Is being a vegan healthy?

Question

My friend, who easy vegan for a while got told by one of my teachers that she should stop being being a vegan as it is unhealthy. Is this true?

Answer 1

Is Being A Vegan Healthy

Answer 2

It's not as simple as not eating meat. Many people jump on the bandwagon without knowing how to get essential nutrients by eating plant products alone.



I was in a forum where a cook was asked if a veggie burger was vegan. He read the ingredients, and told the server no, tell the customer it has egg white in it. Server came back and said, Customer wants to know what 'egg white' is. Then the same customer ordered a salad. He sent it back because it had no cheese. Cook had to explain *to the person who claimed to be a vegan* that, no he couldn't have cheese if he wanted a vegan salad.



So, there's a lot of people out there who have no idea what they're doing. How is your friend getting vitamin D, which is a fat-soluable vitamin most people get in milk? It takes a huge amount of spinach to contain the same amount of iron as a small serving of beef. Stuff like that needs to be considered, especially since I'm guessing you're in your teen years, and this would be a prime time to increase your bone density.

Answer 3

Being vegan is not unhealthy as long as you have plenty of knowledge. Being vegan while ignorant is indeed unhealthy. Fortunately the dietary knowledge to thrive as a vegan is easily learned.



That teacher is either ignorant or came to the conclusion that your friend is ignorant. It's not unlikely both are ignorant.



If you chose vegan because it is more healthy, that choice is ignorant. More healthy than what? There are good reasons to go vegan, but claiming it's "more healthy" without specifying more healthy than what is not a correct reason. There are plenty of well designed eating systems that generate health with less effort than vegan because humans are evolved omnivores and that's how our bodies work.

Answer 4

It can be. There's many people that are vegan who survive to old age without any health issues. I'm vegan and I'm healthy at the moment, of course I don't know what the future holds for me health wise but I will continue ensuring that my health is in good condition.



Her being a teacher doesn't make her an expert on nutrition.



It's possible that the teacher may have been concerned for her health as some people do unfortunately use veganism just to limit what they eat without making it aware to other people that it's for other reasons that are unrelated to veganism. But this is just a suggestion, you know your friend better than me and your teacher. As long as your friend ensures she meets all her health needs then there's no issue.

Answer 5

"Is being a vegan healthy?"



Yes being vegan is healthy done right, but it doesn't work out for everyone. Thereby that teacher was/is wrong, and like most who aren't as knowledgeable in nutrition, as they think they are, that eats meat. I eat meat, and I would literally take not only their lunch, but the rest of their food, for that day. However to become one, they will need a deeper understanding of nutrition, than what is taught in school. There are vegans, who will give even well trained, licensed, board certified nutritionists a hard run for their money.

Answer 6

it depends, how many vegans you know make it to a hundred, or ninety, or even eighty? not that many, and if they claim so then i'd question their "strictness" on their veganism. a perfect example is observe the blue zones. blue zones are the places on the globe that's populated with the longest lived people. look at their dietary habits, lots of vegetables, fermented foods, and fish(but occasionally other meats as well). vegans eat lots of grains and legumes, this is contradictory to longevity, ethical maybe, but not so much healthy.

UPDATE: also forgot to mention, blue zone inhabitants tend to have high levels of vitamin k2 in their system, this is a essential nutrient missing from western diet(whether vegan or otherwise). this nutrient is absolutely vital for heart health. eat some natto, or goose liver, or take a high vitamin butter oil supplement.

Answer 7

It's not the worst thing ever. She's not smoking crack. But it isn't good for you. Your body NEEDS protein. A lot of it. And yes vegans can get protein from things like beans and supplements. But our bodies need animal proteins. Milks. Fats. Our body needs fats to function properly and to give us energy and help us live.

Try talking your friend into being a vegetarian. She can eat fish and not eat beef and be really healthy! fish is loaded with all kinds of healthy fats and protein. A full fledged vegan won't be healthy long. Also, that's why we have animals. To eat them!

Answer 8

Vegan diets can be healthy, but they're hard work and most people who attempt it fail. We definitely need protein in the body and humans are designed to eat meat. Many people choose this path based on their beliefs and not for health. Vegan diets can make it very difficult to obtain all the essential nutrients. This is what could lead to poor health

Answer 9

It is not whether or not you eat meat or avoid eating animal products.

Healthy eating means making healthy food choices.

