What does veganism protect you from?

[veganDreama]

I'm not vegan for health reasons. I'm vegan because I care about the animals. However I do think being vegan does help me both mentally and physically.

I'm sure that veganism protects you from getting food poisoning as most of the most serious food poisoning happens with meat.

As I was once over 200 pounds on a vegan junk food diet I cannot say veganism protects you from obesity although I do wonder if I might have become even fatter if I hadn't been vegan. What kind of weight range do vegans have compared to that of omnivores? I'm really curious about this.

Also what about Heart disease? Is it possible to have heart disease at all if you are vegan?

 

[Lou]

Being vegan is no silver bullet.

However, there are lots of evidence that a reduction of meat and dairy is linked to less of a risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and some forms of cancer, its just statistics. And of course, it depends on how healthy your lifestyle is. Even if the risk for a vegan is 1% there is still that unlucky one that gets it.

There is less chance of food poisoning but not 0 chance. There have been occurrences of salmonella on Romaine lettuce and spinach.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I'm not vegan for health reasons. I'm vegan because I care about the animals. However I do think being vegan does help me both mentally and physically.

I'm sure that veganism protects you from getting food poisoning as most of the most serious food poisoning happens with meat.

As I was once over 200 pounds on a vegan junk food diet I cannot say veganism protects you from obesity although I do wonder if I might have become even fatter if I hadn't been vegan. What kind of weight range do vegans have compared to that of omnivores? I'm really curious about this.

Also what about Heart disease? Is it possible to have heart disease at all if you are vegan?

Veganism protects you from most food poisoning provided that the plant(s) are edible to begin with (ie: not poisonous) and are not directly or indirectly contaminated with animal products/feces. Most of the edible plant contaminations from what I understand come from contact with animals / their feces.

Vegans are the only class of people who (usually) have healthy BMI. That being said, it is usual but not the rule. A person can gain (fat) weight as a vegan (of have trouble losing it) if eating a diet that contains too much of it (oil, fried (vegan) foods, too many nuts/nut butters) and alcohol (which doesn't put on weight but burdens the liver which is responsible for burning fat).

Yes, it is possible to get heart disease eating a vegan diet if that vegan diet contains too much fat. That being said, a low (not no) fat vegan diet is the only one proven to prevent and reverse heart disease.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Fat vegans would be morbidly obese if they weren't vegan. You can still overeat as a vegan but you're less likely to be obese or have heart disease or certain kinds of cancer. But remember some vegans smoke cigarettes or shoot heroin, it's an ethic not a diet. I'm watching a person who has been vegan since 1994 smoke right now.

 

[Emma JC]

Everyone is right, vegan is not a diet and therefore can be as healthy or unhealthy as the person desires.

I lost my weight when I switched away from eating animal products and I also moved away from eating oils and added sugars and salts.

We try eat whole food plant-based as much as possible and that definitely helps to keep the weight in check and feels so much healthier than eating a lot of fatty vegan alternatives although we do have some a couple of times a week.

We eat lots of rice and beans with tomatoes and onions and garlic and other vegetables. Chilis and veggie soups and whole grain pastas and lots of potatoes, some tempeh and in the mornings, breakfast beans, whole grain breads, berries, bananas etc. Rarely raw, lots of starch.

Emma JC

 

[zdontherapper]

If you have trouble with weight, being vegan can definitely help. I think if that's an issue anyone is having, they should look at the percentage water in the food they eat. I find that with dehydrated foods like chips/dried nuts, etc. it's way easier to overdo them and eat too much. Water fills up space, and if you eat foods that have a lot of water in them (fresh fruits/vegetables) your stomach will literally get too full before you're able to eat too many calories. I eat a ton, as much as I can, and I stay around 125. If you stick to raw, undried, fruits and vegetables, it's pretty hard to become obese. Happy eating.

 

[veganDreama]

Thanks everyone for your replies. My BMI is now 19 so I've lost a lot of weight since I stopped over eating and improved my diet. I avoid eating food high in saturated fat although I do eat some food with mono and poly unsaturated fat such as nuts and nut butter. As I'm still losing weight too much fat isn't a problem right now.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Hi!

Food poisoning with veganism must still be possible. I imagine it's less, you would think so, but I don't know for sure.

On average vegans are thinner but it varies. I have seen reports on forums of people who changed their diet/lifestyle to vegan and actually stayed the same or put on weight. Depends what you eat. So you might be disappointed if you go vegan and immediately expect to magically lost weight at a fast rate. Look at the amount of total food you eat, and the amount of junk and processed food, and factors specific to you.

Veganism reduces the odds of heart disease, but doesn't eliminate it entirely.