Vegan Results – Healthy Food for Healthy People

While animal cruelty is a great reason to switch to a vegan lifestyle, by no means is it the only reason, nor does it need to be your main priority.  In fact, the number one reason to go vegan should be your own health.  Its true; billions of animals are abused and neglected each year, and while their short-lived existence may have been in inhumane and sickly conditions- do you really want them to end up on your plate?

Anyone who has read, “The Jungle,” or “Fast Food Nation” has probably thought twice about where their meat comes from, yet continue to eat at their favorite burger joint.  Why would we keep eating meat we know is unhealthy when there are so many far superior animal-free alternatives that are better for us but taste the same?

However, our intent is not to make you feel bad about your food.  We’re not going to tell you how poor little Bessie the calf never got the chance to see her mother, before getting wrenched away to live out her life-long prophecy of becoming a milk-machine.  While we want you to know where your food comes from, you should feel good about the food you eat and the choices you make- and have the knowledge to make easy substitutions- usually with foods you already have in your home.

We already know meat has certain kinds of “bad fats” and switching to protein sources with “good fats” such as nuts, tofu, and beans will give you energy and immediately help lower your cholesterol.  You can also try adding “mock meats” to your diet.  Ener-G has a really tasty vegan egg substitute, and chances are, you are already probably familiar with meatless chicken and beef substitutes by companies such as Morning Star Farms and Boca Burger.

To some, a vegan diet sounds pretty similar to a vegetarian diet.  However, while vegetarians abstain from eating meat, they generally eat animal byproducts such as milk, cheese, and eggs.  Most people are automatically turned off by the “no milk and cheese” aspect of the vegan lifestyle- especially women.  How do we get calcium and probiotics without dairy?  High levels of calcium can be found in soy, as well as nuts and other non-dairy protein-rich foods, and probiotics can be added to soy or found in live grains.  What most people don’t realize is that dairy is not as necessary as the milk industry leads us to believe.  In fact, many people have allergies to dairy without even realizing it. Think about it- what animals besides humans drink milk past the stage of infancy?  And even more importantly, what animals besides humans drink other species milk?  The consumption of milk later in life may not be as vital as we are lead to believe.

So, where do you go from here?  If you’re thinking about becoming a vegan, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know- you’re on the right track.  Educating yourself about the vegan lifestyle and slowly switching out meat with healthier alternatives is the first step to keeping your body as healthy as possible- without denying yourself of nutrients and the foods you love.