Should I be a vegan?
It's your decision to make, after all.
Plenty of people claim all sorts of things about a vegan diet being unhealthy, but bear in mind that the majority of these people fit at least one of the following criteria (and often all three) -
(1) have no qualifications in nutrition whatsoever, and certainly won't have specialised in study of vegan nutrition.
(2) Have been conditioned to have all manner of bizarre notions about veganism
(3) Eat a diet which is not especially balanced and/or is deficient in nutrients themselves, and just kid themselves that they are eating healthily ; when often they're not.
Also, just ignore anybody who starts talking piffle about "needing meat protein" ... the fact of it is, all of the amino acids which are required for good health can be found in plant foods in abundant quantities and great variety.
A lot of people have little or no knowledge about good nutrition... but that won't stop them from coming up with all sorts of arse-pulled notions about how "unhealthy" a plant-based diet is anyway !
THIS^^^
I am an ovo/bivalve vegan (vegan that eats eggs+bivalves) bc I can't eat enough plant food because I vomit a lot (Thx for that anxiety).
Also, watch your EPA/ALA/DHA (I'm going to call this EAD bc it's too much to type). This is _VERY_ Important. I compensate for this by eating Bivalves (I think they're senseless and unlike insects they can't move, but if there is conclusive scientific evidence they feel pain I'd love to see it) and high quality eggs (don't know if they contain EAD, but they are fed flax which does, perhaps they can convert it?). But if you want to be a pure vegan, you could try using an algae-based EAD supplements, but i'm not going to lie. They're expensive and definitely inferior to fish or krill oil (in the sense that you need more algae to get the same amount than fish oil), but I consider the ethics 10000x more important than money.
Be prepared, however, to lose a lot of weight. I lost 25 pounds (Using a DEXA scan, I found that the majority of it came from fat, which I don't miss).
If you feel bad for living beings, then eat a jain diet. But if you don't really care about whether you eat meat or not but still care somewhat about animals, then go hunting or buy meat from a hunter/forester. And if you can't do without meat because of health reasons due to inability to get specific proteins in any other way, like me, then you are screwed if you hope to drastically change your diet.
I went on a whole foods plant based diet about a year and half ago. After looking into the extensive amount of research performed by Dr. John A. McDougall, Dr. Caldwell Blakeman Esselstyn Jr., Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Neal D. Barnard, and many more. I have to admit that prior to going on the diet I was obsessed with Meath and dairy to the point that I wouldn't think twice about putting down two or sometimes three large supreme or meat lovers pizza by myself or with very little help. I was prone to gorging myself and rarely felt full. After reading the research (something I would suggest doing prior to actually going on the diet) I decided to completely stop my consumption of animal products. After about a week if done properly you loose all desire to even consume meat or dairy and after about two months it becomes quite repulsive. Additionally, I lost 67 pounds in the first month stabilizing at around 200. While gaining a superior fitness level. And feel significantly better.
If your still interested in the diet I would recommend as pre-requisites at the very least watching forks over knives, reading the China study, exploring https://www.drmcdougall.com/, and doing a meal planing exercises.
Personally I follow the starch based whole foods plant based diet, however I go to school with another kid who follows the 80/10/10 diet.
Whatever you find best of luck.
Sorry, did i do something wrong? I did not realize it was that old i Simply looked to the last post and found that it was posted roughly 3 days, 6 hours, and 41 minutes From the time when I first posted. And saw that it was close to the top on the health forum.
I've been vegan since January 2015 and my body likes it so far. I have a lot more energy than I used to. I surprisingly even have the energy to exercise, which I did not have before. I never really liked meat much, either. The only thing I sort of miss is cheese.
I'm gluten-free as well because of a sensitivity, which makes it harder to keep a balanced diet, but it's possible. You just have to make sure you are getting your vitamins. I have figured out my diet so that I don't have to supplement at all; I get my B12 from enriched almond milk and nutritional yeast.
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Leading a double life and loving it (but exhausted).
Likely ADHD instead of what I've been diagnosed with before.
Yes , I enjoy having the moral high ground , I also enjoy blowing out the water meat eaters m lame reasons for eating meat .
Don't insult my limited intelligence and speak the truth , ie palat pleasing is more important to you than the life of a non human animal.
End of discussion
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Theirs a subset of America, adult males who are forgoing ambition ,sex , money ,love ,adventure to sit in a darkened rooms mastering video games - Suicide Bob
I was a vegan for a while and, to be honest, I loved it. I felt great and had major energy. I didn't lose as much fat as I hoped, but I still loved it.
I stopped because 1 it was expensive 2 it was a lot of work and 3 I couldn't eat anything anywhere at restaurants or friends' houses; everything is covered in cheese, sour cream or butter.
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You don't need to hide, my friend, for I am just like you.
I'm glad that you are thinking and thank you for asking. I don't advocate vegetarianism at all. While it may seem like an adequate solution it is not. Both milk and egg (and honey) productions are directly harmful to animals. And as it has been established a long time ago, the only reasons to use dairy and egg and honey products are based on convenience and pleasure. Please go vegan instead. You don't even need to love animals to be vegan. If you feel that it is fundamentally unjust to take someone's (a living, breathing individual, even if of different species) life unnecessarily then you believe in veganism. It's not about compassion, it's about justice. Health reasons are not enough - people tend to fall off that bandwagon pretty quickly. The only reason to live vegan is the ethical one. Veganism is about not inflicting unnecessary pain and death on animals. That means not eating their products/byproducts, wearing them or using them in research or entertainment.
Also if you want to refine your Vegan diet, remember that not all vegetables are created equal in nutrition.
To sharpen your whole-food plant-based Vegan food, to prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc, make sure to eat regular intake of Cruciferous-type (broccoli, cabbage, kale etc), and Allium-type (green onions, garlic, leeks etc) of vegetables everyday. Preferably pick the deepest color vegetables at your store.