren't vegan. The choice is for each person to make.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    Just want to add that B12 deficiency isn't that big of a worry. You just take a tiny B12 supplement, a couple times a week, it dissolves under your tongue. My B12 levels are actually excessively high and I needed to not supplement for a couple months to reduce a little. Plus the coconut milk is fortified at the same levels to be equivalent to milk in calcium and B12. We are resourceful and have many options available to us to meet nutritional needs. For ala omega 3 fatty acids I eat flax and chia and walnuts. Some people's bodies can convert ala into dha/epa. But, you can also take dha/epa algae supplements just like people take fish oil pills to make up for not actually eating fish. I eat tons of vitamin A rich vegetables along with a fat source (nuts and evening primrose oil supplements). I eat 2300 calories a day. For protein I aim for 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. Recommendations are 1.6 to 1.7 per kg of body weight for strength training and 1.2 to 1.4 per kg of body weight for endurance athletes.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    vinegar_husbands wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    vinegar_husbands wrote: »
    You'll feel great at first, but then your B12 stores will run out.

    Not if you take a supplement or eat fortified foods.

    Yup, because B12 is near-impossible to find in vegan food. I'm sure plenty of vegans do that, especially considering that 92% of them (in comparison to 11% of meat eaters) are deficient in B12.

    Hardly any vegan foods are supplemented with B12. Nondairy milk, yogurt, fortified nutritional yeast, and some cereals are the only ones that I can think of. Besides, their B12 content is usually small, ranging anywhere from 10%-25% of the DV. I'd have to drink an awful lot of coconut milk to reach that amount.

    Oh, and let's not forget about the bioavailability of DHA/EPA, Vitamin A, iron, and Vitamin D from vegan sources... What an exhausting list of common deficiencies in such a healthy diet!

    I would recommend that anyone who is using fortified foods to meet their B12 needs pay attention to pay attention to how much B12 is in the fortified foods they're eating. I don't know any reputable vegan source that recommends otherwise, although you may see some practitioners of pseudoscience or quack medicine that don't take B12 needs seriously.

    As far as the others, deficiencies aren't inevitable for vegans any more than they are for non-vegans. Should vegans pay attention to their DHA/EPA, A, iron, and Vitamin D consumption? Yes. Some non-vegans should also pay attention to their consumption of these vitamins/minerals/fats.

    Veganism isn't a "healthy diet" any more or less than non-veganism is. It's simply an ethical position on unnecessary animal exploitation and suffering. Within the context of that position, certain foods are avoided and the results can be healthy or unhealthy depending on what else is eaten. The fact that someone is non-vegan doesn't tell me anything about the healthfulness of their diet. The fact that someone is vegan doesn't tell me anything about the healthfulness of their diet.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    OP, being vegan is an ethical stance and goes well beyond what you eat. if you are a vegan, you don't use any animal products whatsoever...this would include your shoes, clothing, handbags, etc.

    In RE to diet, pretty much any diet can be as healthy or unhealthy as you make it.

  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    I guess for some people it is all or nothing. Right now I eat a vegan diet. I have a leather jacket. I never would have purchased that. It was given to me because it was a very small sample size and they wanted to be able to give it to someone that they knew and that it would fit. So, I accepted it.
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,585 Member
    Options
    i think veganisim is amazing and all the new vegan products coming out get me excited as hell

    its soo fun discovering new vegan foods and trying new recipes being creative

    love being vegan
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    BinaryPulsar wrote: »
    I guess for some people it is all or nothing. Right now I eat a vegan diet. I have a leather jacket. I never would have purchased that. It was given to me because it was a very small sample size and they wanted to be able to give it to someone that they knew and that it would fit. So, I accepted it.

    Veganism is an ethical position on unnecessary animal exploitation or suffering. If someone chooses to avoid animal products in food but accepts it for clothing, beauty products, entertainment, they're eating a plant-based diet. As far as accepting a hand-me-down that includes animal products, that is something that some vegans do (on the logic that the item has already been purchased, the damage has been done, and accepting a secondhand item doesn't create demand for leather or other animal products).

