Vegan vs Health

I've been meat free for 2 years and I've never been happier a lot of people think it's unhealthy but honestly you can still get all the nutrients your body needs without all the hormone injected biproducts out today. My doctor hadn't seen me since I was 228 and eating whatever I'm now 145 and healthier than Ive ever been at 27 years old! It has a lot more benefits than people realize it's just lack of knowledge that causes people to say it's just unhealthy!

Vegan is a lifestyle, not a diet. You need to check to see what reasons you have for going Vegan.

I went vegan in March of 2011. I was a vegetarian for 3 years, then went back on a high animal protein diet to try and gain muscle, but then just couldn't handle it anymore. I think I OD'd on chicken breasts and turkey patties. I'm 52 years old and have more energy now than ever. I've been working at gaining lean body mass and losing fat seriously since 2009. I'm 5'7" and weigh around 122 to 126 lbs and am less than 20% body fat. My goal is to gain 5 pounds of lean body mass and lose the last - last 5 pounds. My husband was not on board with the whole vegan thing until he was told his he needed to get his cholestertol levels down. He tried the statins, but they made him feel awful. He saw how good I was doing on the vegan diet and after watching Forks Over Knives, he began eating vegan. Not 100% like I do, but around 90%. He lost weight and his cholesterol went down to normal levels. His doctor was amazed. No drugs needed! So to gain your families support, my advice would be to be the example. Make the commitment to yourself and ask for their support in a loving way. Since I've gone vegan, I became a certified personal trainer and have been asked to speak at our church about health and nutrition, I train other women on a one on one basis and have helped them lose and keep the weight off. If people don't want to go 100% vegan I just encourage them to add more veggies and fruit and decrease processed foods. I never try to persuade anyone. It's being the example that has worked best for me. Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. I LOVE eating living foods because I KNOW they are feeding my cells with all the nutrition they need. Live food = life.... Dead food = well, you get the picture. I choose LIFE!

You can't change their minds. And there is no reason to. You need to do what you feel is best for you, there is absolutely no reason to involve anyone else. Veganism takes some work to do correctly but you certainly can get compete nutrition without eating animal products. Don't worry about what other people think.

^^^^ This. Being a vegan can be a little work because you have to make sure that you get nutrients that our tasty little critter friends so conveniently concentrate for us, but it CAN be done. And if you intend to do it, there are two simple rules - don't try to push it on anyone else and don't allow anyone else to push anything else on you. We're all adults and we get to make our own food choices.

Sadly, some eating preferences become like religions to some people, so you'll always be a food infidel to someone and they'll try to talk you out of it using everything from disdain to broscience. But try not to become a vegavangalist in return, because it'll just alienate people.

Just out of curiosity, if I went vegan, what kinds of foods and how much quantities would I need to eat to meet my macros and TDEE with the following info:
2150 calorie TDEE
Protein: 225g 42%
Carbs: 123g 23%
Fat: 92g 35%

Note: I'm low-carb currently following a modified primal diet and max my carbs at 125g.

Truly high-protein veggies I thought of: Chickpeas and Mung beans...

Foods to avoid: all soy-based products.

Rich Roll has a new book out that might have more detailed info for higher protein intakes. http://www.richroll.com/ Also here is a site (http://www.greatveganathletes.com/) that list all sorts of vegan athletes and body builders. Some may have books/articles for you on that topic. I'm probably taking the bait here, but there is a chance that many of these athletes have found protein levels that high (as well as carb levels that low) were unnecessary for optimal performance. Vegan or not I'm guessing protein powder is playing a role in 225g/day. You could choose a vegan powder just as easily as a non-vegan one, and aim for the rest in higher protein intake from beans, whole grains, nuts, veggies etc. If I could eat 2150 cal a day and was interested in maxing out protein, I could hit 80-100 grams with no powders (not making any assertions about carb counts though).

You will have to be more mindful to ensure you're getting proper nutrition, and it will be more of a challenge than if you were a meat-eater or even a vegetarian, but of course it can be done.