Meat is not unhealthy ... junk food, sugar and refined carbohydrates are unhealthy.

The problem with being a vegan is that the more you cut foods OUT of your diet, the more careful and knowledgeable you have to be about your food choices, to make sure your body gets the nutrients it needs.



Therefore, it takes a lot LESS planning to eat healthy as a meat eater than to eat healthy as a vegan.

And poor vegan planning, even if it is all healthy .. is JUST as unhealthy as eating junk food. Because if you are not getting enough protein in your diet, your body starts eating its own muscle to get the protein it needs. Yes, plants have protein. But not as much. You would have to each 5 cups of beans-and-rice, or 20 heads of lettuce, to get as much protein as there is in one half of a chicken breast.

Answer 10

Yes I think being a vegan is quite healthy. I heard it's about just as healthy as being a meat eater. But the healthiest is actually vegetarian.

Answer 11

There is being vegan and being a Healthy vegan. Just eating fruits and veggies deprives the body of protein that it needs. Simply taking vitamins just doesn't do it.

Answer 12

Generally speaking, no, the vegan diet is not healthy.



It's an incomplete diet requiring, at the very least, a vitamin B12 supplement (pills, shots or eating highly processed foods). A vegan is more likely to be deficient in vitamin A, iron, calcium, omega3s, protein, and zinc than those who eat a normal diet.



You can get all of those nutrients with pills or carefully designing your diet, but most of us don't like pills or have time/education to carefully plan out our daily meals.



Almost 90% of veg*ns in the US go back to eating meat....mostly because they get sick eithout it.

Answer 13

Depends. As a vegan youll have to make up for the protein gained from eating meat in foods such as legumes, nuts, beans and peas. If the vegan doesnt get sufficient protein then he/she is not healthy. But being a vegan doesnt automatically make you unhealthy.

Answer 14

A well-rounded whole-food plant-based vegan diet is healthy. Stay away from highly processed foods. Study all you can, including the works of Drs. T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Neal Barnard, Michael Greger, Garth Davis, Melanie Joy, etc.

Answer 15

Vegan is healthy

Answer 16

If done right yea, I'm a Keto-Vegetarian; the only animal products I eat are butter and eggs they're also farm raised without hormones and are treated nicely, I'm hoping to get my own chickens, goats and cows so I can make my own butter and cheese and sell it. I don't like vegans because a lot of them are assh*les, hypocrites and straight up cultists. If I were you I'd go with Keto-Vegetarian, just do your research, stay away from bread, pasta, rice sodas and "juices" unless you make your own juices.

Answer 17

It can be either, any diet can be unhealthy if you don't get the proper nutrition. As long as your friend is getting enough protein, iron, carbs, b12, etc she should be extremely healthy on a vegan diet. Don't listen to your uneducated teacher.

Answer 18

Depends on the food you're eating.Not all vegan food is healthy

Answer 19

Vegans have to be careful to get all of the nutrients that they need. As long as they eat foods high in iron (Like watermelon...really) they should not have a problem

Answer 20

Veganism is a lifestyle, plant based is a "diet". If you eat balanced then yes it's and amazingly healthy.... Healthier then eating meat & dairy

Answer 21

yes it is. it is a very unhealthy diet and many Vegans suffer serious nutritional deficiencies. They also often fall for other silly 'alternative' health fads like 'cleansing'. These practices make them even more likely to suffer nutritional deficiencies.

Answer 22

Not really, eating in moderation is healthy, not eating full stomach is healthy, Also, our brain needs a specific protein, once in a while, which is only found in beef. There is a reason animals like goat & cows have herbivorous teeth, animals like lions have carnivorous teeth, and humans have both carnivorous & herbivorous teeth.

Answer 23

I meant *who was a vegan for a while.

I hate auto correct.

Answer 24

it can be more difficult to get all the nutrients you need as a vegan, but it can be done. so it's not automatically unhealthy.

Answer 25

In some ways it is unhealthy because it is hard to get certain minerals in your diet that you would otherwise get in animal products.

Answer 26

As with religion, it's the person who practices it who determines its benefit.

Answer 27

yes

Answer 28

Yes it is the healthyest way of eating!

Answer 29

eh

Answer 30

Health is well

Answer 31

Not really

Answer 32

Your teacher is WRONG.

Answer 33

No

Answer 34

no

Answer 35

no