Is veganism sustainable in the long run?

xbluebird

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  1. Vegetarian
I was vegan for 5 years before switching to a vegetarian diet. Even though I use the quarantine excuse for my change, the truth is that it was something that I was considering since 2019 after some videos of "vegan deterioration" had been recommended to me.
I watched too much of it and got a little paranoid. Especially with the boom of the "why I'm no longer vegan" videos.
I had a vegan teacher in his 40s and I started to observe that he had the vegan eyes that people were talking about in the videos. But other vegans that I know are completely fine.
I know vegan kids that have been vegan since birth or transitioned at an early age and adults that have been vegan for years that show no sign of malnutrition or deterioration. Maybe the diet from my country provides different nutrients than the american/european?
The truth is that I'm still a little concerned about the veganism effects on the long run. I know that being vegetarian doesn't cause any problems so I feel safer with this diet.

Is anyone in here vegan for over 30 years that can assure that it's safe?

I probably should stop watching sketchy videos on youtube...
 
I had a vegan teacher in his 40s and I started to observe that he had the vegan eyes that people were talking about in the videos. But other vegans that I know are completely fine.
What the heck are vegan eyes?
I know vegan kids that have been vegan since birth or transitioned at an early age and adults that have been vegan for years that show no sign of malnutrition or deterioration. Maybe the diet from my country provides different nutrients than the american/european?

it could be a regional thing but I think its more that some vegans' concern with nutrition are along a spectrum (just like non vegans). I don't think vegans with poor eating habits have heath issues that are any worse (or even as bad) as the non-vegans with poor eating habits.

The truth is that I'm still a little concerned about the veganism effects on the long run. I know that being vegetarian doesn't cause any problems so I feel safer with this diet.

Vegans (by definition) are mostly concerned with animal rights. However many long term vegans are also concerned with nutrition. I have even made the argument that if you are concerned with animal rights you should be concerned with nutrition. If you can't stay healthy and vegan then you aren't helping the animals. Also if you look unhealthy or get sick - you are doing some bad PR.

maybe staying healthy as a vegan is a bit more tricky. I'm thinking of the vitamins and minerals that are harder to find on a vegan diet. However, when there are studies on vitamin and mineral deficiencies, the general population also show up as having deficiencies.
Is anyone in here vegan for over 30 years that can assure that it's safe?
I don't know if there are ... there is at least a couple of guys who are life long vegans here. but regardless, I would be less concerned with testimonials and more concerned with some long term studies. And I don't think there are many or maybe any long term studies on vegan diets - although there are many good long term studies on the vegetarian diet.
I probably should stop watching sketchy videos on youtube...
Yes. there isn't very much you can learn from testimonials. You might watch a few "vegan influencers" to make up for those "why I'm not vegan anymore" vids.

And... some of those vegan influencers have "critiqued" these "why I'm no longer vegan" videos. I think the most famous of these is Mic the Vegan's response to Bonny Rebecca.

Unnatural Vegan has made a whole bunch of videos in response to "why I'm no longer vegan" videos. I bet for every "why I'm no longer vegan" video you have seen she has a response to it.

I can't remember where I got my quote but I think it's perfect in this circumstance.
 
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians.

Here is their position statement regarding vegan diets:

"It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes."

Link: https://www.eatrightpro.org/-/media...ce-papers/position-papers/vegetarian-diet.pdf
 
Just had three thoughts.

the first one actually has some literature that supports it.
Some anorexics use Veganism as an excuse or even as a disguise.
So some vegans are known to have an eating disorder. I think in this case the eating disorder predates the conversion to veganism.

My second thought, its more of a speculation. I don't know if there is any evidence besides my personal observations to support this. But some vegans probably do have some kind of eating disorder. I'm thinking of some of the "fussy" vegans I have met. IMHO, the veganism contributes to the eating disorder.

Finally some of the people who are vegans or plant based buy into myths and misinformation. I never paid much attention to Bonny Rebecca but I got the impression that she was influenced by some questionable info. In defense of this group, there is so much misinformation about health on YouTube and FaceBook. if you aren't well versed in critical thinking or don't have strong research skills, you could easily fall into one of these rabbit holes.
 
I guess people have a hard time doing it long term because it can be restrictive at times, like when there's no GOOD vegan food while you're out. Like yeah you can have something but it might not be what you want. Paying for food you don't even want feels like a huge waste of money.
 
Is anyone in here vegan for over 30 years that can assure that it's safe?
.
Please see my post above. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the world's largest association of Registered Dietitians) has stated that properly-planned vegetarian/vegan diets are healthful for all stages of life.

I have been a vegan since 1991.
.
 
Is anyone in here vegan for over 30 years that can assure that it's safe?

My wife and I have been vegans for 40+ years.

Our reasons for becoming and remaining vegan, without the usual vegetarian intermediary stage, were purely ethical.

However, we note that nutritionists tell us we have everything we need for continued healthy lives.

We also note that we are helping to save the planet from a potentially disastrous climate change.

Roger.
 
"Vegan eyes"? what does that mean?
I know so many omnivores with thin hair, dull blotchy skin, bloated bellies, smelly gas, digestive problems, bad breath, arthritis, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, low potassium.......

