Go Vegan or Go Home

Entering my freshman year of high school, my mom sat me down and discussed how important it was to maintain a healthier diet and overall healthier lifestyle. With my brother who had just been diagnosed with type one diabetes at the time, my mom felt that having a discussion on diet and exercise was a must. So what exactly did that entail? Well for starters, meat and dairy went from being my go-to, to my “cheat day” treat every once in a while. This ultimately led me into becoming a vegan, but constantly I found myself wondering why exactly veganism was all that healthy in the first place. So, what is it about veganism that makes it one of the most popular, healthiest lifestyles in today’s day in age?

The definition of vegan: a person who does not eat any food that comes from animals and who often also does not use animal products (such as leather). Now, you could only imagine how difficult this must’ve been at the age of 15 to completely shift over from junk, to, well, lets just say clean-eating. Now, take what I just said with as a grain of salt, because just because something may be vegan, does not mean it is the best, most nutritious vegan option out there…

First, let’ start with the biggest component cut out of a vegan diet: meat. So, what about the meat industry is so unhealthy and what exactly does it do to our bodies? Well, for starters, in Kris Carr’s latest book Crazy Sexy Diet, she tells why she specifically made the switch to veganism and why the meat industry is to blame for all types of cancers in today’s world. Carr begins by explaining the process in which animals (non organic) are raised. When animals are getting ready for slaughter, they are maintained in tightly, compacted spaces with little room to move around. On top of the fact that they have almost no wiggle room, their stress levels are extremely high as they know that their next destination is the slaughterhouse. That being said, technically, when we eat meat, we are eating a whole lot of stress hormones, as well as genetically modified organisms that are used when trying to preserve and keep them fresher for longer periods of time. Meat also stays in your body for 4-5 days after being consumed! By cutting out meat, vegans are filled with more energy for longer periods of time!Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 4.38.01 PM

In the meat, comes…. GMO’S! Why are genetically modified organisms so bad for our bodies? Or better yet, what even is a genetically modified organism? Genetically modified organisms are, “…living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.” By altering the genes and DNA of an organism, the overall structure of the cells within it are changed and this process is extremely unnatural and can be a huge threat to our health. Our bodies are not meant to digest other cells, especially those who are chemically altered and unnatural. Later, this article discusses the impact of GMO’s and how they, “…are a direct extension of chemical agriculture, and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies.” One of the scariest and biggest threats is the unknown, since most of these impacts and affects haven’t / can’t be proven with experimental data and rather only observational, it’s very difficult to prove what is going to happen in the future. A lot of GMO studies have difficulty proving causation as the affects are not immediate, and they are more long term than anything. Atleast with a vegan diet, you diminish your meat options that are the the most reliant on GMO’s for preservation. It is also very important to note that there are many third variables that can interfere with a vegan diet because although meat is a major GMO feeder, vegetables and fruits are also genetically modified; so be aware and buy organic!

The second biggest component cut out of a vegan diet is Dairy. When it comes to dairy, our body digests and breaks it down in a much more complex manner. Ever since we were able to understand the human language, we grew up hearing the same words; “Drink your milk! You need calcium to grow and be strong like superman!” But within that statement, lies tremendous falsities. In fact According to the Physicians Committee, “Consumption of dairy products has also been linked to higher risk for various cancers, especially to cancers of the reproductive system. Most significantly, dairy product consumption has been linked to increased risk for prostate18-20 and breast cancers”. Later in the article it discusses the insulin growth of IGF-1, which is a key component in dairy. A recent experimental study, done by the physicians committee, took 20,000 males and gave them more than two dairy servings a day. On the other side of the experiment were males given “little or no dairy products”. The study found that those who consumed “had a 34% higher risk of developing prostate cancer”. Now it is important to note that the study was experimental which allows us to prove causation; However, it is also important to acknowledge confounding variables such as the type of dairy, or where exactly it came from. Another confounding variable would be how much the group who had “little or no dairy products” were actually given (if given any). Either way, 34% is a high percentage for such an avoidable area of concern. Another study touched on later in the article found “…that for every 10 grams of lactose consumed (the amount in one glass of milk), ovarian cancer risk increased by 13 percent.” There are so many studies proving the same causation between dairy and cancer. It just isn’t worth it when the data is so persistent.

