Is a vegan diet healthy?
This is the question that is on a lot of people's minds these days. I am going to try not making this a super long article and just get to the point. Like a lot of things in life the answer to this question depends on you, the individual. Like any other style of dietary systems out there, a vegan diet can be as good for you or as bad for you as you like. That part is up to you! Also there are many factors to consider when discussing whether or not someone's vegan diet is good for them or not.
Disclaimer; this is not medical advice. I am not a doctor. I am only giving my option based on my own experience and knowledge. Do what you want with it! I really don't care if you want to eat animal products or not. I do care about offering you some information that you can use to make your own choices.
Not all vegan diets are created equal!
A vegan diet is any style of diet which does not use animal derived foods. Vegans will also abstain from using animal derived goods as much as possible. Veganism in itself is NOT A DIET as much as it is a LIFE STYLE CHOICE, TO NOT HARMING ANIMALS in anyway. Not even for food. The vegan diet is just a natural result of this choice. This is why a vegan diet can be as healthy or as disease causing as you like.
After all even Oreo Cookies are vegan!
There are lots of vegan junk foods on the market for animal rights people to choose from. These highly processed packaged foods are not good for us! And certainly not better then the meat and cheese based garbage that most people gorge themselves on a daily bases.
Like I said Oreos are vegan but if you're looking to heal from disease then items such as Oreos, wouldn't be a very wise option to snack on, just because it's vegan. From what I have seen and learned in my life veganism is more about saving animals from harm then it is about health.
So, a vegan diet centered on processed food is not better than a whole food diet that includes some meat, eggs and cheese. Let me add to that. NO DIET, VEGAN OR NOT, IS HEALTHY, IF IT INCLUDES PROCESSD CONVINENCE FOODS.
Vegan diets can be just as high fat, and sugar as a diet eating fast food garbage! We need to understand this before we continue in this post. Vegan does not necessarily mean healthy. It may only mean that a person does not participate in animal abuse. They may care very little for their own health and eat like shit.
Likewise most people who eat animal derived foods also eat like shit! I have been around long enough to know this. Whether you are vegan or not, it would be wise to take responsibility for your own health right now and just admit that you ate like shit most of your life.
Every day is a new day to start eating better than you ever have in your entire life!
I don't think I have to tell you that plants, fruit, vegetables and greens are good for you. If you are reading on this blog you probably agree with that. We can also use our common sense to say that a diet too high in fat is also not the best choice.
A healthy vegan diet that is rich in nutrient dense plant derived foods is going to be your best choice for a healthy well balanced vegan diet. Anyone who will disagree with that is really not worth my time. If that is you then you may as well stop reading now. You have already made up your mind against a diet without animal products.
Plants are some of the most nutrient dense items that we can consume! These are anti cancer foods and the very thing we are designed to eat. Studies have already shown that a diet which limits animal products and includes rich plants is best for health.
We are talking a reduction in cardiovascular disease, cancer rates, and even the elimination of type 2 diabetes. There are many examples of this if you are open to see them. Check out Dr. Fred Bisci who is a 93-year-old long time vegan, or Will Tuttle who went vegan in 1980.
Now that we have established what a healthy vegan diet is. Let's talk about the reasons why someone would fail while eating a healthy whole food vegan diet.
What about Ex.Vegans?
Why some people get unhealthy on a vegan diet depends on many factors; like eating enough plant-based calories, stress associated with the diet, environment/quality of food, as well as any underlying health problems causing the malabsorption of nutrients if one is eating enough.
If you are following a vegan diet, you need to make sure #1. that you are eating enough food. From my experience and what I see with those who claim to have gotten unhealthy on a vegan diet. Eating enough seems to be the biggest problem.
People don't seem to understand that you have to eat more food as in quantity, whole food vegan than you do with a heavy animal-based meal. When it comes to eating a well-balanced vegan diet, you literally have to eat twice as much food as you normally did as a meat and cheese eater. Even still, if a raw or mostly raw vegan diet is what you are doing. You need to eat three times as much food quantity as you would for cooked vegan.
Why?
Because cooked food and animal derived foods are more calorically dense than raw food. They are also more filling with less food and keeps you full a lot longer. You cannot go into a vegan or raw vegan diet thinking that you will get by with the same amount of food. You will find yourself hungry and craving lots of carbohydrates. Chances are you will grab the first piece of garbage right in from of you that is full of empty calories and sugar.
It actually takes a lot of practice to prepare vegan meals every day and make sure you are getting enough of the nutrients that you need to sustain yourself on this lifestyle. And if raw or mostly raw vegan is what you are doing it takes a lot more discipline and planning as well. And if you have a family to take care of like me, it is a lot more work to stick with it too.
I believe not eating enough is the #1 reason why people fail eating vegan or raw vegan. These people don't eat enough and lose too much weight too soon. They will also lose muscle as well due to not enough calories and nutrition. Muscle needs calories and when the fat is burned away the body goes right after the muscle.
When you don't eat enough, on any kind of diet plan, you will find yourself binging on anything that is around. Especially bread and sweets! This also will lead to becoming unhealthy trying to eat a vegan or raw vegan diet. And to be honest most people on social media claiming to be an ex-vegan because it made them sick, probably was binging on junk food due to not eating enough nutrient dense foods.
Reason #2 why people fail on a vegan diet!
