Vegetarian & Vegan Living
~ A Healthy & Balanced Approach ~
When it comes to eating vegetarian foods, and taking one step further and becoming a vegan, it is very important to understand not only which food choices are healthy, and which aren't, but also understand how unhealthy food choices can quickly cause us to become deficient in some important nutrients.
When moving to a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are two very common pitfalls that can create just as many health issues as the standard American junk food diet. Newbies and long-term vegetarians alike often fall into these pitfalls due to a lack of education on how to healthfully eat vegetarian and vegan foods.
A vegetarian eliminates all meat and fish from their diet. Vegetarian diets can vary greatly depending on preference:
A vegan is a vegetarian (eliminates all meat and fish from their diet), and also excludes all animal products, including eggs, dairy, honey/beeswax, animal bi-products, as well as well as non-food related items that contain animal byproducts. Non-food items include products such as leather, certain types of glue, food polish, and some personal care products and cosmetics. A vegan also aims to not purchase any product that has involved animal testing in its manufacture.
A raw vegan is a vegan who only includes raw vegan foods. This is a variation of the raw food diet.
Many people assume that a vegetarian or vegan diet is much lower in fat than a meat eater's diet. In fact, the exact opposite is often true. Very similar to those on a raw food diet, when meat products are removed, they are often replaced by large amounts of high fat products such as:
- Nuts and seeds
- Desserts & cookies
- Breads and pastas
- Liquid oils (especially coconut and flax seed)
- Nut milks, nut butters, nut dips
- Seed-based cheese, seed-based dips
Coupled with the fact that vegans often eat less food than meat eaters, yet more of the foods they eat are higher in fat, their overall percentage of fatty food intake increases significantly. Smoothies are filled with almond milk, flax seeds, and other exciting ingredients. A nut loaf averages over 80% fat. Vegans, especially raw food vegans, can easily tip the scale at 60-75% fat in their daily diet, significantly higher than their meat-eating counterparts.
What many vegetarians and vegans are unaware of is that just because it is vegetarian or vegan, does not mean that it is healthy to eat fat in mass quantity. I have had raw foodists, vegetarians, and vegans look at me in shock when we sat down and calculated their average daily fat intake to be over 70%, more than double the high-fat standard American diet. Such a high quantity of fat is not healthy and places not only a large strain on the digestive system, but can also cause us to feel sluggish and drained of energy.
Liquid oils should only be consumed in VERY small quantities, if at all, and should be:
- Unrefined/cold-pressed, and organic if possible.
- Fruit, nut or seed-based oils such as olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, walnut oil, or sesame oil.
For some vegans and vegetarians who have achieved a quantum leap in their health and have educated themselves on the cruelty experienced by millions of animals in US factory farms, they find being around those who eat factory-farmed meat very challenging. Do you remember when you, too, were unaware of factory-farming practices? Do you remember when the subject of meat-eating was never even on your radar screen? Choose instead to help educate those who are unaware of what factory-farming is and how to avoid the cruelty it contributes to.
If others choose to eat factory-farmed meat, consider helping them understand why organic and sustainable meat and fish choices are much more healthier, humane, and morally responsible options. If they continue to eat factory-farmed meat, even after knowing that it contributes to animal cruelty, it is their choice. It is your choice to accept them as they are or simply choose to no longer be in their company if you find it upsetting or unacceptable. It is important to honor the choices others make and not force our viewpoints upon others, or make them feel inferior because their choices are different to yours.
The majority of the American public are not even sure what factory farming is, never mind being aware of just how deplorable and inhumane this practice is, and that countries such as all of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries have banned it. Helping to educate them in a non-confrontational and caring manner will go much further in helping them make better and healthier choices, rather than being intolerant and judgmental.
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