So how do we know that vegetables, fruits, and grains are the end all answer? Well, vegetables are LOADED with fiber. Fiber aids the digestive track and helps us move food through our bodies. Particular vegetables such as kale are loaded with nutritious benefits that our bodies need to survive, and according to this TIMES article, “It packs in more nutrition than practically any other whole food. A cup and change comes with 14% of your daily calcium, 659% of daily vitamin A and more than 900% of your daily vitamin K!” Pretty unbelievable that just one cup of kale contains that many nutritional benefits. And for all of the beef lovers out there, I am sorry but, “Cooked kale offers more iron per ounce than beef”Fruits on the other hand, contain so many natural sugars that our bodies need to thrive and most importantly; FIBER! In this article by Authority Nutrition, along with vegetables, “Fruits are loaded with fiber, water and have significant chewing resistance.” So why is fiber so important? Well aside from aiding in digestion, fiber expands in your stomach and makes you feel full for longer periods of time. This not only lessens the amount of food you consume, but decreases your chances of developing food-related diseases such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes. However, it is important to realize the correlation does not prove causation, in that eating only fruit will make you healthier because a healthy, vegan lifestyle is about balance between these major food groups.

So, what about the protein? How are vegans supposed to get their recommended daily doses of protein? Well, for starters there is tofu, tempeh, beans, nuts, and a plenty more to choose from. Tempeh comes from soybeans and contains a nutty flavor. According to this article, tempeh, “Reduces cholesterol, increases bone density, reduces menopausal symptoms, provides faster muscle recovery, satisfies hunger, and has the same protein quality as meat”. Wow! All of those bonuses and completely guilt free AND nutritious.

Clearly, cutting out dairy and meat helps our bodies tremendously and there is a clear, legitimate science as to why that is so. Our bodies digest different foods in different ways. It is very important however, to note that becoming vegan does not promise you health, or a lean body. There are many foods that are so called vegan like breads, candies, pop-tarts, etc… that are not healthy when consumed in big amounts, but are considered vegan. That being said, next time you find yourself in the dairy isle or meat section of the grocery store, maybe you’ll reconsider; and next time you’re fruit / vegetable shopping, you’ll pay closer attention to the organic label.

 

4 thoughts on “Go Vegan or Go Home

  1. Sarah Rose Peterson

    Since I have always been a huge animal lover, there have been many times in which I considered becoming either a vegetarian or a vegan. PETA has definitely been quite influential in my thoughts towards possible becoming a vegan. Here is an article on why go vegan according to PETA: http://www.peta.org/living/food/top-10-reasons-go-vegan-new-year/. I really do feel bad for the animals, but I figured it would be too difficult to start a completely new diet when coming to college. How has your experience been as a vegan at school? Your data on organic and other food products was very moving, especially the factual information on cooked kale having more iron than that in per ounce of beef.

  2. Shirneil Merisier

    Humans are omnivores , this means that our bodies work best when we eat both meat and vegetables, by eliminating ALL meat products vegans can be lacking essential vitamins such as Vitamin B12 which is solely found in meat… It is also concerning to know that a study showed that 92% of vegans are deficient in this “water soluble vitamin that is involved in the function of every cell in the body.” Although B12 is one of the vitamins that vegans are missing out on.. there are many others such as animal protein which contains amino acids… or how about creatine which can cause harm in the brain and muscles if there is a deficiency… or Cholesterol which is thought to be a horrible thing but actually increase testosterone levels in men.
    Also you mention some studies that show that being vegan is the way to go… but most studies that has study this topic has not deemed veganism to be the best diet… actually if anything these studies are mostly observational and like we’ve learned from Andrew , this does not equal causation, it only shows correlation..
    Despite all the hype… there isn’t solid evidence that says … eliminate meat or you’ll die… Like I have mentioned in my Paleo diet post.. everything is GREAT in moderation having a BALANCED diet with all the food groups if the way to go…
    My Paleo Blog Post here
    The article is here if you’d like to read up on it.

  3. Emma Kilyk

    This was a very interesting and relevant topic to cover, seeing as veganism is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society. Your research has convinced me that eating a vegan diet can be very healthy. However, I wanted to take this a step further and research whether or not the majority of practicing vegans are actually properly nourished, considering that extensive knowledge of nutrition is necessary for someone eating a vegan diet. This study, which compared a sample of vegans to a control group of omnivores, found that the vegans lacked in some necessary vitamins and minerals, such as riboflavin, vitamin D, and calcium, even though they also regularly consumed dietary supplements. Similarly, this article also supports the idea that vegans may not always obtain the necessary amounts of micronutrients. I think what we can take from this is that, if executed properly, a vegan diet can have extremely positive effects on one’s health and can be very nutritional. However, vegans can be susceptible to vitamin and mineral deficiencies, so people who are looking to eat a vegan diet should make sure they are thoroughly educated in regards to nutrition so that they can ensure that they are eating a diet that will meet their nutritional needs!

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