I think a vegan diet could make you unhealthy if you have an underlying health issue that prevents the digestion of many fruits and vegetables. In this case people need to steam and bake their veggies. As well as Watch the salt and spices they are using. These people may need to take some probiotics and other enzymes to get things working better. If you can't digest and absorb nutrients it won't matter if your diet is plant vegan or not. If going vegan and staying vegan is what you want to do I suggest seeing a plant-based doctor who can help create a healthy vegan plan right for you.
Even certain nutrients like B12 which people say you can only get eating meat is actually synthesized in your gut. This requires proper digestion. Most people have a broken digestive system for lack of a better term. And actually, B12 is the meat comes from their own gut too eating grass latent with B12 synthesizing bacteria. So how did the cow get B12? They eat plants and dirt. Their gut does the rest.
Another reason why meat has B12 in it is supplementation. Farm animals. Farmed animals are given synthetic B12 shots along with minerals, and antibiotics. So, most of the B12 found in meat is actually put there by man anyway. The person who wants to go vegan and stay that way can always supplement the nutrients that they need. You should get blood work done so you can rule out of identify any deficiencies before changing your diet or supplementing a vegan diet.
#3 reason why people may get sicker on a vegan diet is, STRESS!
If you are going vegan and don't want to, or don't have the support at home this will cause you extra stress. Stress that wasn't there before you began a vegan journey. And if a health scare is the reason why you are going vegan this too is extremely stressful. I don't think I have to tell you that stress is a killer!
If you are consistently stressed out about your diet, no matter how healthy the diet may be, it's not going to help you much. Sure, you may lose weight but as far as getting healthier stress alone is enough to create disease. I got the health problems that I have from many years of eating the standard American diet. But I can tell you that stress was also a huge factor. Stress as well as diet is the top reasons why people develop thyroid issues like I have. Family history may also play a role, but I think it's more like family learned behavior than genetics.
I recommend before you make any drastic changes to your diet like going vegan that you should take the steps to eliminate the biggest stressors in your life. Any major lifestyle change should be done during a time when you are thinking clearly and can focus on the necessary steps for success. If your illness is your biggest stressor than take the time to eliminate the problematic foods one at a time. Keep a food journal and take it one step at a time.
Any good necessary change in life shouldn't be stressful. You should want to do it and embrace every step that needs to be taken. If you believe that giving up animal products is good for you to do why stress over, it?
It is also a good idea not to tell anyone about your choice to abstain from animal products. Family can make things difficult for you, especially when you go vegan. Consult your doctor and make the changes quietly. Eliminate stress and problematic foods first. Then just enjoy the process and healthy food.
In conclusion
These are the three biggest problems I see with eating a vegan or raw vegan diet. These are really not a problem with the diet itself but implementation of the diet. You need to do your own research and come up with your own answers as well. But these problems are avoidable problems that people often have with a healthy diet change. I offered some suggestions here.
To recap my points in this article.
Eating a junk food diet just because it's vegan, is not healthier than eating a whole food diet that includes meat. It is better for the animals in the sense that we are not killing them, but not healthier for your body.
Any diet which includes processed convenience food is NOT HEALTHY!
A whole food plant-based diet with enough calories to sustain a healthy body is necessary if you want to succeed eating a healthy vegan diet.
Supplementation is a good idea when it's needed to meet your nutritional needs. This part is up to you and a good plant-based doctor to decide. Do your research to find out what is best for you.
Yes a vegan diet is healthy in my opinion when it's done properly of course :)
Those who follow a vegan diet are more likely than meat and dairy eaters to eat lots of disease preventing fruits and vegetables. When you don't eat meat, eggs and cheese you then have to focus on filling up those calories on nutritious fruits and veggies instead.
In my opinion most people who include meat, eggs and cheese in their diet do not eat enough fruit, veggies and greens. This, I believe is part of why statistically cancer, diabetes and heart disease are so prevalent. And
I know, I never ate more fruits and veggies than I have in the last few years going vegan than in my whole life! I focus on nutrition now instead of eating filling meat egg and cheese-based meals.
I personally try to stay mostly raw vegan, but I allow some oats and quinoa sometimes too. I eat mostly all of my calories in fruit, veggies and greens. The rest is made up of nuts, seeds, avocado and occasionally oats or quinoa.
It has taken me a bit of practice but this year 2022 I have gotten much better with it. I honestly eat more food now on a healthy vegan diet than I ever have in my life! I also eat more notoriously than I ever have. I even lost my weight and have kept it off for years now.
I want to eat a vegan diet because I think it is the healthiest for me right now. I am trying to heal my body from a serious illness, and I believe it is fruit and plants that is going to help me with that. I know I need the healing nutrition and energy from plants.
And it has been a long time coming. I first wanted to eat a healthy vegan diet since I was a young adult. I also want to eat a diet that is best for our planet and the animals who live here too. A vegan diet is the logical choice to accomplish that.
I hope this answers the question Is a vegan diet healthy for you. Like I said use your own research and maybe the advice of your doctor to determine what is healthiest for you.
A good book to help you get started is always good too.
Here are a couple charts that I found which illustrates what foods you should eat in what quantities on a healthy vegan diet or healthy raw vegan diet. I find these helpful charts to use as a guide to eat a healthy vegan diet.
Here is a video for more information.
Cure Disease with Whole Plant Based Food - Vegan Documentary 2017
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