    It isn't that veganism is "all or nothing," it's just that it is a consistent ethical position that doesn't limit itself to food, but on the impact an unnecessary action has on an animal.
  • keiferdog
    keiferdog Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Please do a little research in other places than here. I'm cringing at some of these responses from non-vegans. Not that they choose to eat meat but more that a lot of people here are very misinformed on how much protein we actually need and about how restrictive they think veganism is. It's not...at all. If you are interested, speak to other vegans who are flourishing eating this way and there are many. Look for a vegan group that accepts anyone such as Plant Strong Fitness on Facebook. There is so much great and helpful information there and tons of recipes and no judgement of any kind as its not allowed.

    Again, not bashing anyone's opinions here but just want you to be well informed. It's an amazing lifestyle and I've personally never put on lean muscle as easily as I do now. My skin is more clear and I don't struggle at all with my weight. I also don't have any of the stomach and digestive issues that I typically had when I ate meat and dairy.

    Good luck! I hope you find what works for you :))
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    keiferdog wrote: »
    Please do a little research in other places than here. I'm cringing at some of these responses from non-vegans. Not that they choose to eat meat but more that a lot of people here are very misinformed on how much protein we actually need and about how restrictive they think veganism is. It's not...at all. If you are interested, speak to other vegans who are flourishing eating this way and there are many. Look for a vegan group that accepts anyone such as Plant Strong Fitness on Facebook. There is so much great and helpful information there and tons of recipes and no judgement of any kind as its not allowed.

    Again, not bashing anyone's opinions here but just want you to be well informed. It's an amazing lifestyle and I've personally never put on lean muscle as easily as I do now. My skin is more clear and I don't struggle at all with my weight. I also don't have any of the stomach and digestive issues that I typically had when I ate meat and dairy.

    Good luck! I hope you find what works for you :))

    Would love to see some pics and an open diary. Real life examples are always helpful!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    edited December 2015
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    BinaryPulsar wrote: »
    I guess for some people it is all or nothing. Right now I eat a vegan diet. I have a leather jacket. I never would have purchased that. It was given to me because it was a very small sample size and they wanted to be able to give it to someone that they knew and that it would fit. So, I accepted it.

    Veganism is an ethical position on unnecessary animal exploitation or suffering. If someone chooses to avoid animal products in food but accepts it for clothing, beauty products, entertainment, they're eating a plant-based diet. As far as accepting a hand-me-down that includes animal products, that is something that some vegans do (on the logic that the item has already been purchased, the damage has been done, and accepting a secondhand item doesn't create demand for leather or other animal products).

    It isn't that veganism is "all or nothing," it's just that it is a consistent ethical position that doesn't limit itself to food, but on the impact an unnecessary action has on an animal.

    Thanks for your reply. Yeah, it was a difficult situation for me with the jacket. I would never buy a leather jacket. But, since she was giving it to me, and really wanted me to have it, and it fit, and I did need a jacket. I decided to accept it for the reasons you said. I do eat a plant based diet right now (I have been vegetarian in the past as well). And I definitely try to live in a way that minimizes harm as much as I can. But, I do have that jacket. And probably a pair of shoes. I use products not tested on animals. I'm recovering from a medical injury right now. That's my main focus first. Thanks for your reply.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    Great, I will check out Plant Strong fitness. Protein is something I am trying to figure out.
  • vaguelyvegan
    vaguelyvegan Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    I've been vegan for almost two years now and I've never felt better. My adult son and daughter are also vegan and report the same good energy, lightness, and general well being. The health benefits were not part of our original motivation but have been the happy side effect that keeps us committed to the lifestyle.

    That said, my husband and youngest boy are omnivorous and that's fine. Our family meals are vegan and the boys eat whatever they like the rest of the time. It all works out fine at our house.

Categories