Why should I (anyone) go vegan? --> Diet discussion, all opinions welcome!?

Question

BACKGROUND: My eating habits and lifestyle right now are pretty healthy. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, get the necessary amount of protein, only have good fats, do cardio and weight training 3-5 times a week, etc etc. You get the gist. I don't eat as much meat as the average American, but I'm sure the average American eats far too much meat haha. I do treat myself to dessert and snacks and rich food occasionally but only for special dinners/parties/events, nothing over-indulgent. I have a healthy BMI, my blood tests are normal, and if I say so myself, I look damn GOOD naked.

(TL;DR: I eat and live healthily. I'm fine with my lifestyle.)

So as a healthy human being...hypothetically, how would going vegan improve my health?? If we disregard the "moral benefits" of abstaining from animal products and by-products, how does cutting out those things from my current diet/lifestyle help me? To me, converting to veganism seems like it would only result in nutritional deficiencies and more money spent on buying supplements and substitutes to get the lacking nutrients/flavors.

All opinions are welcome. It would be great to hear a dedicated vegan preach the health benefits to me because frankly, I don't see any right now!

ALSO: I'd love to hear your thoughts on Paleo, raw veganism, lacto/ovo, etc?

Answer 1

Both can produce health if followed wisely.

Both can produce illness if not followed wisely.



Vegan, even vegetarian eating, require a lot MORE knowledge about nutrition.

Any diet program that limits what foods you are eating will require more nutritional knowledge in order to eat wisely.



There are two advantages to eating vegetarian or vegan:

(1) It is a more efficient use of Earth's resources. It takes far less land to grow food to feed a vegetarian/vegan for a year than it does to graze enough cattle to keep you in meat for a year.

But since the population of Earth is still mostly eating meat, your diet change won't impact the Earth.

it is primarily an ideological stance, once that helps you like yourself better.



(2) Not eating meat or animal products out of compassion for animals. Again, this is an ideological stance, and not one that is going to reduce the suffering that meat production causes for animals.



(3) Plant protein is less expensive, financially, than animal protein. You do not need to buy supplements if you eat the right proportions of foods.



No matter how wisely we eat, we are going to end up dying. Usually from something that we have a genetic predisposition for.

Not to downplay the carcinogenic effect of technology on both our environment and our foods ...

but I am not necessarily advocating organic food either.

Understand that soil can be depleted of minerals, even organic soil .. and that veggies grown on depleted soil will lack minerals.



No, vegan diets do not result in nutritional deficiencies if you know what you are doing.

I eat meat, but I've known people who do eat a lot of fast food, and the only veggies they get are the pickles and lettuce in their Big Mac and the mushrooms on their pizza. Talk about nutritional deficiencies!



One big draw-back to eating vegan or vegetarian is that you usually spend more time IN the kitchen preparing tasty meals. So unless you enjoy cooking, these are not happy diet plans to undertake. Rice, legumes, quinoa .. they all take time to prepare and are pretty bland unless you add herbs and spices, onions, garlic, etc.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I've done Paleo, vegetarian and Atkins all at some point during my fitness career. They all have benefits and drawbacks physically. I'm not taking into account beliefs systems, only performance and results in physical appearance.



I've found that they all work fine, the body is amazingly adaptive. The big thing is junk food. All the mentioned ways of eating focus on clean natural foods. Be it meat based or vegetable based. I've found it's when the junk starts creeping in that problems really start.



After many years, I've settled into a more Paleo diet way of eating and did some videos and articles on it on my blog if you want to check it out.



The reason I never kept on with vegetarian or pure Atkins was that they are both very challenging long term. Cutting out whole categories of foods makes food prep and meal planning a real chore after a while. With Paleo or eating pretty much anything natural and unprocessed, you get lots of all the nutrients from fruits and vegetables, protein ect you need and tons of variety.



Hope that helps and feel free to ask any questions if I can help further

Answer 4

Paleo was just chosen as the worst diet of 2014 by US News and World Report



After being Type 1 diabetic for 30 plus years starting at age 11, in addition to having to follow a kidney dialysis diet prior to a kidney/pancreas transplant, I've personally got no desire to get on any kind of diet that says you have to eliminate an entire food group. Sorry, been there, done that enough. Carbs are limited for diabetics unless you know exactly what you are doing with an insulin pump (which is not the same thing as a working pancreas, trust me), and a dialysis diet means you can't eat or have to limit oranges, bananas, watermelon, potatoes, tomatoes, dark sodas, dairy, and lots, lots more. Your kidneys aren't working and dialysis can't get rid of al the excess phosphorus and potassium in those foods.



So I say congratulations to you and it sounds like you won't be getting Type 2 diabetes anytime soon. Be thankful for your good health and good job on the work you've put into staying healthy.

Answer 5

There's no health reason to be vegan (avoid all animal use), there are only health reasons to eat a plant-based diet (avoiding animal products in one's diet). There's no health reason to not go to the circus, wear fur, fight dogs, or attend a rodeo.

A plant-based or vegan diet is not the same as being vegan. Veganism is an ethical stance against animal exploitation, and goes beyond mere diet.

The reason we should be vegan is that all sentient beings value their lives and have the right to not be treated as property. We should be vegan because it's the morally right thing to do.

http://www.vegankit.com

Answer 6

We have dabbled in Paleo, and I definitely feel better when eating that way. Grass fed beef is much better for you than conventional, same with organic chicken, etc. Vegans should stay away from tofu or other non-fermented soy products, as the phytoestrogens in them can throw off your hormone balance, mimicking estrogen. Conventional dairy is hormone laden and awful. We stopped dairy in 2005 and we don't get sick as often or stay sick as long as others around us. Dairy promotes congestion in the body and gives the germs a place to live. We use unsweetened almond milk, eat coconut milk ice cream (good fats), and vegan "cheese" (galaxy brand).

Answer 7

There are as many studies that support veganism as there are that advocate an omnivorous diet. My opinion is that, both diets can be perfectly healthy, depending on what you consume, and how much of it. The key to a healthy diet is moderation, and this can be achieved in both diets.

Answer 8

If you want tons of ideas on how to eat Paleo, but do it in an exciting delicious manner where you enjoy mouth-watering meals and desserts every single day, you must try out this new Paleo cookbook here https://tr.im/thepaleodiet



You will really enjoy the meals in there! Plus, you’ll enjoy the improved energy levels, skin health, digestive health, brain clarity, and fat loss too.

Answer 9

The main thing is to have a balanced diet and avoid having to pop pills for added vitamins and minerals etc.

If you want to gain weight eat more and if you want to loose weight eat less.

The other way to improve your health is through exercise.



If everybody ate that way they could eat all of the meat they wished

Dune

Answer 10

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