Vegansim is very healthy, it gets on my nerves when people claim vegan/vegetarian/pescetarianism etc is "unhealthy". Not true at all. Actually, just because you aren't actually getting a lot of protein from vegetables does not mean you aren't getting enough. With the right combination of vegetables you can get all 28 amino acids. Health food stores also sell a lot of different things to get your protein from, I've been told that it's just the brand I bought that makes it kinda gross for shakes etc, but I have hemp protein powder. I believe there are a few more vegan protein powders. I very, very, very strongly recommend reading the book Skinny *****... it's written by americans so a lot of what they say is a bit different than here in canada, but it can't be that far off. Other than what they say about food laws etc, they give many more reasons to be clean and vegan in a no BS manor. I loved it. I'm currently a pescetarian just because my protein intake has to be so huge while I'm losing weight. I eat a lot of sardines because I read that they're overpopulated anyways.. but there is no way I would put a dead animal carcass in my mouth, or any over-fished sea creature ever again. Once the weight is gone I'm going totally raw, vegan is the way to be.. fruit and veggies for life!

You can't change their minds because they're right.

Sorry. I completely respect veganism for moral reasons but it's not a healthier way to live.

Agree about it not necessarily being healthier. The moral reasons I just don't get. Those that go vegan must be wired differently to feel overly compassionate towards using animals for food. This is not meant offensively. For example some folks may have impulse control issues which is due to a certain area in the brain.

I am a partial vegitarian...I eat chicken and fish only...no red meat or pork since 1984. I would love to be vegan, I am convinced that way of eating is the healthiest. I have read much on it...but reality is...I am realistic and I dont think I can. There is a place called https://www.halifestylecenters.com/home where it is a one week, basically one on one retreat that teaches you. At the end of the day, I truly feel that if a diet works for you that includes meat...go for it. And it other diets work for others that too is a blessing. GO with your heart. Opinions are like A_ _ h _ _ _ _.....everyone has them. If you believe in something enough,,,it will work. As long as that belief includes fresh foods and not processed ones. Happy eating everyone. Many blessing for a monumental amount of success Which ever path you choose JUST MAKE IT COUNT!!!

Try vegetarian first, then go for vegan. It's a huge switch to go from one to another.
Being a vegetarian is much healthier than being a meat eater. You DON'T need supplements when you're eating a vegetarian diet. Just eat healthy.

Being a vegetarian is much healthier than being a meat eater.

Seems like a pretty broad statement that can't be substantiated.

Vegans as a group are statistically healthier than vegetarians or omnivores.

Actually, statistically, vegans have the exact same life expectancy and disease risks that omnivores have. Of the 3, statistically, vegetarians are the healthiest, actually.

Vegans as a group are statistically healthier than vegetarians or omnivores.

What statistics? Last I checked there are no concrete statistics one way or another on ANY way of eating to substantiate these claims. The basis for veganism being healthier resonates with people because it SOUNDS like it should be healthier, however flies in the face of biology, biochemistry and other evidence to the contrary.

I've met some pretty dang sickly vegans, my sister's boyfriend being one of them. The guy is just pale, thin, frail and not at all manly. Suffers from testosterone/estrogen imbalance and gets sick constantly. My sister went paleo and as a compromise feeds him a ton of fat from plants and he's getting better, but the guy could really use a good steak and the animal fats that go along with it.

That's interesting because I'm vegan and my legs are built like a horse.

Um Ive been vegan on and off and have always felt better vegan than any other diet. If people you know who are vegan are sick, it's because they aren't eating right. Any diet can make you sick if you aren't getting a variety everyday.

Have you looked at the dental records of the "cavemen" you speak of. Do some research online and in medical journals, you will find we are quite different than they were and have less incidence of some major health problems due to malnourishment. That being said, vegans can be fat and unhealthy too. It's not a perfect diet but it's not harmful either.