Should I stay vegan?

MissVCI · February 2012

I am about to finish this Engine 2 Diet Challenge that was sponsored by whole foods. My last day is Monday. The challenge was to give up meat and animal products, dairy, processed sugar, and extracted oil. You would think it would be limiting but it wasn't. I know this is a very healthy living style and I don't miss meat that much( i never really at all that much beef or pork)
But I have no moral hang ups about eating meat or animal products, and I miss my spicy tuna rolls and and i love cooking with chicken and i make an awesome turkey chilli.

I know I could easily maintain a vegan lifestyle but to officially claim myself as vegan I know that I could never have my tuna roll or chicken and broccoli again.

So sound off with your opinions below.

classicalcrespin · February 2012

I think it's mostly a personal decision. I was a lacto/ovo vegetarian for a little over a year. I did have moral hang-ups and that was my reason for the change. But it ended up that right now with my lifestyle it just isn't feasible for me. When I can do it again, I am going to. I know what you mean about missing the chicken and spicy tuna rolls. My family is all about the steaks and it killed me smelling that delicious scent and then chomping into a veggie burger some days lol I think for you it's probably more of a weigh in. Do you like tuna rolls and chicken and broccoli more than you like being vegan? I hear there are a lot of health benefits to being vegan and I know there's a good feeling to abstaining from meat, at least. You just have to decide whether you think it's more important to you to have stay away from animal products or to have them. Good luck!!!

MattGetsMad · February 2012

If you feel good, and you like the food you're eating, then I think it makes sense to continue.

Good luck to you in whatever you do.

fteale · February 2012

You aren't a label. Eat what you want to eat according to your moral compass. I am vegetarian because I do think that it is immoral to kill an animal, but if you don't believe that there is no reason why you shouldn't eat the way you feel is most healthy. You don't have to give yourself a label. Just say what you do and don't eat.

tam120 · February 2012

There's no "vegan contract", continue your plant based lifestyle and if you want a spicy tuna roll or to cook with chicken on occasion then do it. I think if it's not about the morality of consuming animal products then you can maintain a plant based diet the majority of the time and have animal products occasionally.

When I first started eating plant based I thought it was "all or nothing" and I was very strict about it but that wasn't the right choice for me. I need to be flexible so most of the time I eat plant based, sometimes I'll make a one pot meal with meat and just remove the meat from my portion instead of making a total separate dish for myself. It just makes life easier. I eat an egg most weekday mornings because I find that an egg and veggie sausage on an english muffin keeps me full for hours where a lower protein breakfast leaves me hungry an hour later.

Good luck

seekhealth4ever · February 2012

Think about how you feel. We did the 1 month start around Thanksgiving time and figured that by the end of that month we would evaluate what we wanted to do. We liked the way we felt so we agreed to live mostly vegan and to allow ourselves to go eat other foods when we ate out. I would say that we are about 90% plant-strong. Last week, we really wanted sushi so we went to Japanese restaurant and enjoyed it without feeling guilty. We have decreased our frequency of eating out for budget reasons so we eat out once every other week now which is a huge improvement from twice a week.

Listen to your body.

lumina0o0 · February 2012

There's no "vegan contract", continue your plant based lifestyle and if you want a spicy tuna roll or to cook with chicken on occasion then do it. I think if it's not about the morality of consuming animal products then you can maintain a plant based diet the majority of the time and have animal products occasionally.

I agree with this if you want to eat mainly vegan and every once and a while throw in some chicken or some tuna go a head. I think as long as your eating with in your calorie range you should be fine. Just remember to enough protein from other things.

ashley67203 · February 2012

I say eat what makes you feel good. You could try going back to fish and chicken for a little while and if you still feel good maybe make them a small part of your diet but keep up with the mostly vegetable-based diet. This is what we do most of the time and it really helps keep the weight off. I can sure tell the difference when we stray back to red meat for a meal - makes me feel almost like I'm getting sick.

EbbySoo · February 2012

Regardless of what devout vegans will or will not admit to, MANY of them lie through their teeth and do partake in some non vegan foods. I have heard/seen this many times. Don't beat yourself up for partaking in the few things you enjoy that are non vegan once in a while, it doesn't make you a hypocrite or a bad person, it just means your HUMAN.

mncardiojunkie · February 2012

On a vegan diet, I gained a ton of weight. I'm too lazy to figure out what to eat on a vegan diet that would assist in the weight loss process. I know I didn't have hardly any protein in my diet and I ate a ton of bread, rice and pasta. That makes me gain weight, but a good friend of my lost weight.

I wish you the best in your choices.

MooCowsMoo · February 2012

You've said it yourself. You don't have moral or ethical motivation for being vegan. You don't care about animal welfare, living conditions, your carbon foot print, the true cost of food or how the tuna ends up on your plate as long as you get to eat it.

So why don't you eat it?

You don't need a label. Have the lifestyle that's right for you. If that means that you eat animal products but not very often then do that.

The only person who can decide your lifestyle is YOU. Other people's opinions won't matter if you're really being true to yourself.

"Instead of looking at all the reasons you should give up, look at all the reasons you've kept going"
- This has helped me with a lot of dilemmas.

Should I stay vegan?

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