Vegans Are Freaks Who Only Eat Salad

When I tell people that I am going vegan, the reaction is often not a good one. Their brow furrows, a frown takes shape on their lips and immediately, invariably, they will say something like: "why would you do that?" or "I could never do that!" or "good luck!" (said in the most sarcastic possible tone). I should consider myself lucky. I've heard stories of folks who get downright angry and take other people's diet decisions personally. Someone did tell my husband (who is going vegan with me) that they thought he was making a stupid decision and that they were concerned for his health. He responded by saying that, most likely, "I am not going to do irreparable harm to my body in six weeks...and Diane will be monitoring our diet."  

There is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion out there surrounding vegetarian and vegan diets.

It seems there are many people who believe that you just cannot be healthy on a mostly or totally plant-based diet; however, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper on vegetarian diets states that: 

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association [now Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)] that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.

About the "key nutrients" for vegetarians, protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B12, the position paper goes on to say:

A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients.

My husband and I are moving from a mostly vegetarian diet to a totally vegan diet for the six-week season of Lent, a time of sacrifice and reflection for Catholics that also comes at the height of winter and the start of a new year - - a perfect time for making a change, if you ask me. Also, as a registered dietitian, I really want to get first-hand experience with a diet that not many people know much about. Plus, we both just really love a good challenge.

Most other people who choose a vegan diet seem to do so for at least one of two reasons: health and/or a concern for the treatment of animals in our food system. A vegan does not consume any animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish and seafood) or animal products (dairy products, eggs and animal-derived products like gelatin). Some vegans also refrain from using animal products in other areas of their life (for example, leather). 

I'm not sure if you noticed them but there are some very important key words in that quote I shared from the AND: "appropriately planned" and "well-planned." Have you heard the stories of people who went back to eating meat after they found themselves feeling, literally and physically, sick and tired all the time on a diet that pretty much just consisted of salads or pastas or worse, just a whole lot of vegetarian-friendly junk food? I really believe a person has a much greater chance of success on a vegetarian or vegan diet if he takes the time to do a little planning and eases himself into his new lifestyle.

We had been tossing around the idea of going vegan for Lent for a couple years now but we always thought of it too late and didn't feel we had enough time to get ready. About a month ago, we were sitting on the couch watching Vegucated, a documentary that follows three people as they try veganism for six weeks (yes, we are those nerdy types who love to sit around watching documentaries). We looked at each other and realized that we were finally in a position to do some good prep work before going vegan for Lent! So we've been doing just that: collecting lots of articles about vegan diets, testing out recipes and finding substitutes for foods we eat all the time (I discovered that I love Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk).

So, here's the deal: I'm going to be documenting our vegan journey right here on this blog. I'll be sharing not only our personal experiences, but also, all the cool recipes and resources I expect to find (I've already started collecting recipes on my Pinterest board "For When I Go Vegan"). If you have any questions along the way, I'd love for you to share them in the comments. My hopes for this little experiment are that I will find some new foods that I love, that at the end of the six weeks I will have made some new permanent healthy changes to my diet, and that maybe just maybe, I'll shed some new light on this mysterious diet and inspire someone to start eating even a little bit less meat from time to time. Meatless Mondays are a good place to start!

My next post will come later this week and it will be a collection of some of the great recipes and websites I've already discovered. Then, I'll be taking a little vacation and when I return, it's vegan time... follow my journey!

Cheers!,
Diane


Image: VeganDocumentary.com

When I tell people that I am going vegan, the reaction is often not a good one. Their brow furrows, a frown takes shape on their lips and immediately, invariably, they will say something like: "why would you do that?" or "I could never do that!" or "good luck!" (said in the most sarcastic possible tone). I should consider myself lucky. I've heard stories of folks who get downright angry and take other people's diet decisions personally. Someone did tell my husband (who is going vegan with me) that they thought he was making a stupid decision and that they were concerned for his health. He responded by saying that, most likely, "I am not going to do irreparable harm to my body in six weeks...and Diane will be monitoring our diet."  

There is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion out there surrounding vegetarian and vegan diets.

It seems there are many people who believe that you just cannot be healthy on a mostly or totally plant-based diet; however, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position paper on vegetarian diets states that: 

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association [now Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND)] that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes.

About the "key nutrients" for vegetarians, protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B12, the position paper goes on to say:

A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients.

My husband and I are moving from a mostly vegetarian diet to a totally vegan diet for the six-week season of Lent, a time of sacrifice and reflection for Catholics that also comes at the height of winter and the start of a new year - - a perfect time for making a change, if you ask me. Also, as a registered dietitian, I really want to get first-hand experience with a diet that not many people know much about. Plus, we both just really love a good challenge.

Most other people who choose a vegan diet seem to do so for at least one of two reasons: health and/or a concern for the treatment of animals in our food system. A vegan does not consume any animal flesh (meat, poultry, fish and seafood) or animal products (dairy products, eggs and animal-derived products like gelatin). Some vegans also refrain from using animal products in other areas of their life (for example, leather). 

I'm not sure if you noticed them but there are some very important key words in that quote I shared from the AND: "appropriately planned" and "well-planned." Have you heard the stories of people who went back to eating meat after they found themselves feeling, literally and physically, sick and tired all the time on a diet that pretty much just consisted of salads or pastas or worse, just a whole lot of vegetarian-friendly junk food? I really believe a person has a much greater chance of success on a vegetarian or vegan diet if he takes the time to do a little planning and eases himself into his new lifestyle.

We had been tossing around the idea of going vegan for Lent for a couple years now but we always thought of it too late and didn't feel we had enough time to get ready. About a month ago, we were sitting on the couch watching Vegucated, a documentary that follows three people as they try veganism for six weeks (yes, we are those nerdy types who love to sit around watching documentaries). We looked at each other and realized that we were finally in a position to do some good prep work before going vegan for Lent! So we've been doing just that: collecting lots of articles about vegan diets, testing out recipes and finding substitutes for foods we eat all the time (I discovered that I love Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk).

So, here's the deal: I'm going to be documenting our vegan journey right here on this blog. I'll be sharing not only our personal experiences, but also, all the cool recipes and resources I expect to find (I've already started collecting recipes on my Pinterest board "For When I Go Vegan"). If you have any questions along the way, I'd love for you to share them in the comments. My hopes for this little experiment are that I will find some new foods that I love, that at the end of the six weeks I will have made some new permanent healthy changes to my diet, and that maybe just maybe, I'll shed some new light on this mysterious diet and inspire someone to start eating even a little bit less meat from time to time. Meatless Mondays are a good place to start!

My next post will come later this week and it will be a collection of some of the great recipes and websites I've already discovered. Then, I'll be taking a little vacation and when I return, it's vegan time... follow my journey!

Cheers!,
Diane


Image: VeganDocumentary.com