Are All Vegans Created Equal?

Are All Vegans Created Equal?

There is a large body of evidence now rather unequivocally demonstrating the benefits of a plant-based diet. Nay-sayers may continue to argue that human beings are omnivores, and that our primeval optimal diet is one that balances plant content with the occasional meat, fish and dairy. Certainly, being a balanced omnivore is still miles ahead of literally 90% of Americans who consume red meat on a nearly daily basis. Regardless, facts don’t lie, and opinions do not change the fact that vegans and vegetarians – in general – live much longer than their meat-eating brethren. That being said, every time I personally tried to go on a “vegan kick” I ended up hating myself, growing fat, and becoming disappointed. I know for a fact that a plant-based diet is incredibly healthy; so why is it that I have consistently managed to pack on a few pounds when I became an herbivore? The secret sauce, as I have since learned, is in how you choose your plant-based foods.  

The most common point of obfuscation for budding vegans is how to get their proteins. We’ve been taught all our lives that we need proteins, and that plants just don’t cut it. Consequently, people on plant-based diets naturally panic when they assume that being vegan means that they will wither into oblivion without proteins. This panic is soon followed by a search for every processed-food product on the grocery store shelf that happily flaunts an abundance of plant-based proteins. But this vigor causes another problem because whole, natural foods – that are actually very good for you – suck at advertising for themselves. After all, when was the last time you saw bright, colored labels flaunting nutritious ingredients next to that head of broccoli? (never, right?). So, the only plant-based foods that catch the eye of the protein-seeker are the ones that come from the billion-dollar food industry.  And there, right there, is one of the cruelest ironies of dietary science: You become a vegan trying to be healthy; yet when you choose your foods, you end up relying on the food industry, the same companies that made you sick and unhealthy in the first place. These companies have successfully managed to sell the problem and the solution in the same grocery store aisle: nicely packaged soy- and vegan- meat substitutes that are sometimes way more processed than a bologna sandwich on white bread. Failing to understand this has got to be the first thing that rookie vegans do wrong.

Another thing that I did to myself was try to look for outlets to indulge my boredom. After a lifetime of eating processed foods, red meat and everything in between, eating a banana and an apple along with a salad for lunch somehow left me feeling – unfulfilled. The light meal leaves us craving for more calories, and we often try to fill that void with lots of carbohydrates. Loads and loads of carbohydrates. Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to think of fat as the dietary devil, and proteins well, are now out of the question because besides processed plant-proteins and meat, fish, and milk there’s nothing you know that is modestly palatable. As a result, most of us fill the void with lots and lots of processed carbs, because carbs are vegan in its purest form. Here lies problem number two.

So what ends up happening? Well, let’s summarize what happened to me: After binge watching Netflix documentaries that literally scared me into becoming a vegan, and adopting the plant based lifestyle, and happily gave up meat, fish, and dairy and packed my meals with plant-based foods. But I did so, quite erroneously, by relying on veggie burgers, transformed vegetable protein products, soy nuggets and soy bacon, and then filling myself up with white bread, rice, and an abundance of starch. I proudly snubbed family and friends at Thanksgiving dinner for their hedonistic and unhealthy lifestyle choice of eating turkey, while I served myself some green-beans and a several heaping dollops of mashed potatoes and candied yams. Yet six months later when the scales were checked, I was the one who had gained the most weight (and I promise you it wasn’t muscle) and literally become unhealthier.

So how have I done since? Sadly, I regressed back to my old diet. But don’t get me wrong. This is not a cautionary tale of the perils of a plant-based diet. Far from it. As far as I can tell, it is by far the healthiest dietary lifestyle out there. It takes a lot of willpower, courage and perseverance to become a vegan; but it also takes “knowledge” to deliver good results. That’s what I’m hoping this article will provide. What I wanted to ensure is that everyone understand that veganism or a plant-based diet is much more than just quitting animal products. In my mind, it’s actually switching from an animal-based diet to a mostly natural diet, based on unprocessed plant-based foods. That distinction is what spells the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t.