But you know what? Saying "omnivore" or "vegan" doesn't say a thing about the health of the diet. It's only if you know WHAT the person eats that you know. Both groups can eat all kinds of processed, oily, salty, sugary foods. Or...both can eat close to whole foods that are minimally or not processed
I feel there is far more evidence that a true WFPB diet is healthier than even including grass fed organic meat or dairy, but that is a diet choice and not simply vegan

I think people tend to feel a junk food omni is better than a junk food vegan, but isn't that only because of what they know? I think the research shows differently, that even a Beyond Burger is better than cholesterol beef

Yes, vegan can be a convenient excuse for many eating disorders
 
My wife and I have been vegans for 40+ years.

Our reasons for becoming and remaining vegan, without the usual vegetarian intermediary stage, were purely ethical.

However, we note that nutritionists tell us we have everything we need for continued healthy lives.

We also note that we are helping to save the planet from a potentially disastrous climate change.

Roger.
Holy mackerel. I think I knew that but maybe I forgot.

Congrats!?

Anyway, I'm not much for putting emphasis on personal testimony but as far as personal testimonies go - that is a very very strong endorsement.

I bet you have some good stories. you know, the kind that starts off when I was your age we had to walk to school... without shoes..... uphill... in both directions... and when it snowed we would wrap our feet in barb wire so we wouldn't slip.

Like you would say back in the day we had to milk our own almonds. Or make our tofu with a play dough press. or something like that.
 
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What the heck are vegan eyes?

They're a little sunken and tired, but I realized that some of my omnivore friends also have it


Unnatural Vegan has made a whole bunch of videos in response to "why I'm no longer vegan" videos. I bet for every "why I'm no longer vegan" video you have seen she has a response to it.

I love Unnatural Vegan. Thank you for all your kind replies ❤
 
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I love Unnatural Vegan. Thank you for all your kind replies ❤

I started out as a big fan of UV. I think it was one of her videos that first introduced me to CronOmeter. I remember she was using CronOmeter to analyze another vegan's "what I eat in a day" video, pointing out deficiencies, and suggesting easy fixes. She liked to to that a lot.

After a while I got tired of that. She would reguarly critique the diet of other vegans. Although it was good info I have some issues with vegan vs vegan criticism. Now, she spends more time discussing ex-vegans, which I find a much more palatable target for her criticism.
 
I guess people have a hard time doing it long term because it can be restrictive at times, like when there's no GOOD vegan food while you're out. Like yeah you can have something but it might not be what you want. Paying for food you don't even want feels like a huge waste of money.
I agree 100% here. Especially the last sentence. Too often you have to pay premium money for less-than-mediocre vegan food when eating out.
 
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I want to know that as well. I never heard of "vegan eyes" before. :neutral:
She replied earlier that "They're a little sunken and tired, but I realized that some of my omnivore friends also have it"

That is kind of weird. I don't think I know anyone vegan or not with eyes like that. But it does sound concerning.

Not sure if its worse or better than what my imagination had filled in. I was imagining spice addiction eyes, blue within blue. Or iZombie full on zombie rage eyes - glowing red eyes.

Some people think that the eye color of vegans can change. Usually to a lighter color. RawKristina made a video about it and provided "video proof" that her eyes are now lighter in color.
 
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I started out as a big fan of UV. I think it was one of her videos that first introduced me to CronOmeter. I remember she was using CronOmeter to analyze another vegan's "what I eat in a day" video, pointing out deficiencies, and suggesting easy fixes. She liked to to that a lot.

After a while I got tired of that. She would reguarly critique the diet of other vegans. Although it was good info I have some issues with vegan vs vegan criticism. Now, she spends more time discussing ex-vegans, which I find a much more palatable target for her criticism.

Yeah, I usually skip some of her videos that don't match with me. But overall I really enjoy her channel. It's hard to find youtubers nowadays that don't feel the need to dumb down their personalities to attract views
 
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Just had three thoughts.

the first one actually has some literature that supports it.
Some anorexics use Veganism as an excuse or even as a disguise.
So some vegans are known to have an eating disorder. I think in this case the eating disorder predates the conversion to veganism.

My second thought, its more of a speculation. I don't know if there is any evidence besides my personal observations to support this. But some vegans probably do have some kind of eating disorder. I'm thinking of some of the "fussy" vegans I have met. IMHO, the veganism contributes to the eating disorder.

Finally some of the people who are vegans or plant based buy into myths and misinformation. I never paid much attention to Bonny Rebecca but I got the impression that she was influenced by some questionable info. In defense of this group, there is so much misinformation about health on YouTube and FaceBook. if you aren't well versed in critical thinking or don't have strong research skills, you could easily fall into one of these rabbit holes.

I agree with this. I always observed that some people were more drawn to more extreme and restrictive diets instead of just having a regular plant-based diet. I do believe that some people with health issues might benefit from a more strict diet, but there's no need for the overall population to only eat raw food for example.

I always stuck with the 5 colors in the plate rule
 
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My wife and I have been vegans for 40+ years.

Our reasons for becoming and remaining vegan, without the usual vegetarian intermediary stage, were purely ethical.

However, we note that nutritionists tell us we have everything we need for continued healthy lives.

We also note that we are helping to save the planet from a potentially disastrous climate change.

Roger.

Thank you for sharing your experience 💞