Veganism: Fad Diet or Lifestyle Change?

Veganism: Fad Diet or Lifestyle Change? 

Hey guys! Okay, so this is week one of my series going in depth with every type of lifestyle choices and/or fad diet out there. I am digging deep to give you all the info you need to make the right choice! This week I am digging into Veganism. In the beginning I will be giving a brief overview, followed by the good and bad of going vegan. In the weeks to follow I will be digging into paleo, HGC, Vegetarian, Whole 30, etc. So lets go! 

With all the different types of diets out there, it’s hard to decide which ones are a healthy lifestyle choice and which ones are simply fad diets. Something that has been popping up more and more lately is the Vegan lifestyle.

Veganism doesn’t have the best reputation when many think about it. People tend to think of vegans as animal loving hipsters who constantly talk about being a vegan. I disagree with that entire statement, however. Veganism is evolving ever so fast, with more and more vegan restaurants opening, and more vegan friendly options on shelves at the local grocery store.  So, what exactly is veganism? In true definition, veganism s a way of living, which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In short- veganism is a lifestyle in which individuals omit all animal products from their diet and/or clothing and other lifestyle choices. Veganism omits all animal products such as meat, eggs, milk, etc.

You may be thinking to yourself, what the heck is so great about this lifestyle… what do they even eat? I thought that at first too. However after much research, veganism is not as restrictive as people may think! Although, I am not a vegan, I am challenging all of you to try a few of the recipes I have listed below (just as I did!). You will not be disappointed.

Here are a few quick tips you may want to consider before going on a full vegan diet, even if you just try it for a week!

     1.)  Take vitamins as part of your morning routine. B12 is a vitamin that is only naturally occurring in animal sources. B12 keeps the body's nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, so deficiencies can lead to tiredness, weakness, constipation, and loss of appetite. Include Iron as well with your b12. According to New York City nutritionist Christian Henderson, Iron comes in two forms: heme and non-heme. The body easily absorbs heme, which makes up about 40% of the iron in animal foods. Vegan diets contain only non-heme, which is less readily absorbed, so you may need to ingest more iron if you want to get the same benefit.

     2.)  Watch your protein intake. No more chicken, steak, tacos, and burgers? That’s fine! There are plenty of other protein options out there that are vegan friendly. Vegan protein powder makes for a great snack, and can easily be found at your local vitamin/supplement store. Other great sources of proteins are: lentils, tofu, black beans, quinoa, soy milk, green peas, edamame, tempeh, and chia seeds.

     3.)  Do not just eat junk food because it’s “vegan friendly”. In order to get full results of a vegan lifestyle, you need to keep up with the 80/20 rule. 80% clean eating, 20% treats- such as dessert after dinner, a night out with friends, etc. don’t go over board, and don’t restrict! Keep up a balanced diet.

     4.)  Start out slow. Before going on a 100% vegan based diet. A week prior to actually starting the vegan lifestyle, slowly start phasing out all meat and animal products. You body could potentially go into “shock” if you cut everything out over night. You could experience headaches, fatigue, dizziness, etc. Phasing out animal products slowly over the span of a week or so will help you ease into this transition.

    5.)  Check out this website: http://www.happycow.net/ you type in your address or where you will be venturing out to, and you can find vegan/vegetarian friendly places to eat in the area you will be in.

Check out some of the great recipes here: http://www.peta.org/recipes/

Try them out and let me know what you think! What could you loose by going vegan for just a week?

So, what exactly are the pros and cons of going vegan? In short, here is what I gathered from my research.

Pros:

• Greater self-control and awareness
• Lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• Increases raw and natural intakes such as fruits and vegetables
• Save money from not dining out as often (especially with those pricy steaks!)
• However, more and more restaurants are becoming vegan friendly!
• Your skin will start glowing because you are not intaking the hormones from the meat and other animal products
• Get into a great community and find new places to eat out
• You are eating less animal products; therefore you are living a greener life (diet AND environmental wise!)
• You are also standing up to the slaughter houses and taking a stand, whether you mean to or not, against the inhumane slaughter houses

Cons:

• Big lifestyle change- takes a lot of work! (this isn’t really a con though.. more of a fun challenge!)
• Eliminating an entire food group could be detrimental to your health on the nutrient level, so be sure to get protein and iron in with other healthy sources
• No official studies are out there proving that veganism is the end all be all. Meaning, there is not enough evidence out there to support that this type of lifestyle choice is better than any other.
• There are also no real studies on why cutting out ALL animal products is really the way to go.

Bottom line:

Veganism is a LIFESTYLE choice. This is not some quick fix detox that you choose to participate in overnight. It take preparation. There are no studies that show veganism is the best out there, however, there really aren’t any studies that show what lifestyle choice is the best either. Everyone’s bodies are different, so it is too hard to conduct a study to say what works for the majority. So, what have you got to loose for trying to become vegan for a week? (Remember, if you do this- take a week to slowly start phasing out animal products before your full week of being a vegan. Then, slowly start adding in the food groups after the week is over, if you choose to. Do not do this all overnight!)