In today’s culture of the latest fads and diets, there is a lot of hype right now about Vegan. Vegan eating, cleanses, vegan skincare and beauty products, a lot of emphasis on clean eating.

The main questions are: Is it healthier? Can I lose weight? Is it for me?

First off, What IS Vegan? As far as vegan eating is concerned, the person choses to not consume ANY animal products. This would be meat, dairy, eggs, or cheese or even any animal derived ingredients such as honey, gelatin. Since fried foods usually have a breading mixed with eggs, those are out of the picture as well as baked goods, potato chips with cheese flavorings, chocolates, Caesar dressing (anchovies), all seafood, fresh pasta made with eggs, bean products that contain lard or ham, pesto, French fries cooked with animal fats, certain candies containing gelatin, some beers and wines.

You can take the next step and talk about the vegan lifestyle, which would be a person who chooses not to use any animal related products such as leather or other made from animal related products, or even products that have been tested on animals. Look for labels that state “cruelty free” or “not tested on animals.” You think that would be a no brainer but it’s amazing what is allowed.

Now that you know WHAT Vegan is the next step is deciding: Is this for me? Are you a person who wants to help the environment or is concerned about the treatment of animals? If you have cried watching the living conditions of chickens, cows, fish, in several documentaries, the vegan lifestyle may be for you. It’s not to say the rest of the world doesn’t have a heart, it just may not matter that much to some people. If you truly care and chose NOT to eat meat because of the mistreatment of animals, the Vegan lifestyle is for you.

The one thing I love about America and our freedom, is our freedom of choice. Freedom of food. As children we ate what our parents gave us with not a lot of freedom, but as adults, we are the decision makers. WE chose what brands to buy, what foods to avoid, what restaurants to eat at, what stores get our money. Our money talks. The marketplace listens to what the consumers want, so with your dollars, YOU get to spend what you make on what you want.

That being said, as a Vegan you’re going to make the choice to not purchase animal products, therefore bringing sales down for particular areas, supermarkets, industries, etc. You might spend more money on quality local fruits and vegetables from that region, therefore driving up the demand for more local farmers and fresh products. (You see where I’m going?) Over time, the consumers drive the industry and can make a difference. If you’re on the latest meat craze diet, you’re driving up the meat/dairy industry with focus on proteins, fats, etc. Whatever we chose to buy, our money talks.

Moving on to the next topic: Is it healthier? Can I lose weight?

There is a ton of hype right now on becoming Vegan for weight loss and health. Everyone knows someone who decided to get off all meat/dairy products and suddenly lost 20 pounds and looks and feels fantastic! Most of these are through a particular product line which boasts a 14-30 day cleanse of nothing but whole foods, etc.

The question is, is it because Becky became Vegan, or Becky changed her diet/lifestyle? Whenever there is a fad diet and someone goes from eating everything to being more restrictive, they are going to lose weight. Am I saying you can lose weight on any diet? Absolutely. Here are the pros and cons of Vegan eating for weight loss:

Pros:

-Focus on vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains

-Eating more natural and whole foods based

-Feel good about making choices for environment and animal welfare

Cons:

-Can be very grain heavy/carbohydrate heavy (pastas, breads, rice, etc)

-Still includes processed food as long as no animal by products; lots of companies offering vegan snacks, candies, cookies, gluten or dairy free options but not calorie free

-Still can eat meat substitutes which can be loaded with additives, questionable ingredients, sugar, salt, etc.

I highly recommend everyone incorporate more vegetables, real whole grains, seeds, nuts into their diets all the time. You can certainly do this with any particular diet, or the vegan diet itself. Just be careful that you aren’t buying highly processed items just because they are labeled “Vegan.” I unfortunately have met many overweight vegetarian and vegan people. The reason most of them are vegan is specifically for the animal cruelty reason, not for any particular health benefits. If there were health benefits, you would be able to look at them and clearly see vibrant skin, hair, energy, etc.

For me, I have been dairy free for years because of the effects that the processed products (hormones, antibiotics) have on my skin. Dairy is not tolerated by 75% of people, yet we still consume it, and for me I break out in cystic acne, as well as have immediate reactions such as clearing my throat, sneezing and feeling the mucus build up right away. I can tell right away if something has dairy in it. I chose not to consume it because of those effects, not for any particular animal rights reason.

You have to eat for what is going to work for you. If you consume a large amount of meat right now and are concerned about protein once you switch to vegan, figure out what you’re going to incorporate. Is it going to be more quinoa because it has more protein? Are you going to eat a lot of black bean burgers, or beans in general because of the protein? Are you going to try tofu instead of your proteins?

If you want to try the Vegan diet, do it! Giving yourself a break from a particular eating style is always a good reset for your body. Be sure to decide what you’re going to do for your meat substitutes and plan which veggies you love and are going to eat a lot of.

If you’re new to Vegan eating, be sure to prepare recipes and 3-4 days of meals ahead of time so you are not at a loss of what the heck do I eat. All diets and lifestyle changes will fail if you do not plan and prepare accordingly. Start making a list of your favorite dishes and how you could modify them or add to them. I for one love spaghetti squash, and to make it vegan, I chose not to include any meat on top and just use olive oil and a ton of vegetables and seasonings for a complete meal. If you love pasta, then add the tomato sauce on top and you won’t know the difference. I could eat spaghetti squash pasta every single day with different vegetables and not get bored. It’s a huge filling meal with minimal calories and maximum fiber and flavor with all the seasonings and veggies. Have you tried zucchini noodles yet? There are kitchen accessories out there now designed to help you create these noodles with much ease. Lots of possibilities.

Again, if you are wanting to try Vegan for health benefits, stick to the whole foods approach with a ton of greens, vegetables, seeds, nuts, fruits and seasonings for flavor. Just watch out for the overly processed grains for snacks, treats and overly processed meat substitutes. Processed food is processed food whether it be labeled Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Fat Free, etc.

Happy Eating!

Do you need help incorporating Vegan eating into your lifestyle or would like to give it a try?

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