What is veganism?
Veganism excludes ALL animal products, whether that may be in food, clothes, or beauty products. That includes animal proteins (beef, pork, poultry, seafood), animal oils and fats (lard, fat from pig, fish oils), dairy (milk (with dairy), butter (made from dairy milk), cheese), and bee products (honey, beeswax candles, beeswax lip care). Be careful!! Some products that tend to look vegan sometimes contain animal products (bone char is used in refined white sugar), as well as dairy (ranch dressing contains dairy).
What is vegetarianism?
There are multiple different types of vegetarianism and each one is structured a little differently...
Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet - no meat, fish, or poultry but yes to eggs and dairy (most common)
Lacto-vegetarian diet - no meat, fish, poultry, eggs, but yes to dairy
Ovo-vegetarian diet - no meat, fish, poultry, dairy, but yes to eggs
Pescetarian diet - no meat and poultry, but yes to fish, eggs, and dairy
Vegan diet - no meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, and animal products (read more below)
Flexitarian diet - mostly vegetarian but sometimes yes to meat, fish, poultry (AKA flexible vegetarian)
Why are more people becoming vegetarian and vegan?
It could be due to a nutritional or religious reason such as trying to lose weight, or religious reasons, in Jainism, it is required to be vegetarian. Other reasons include ethical considerations, for animal rights, or environmental considerations, to reduce global warming, pollution, and destruction of soil and rainforests.
What are the benefits?
Provided an individual chooses healthy and whole foods, veganism has been proven to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and inflammation (can help with arthritis). It may also help you lose weight and improve sleep, skin, and digestion. All of those benefits though tend to come from a plant-based diet because you are still getting all of the benefits from the nutritional foods. Vegetarianism has been known to stabilize blood sugar, decrease inflammation, and increase heart health.
A lot of people think that they will lose weight if they become vegan or vegetarian but you will only lose weight with these diets if you do them wisely and correctly, which tends to be the rule across the board! You would have to choose your fruits, veggies, proteins, and grains wisely and be careful not to fill up on starches and carbs.
What are the drawbacks?
First of all, at the beginning of the transition to veganism, many people report experiencing fatigue, digestive problems, and intense cravings due to a huge sudden change in diet. To ease this transition, you try being a flexitarian for a little while, after time these issues typically tend to go away.
One of the biggest concerns with people going vegan or vegetarian is a lack of protein. However, protein can be found in tons of meatless foods! Soy products are some of the highest protein vegan foods. Tofu is a big one; it is curd made from mashed soybeans, AKA, condensed soy milk. Another is edamame beans which are immature soybeans. Legumes are also pretty high in protein, lentils are edible legumes and one tablespoon has more than one gram of protein! There are also lots of dips and sauces that contain lots of protein and are vegan! Hummus, guacamole, and butters (peanut, almond, sunflower) are great options! Nuts and seeds are also a must, as well as grains. Make sure to fill up on whole grains to get a maximum amount of nutrients! Protein can also be found in most green superfoods such as spinach, kale, and avocados.
Vegetarian and vegan diets are NOT for everyone. If you struggle with low iron or a B12 deficiency, going vegan or vegetarian may make it harder to get those nutrients because they are usually in fish, red meats, and other animal products. Yes, there are supplements which could be okay but to truly reach your happiest and healthiest “potential”, try and get as many nutrients from real food as you can. Although vegan and vegetarian diets can be similar, veganism is a lot stricter.
All in all, if you can make the vegan or vegetarian diet work for you, then great! If not, it’s not the end of the world, there are always many other ways to lose weight and become happier and healthier!
