The answer to that is: it depends. Being vegan does not automatically mean being healthy. Being healthy comes down to making healthy choices. If you’re vegan, it means that you’ve eliminated all animal-based foods, including meat, fish, dairy, and eggs. And that in turn means that you’ve minimized any health risks associated with consuming cholesterol and saturated fat from animal-based foods.
So we just talked about what vegans don’t put into their bodies. What about what vegans DO put into their bodies? There are lots of foods available that are vegan and are not healthy, and these are foods that are considered vegan junk food. Like non-vegan junk food, vegan junk food contains lots of fat along with highly processed sugars and grains. In other words, vegan junk food is loaded with fat and bad carbohydrates, the kind that are stripped of nutrients and make you fat. The only difference between vegan and non-vegan junk food is that vegan junk food is made without any animal-based foods such as eggs or milk. They are both just as bad for you.
On the other hand, vegans who consume mostly whole, plant-based foods tend to be very healthy and thin, and younger-looking. In other words, those who choose to consume a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and other legumes see the most benefit. That’s because whole, plant-based foods are loaded with nutrients and are low in calories and fat, and have no cholesterol. The calories in whole, plant-based foods are nutrient-dense, and promote excellent health.
I am aware of some vegans who are obese and gave up animal-based foods to lose weight and improve their health. They started off losing weight, and then their weight loss leveled off, which tells me that they are not consuming enough whole, plant-based foods, because if they were, they would have lost significantly more weight. Instead, it’s likely that they’ve merely replaced their old junk food with vegan junk food. However, they have not replaced the bad habits that caused their obesity and poor health in the first place.
So just because a food is labeled as vegan does not mean that it will promote good health. The best way to ensure that the foods that you eat will promote good health is to choose whole, plant-based foods as much as possible. When you do choose packaged foods, be sure to read the label and look for fresh, whole foods such as whole grain to be listed as the first ingredient. Try to limit yourself to packages that list only five or less ingredients. And rather than changing your junk food, you might try changing your habits and see what happens!
So we just talked about what vegans don’t put into their bodies. What about what vegans DO put into their bodies? There are lots of foods available that are vegan and are not healthy, and these are foods that are considered vegan junk food. Like non-vegan junk food, vegan junk food contains lots of fat along with highly processed sugars and grains. In other words, vegan junk food is loaded with fat and bad carbohydrates, the kind that are stripped of nutrients and make you fat. The only difference between vegan and non-vegan junk food is that vegan junk food is made without any animal-based foods such as eggs or milk. They are both just as bad for you.
On the other hand, vegans who consume mostly whole, plant-based foods tend to be very healthy and thin, and younger-looking. In other words, those who choose to consume a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and other legumes see the most benefit. That’s because whole, plant-based foods are loaded with nutrients and are low in calories and fat, and have no cholesterol. The calories in whole, plant-based foods are nutrient-dense, and promote excellent health.
I am aware of some vegans who are obese and gave up animal-based foods to lose weight and improve their health. They started off losing weight, and then their weight loss leveled off, which tells me that they are not consuming enough whole, plant-based foods, because if they were, they would have lost significantly more weight. Instead, it’s likely that they’ve merely replaced their old junk food with vegan junk food. However, they have not replaced the bad habits that caused their obesity and poor health in the first place.
So just because a food is labeled as vegan does not mean that it will promote good health. The best way to ensure that the foods that you eat will promote good health is to choose whole, plant-based foods as much as possible. When you do choose packaged foods, be sure to read the label and look for fresh, whole foods such as whole grain to be listed as the first ingredient. Try to limit yourself to packages that list only five or less ingredients. And rather than changing your junk food, you might try changing your habits and see what happens!
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