Many people worldwide are now deciding to be vegan. This extreme diet is believed to be better for the environment, to oppose animal cruelty, also a healthier and cheaper alternative lifestyle as opposed to mainstream diets. But how much of this is true?
First of all, I am not a vegan (for now). But being the animal lover and planet activist that I am, it would be a lie to say that I haven't thought of changing this part of my life. So far, I've mostly tried to reduce my overall meat intake and other animal products, and I don't shy away from trying vegan recipes. With that said, it is extremely hard to go vegan overnight as it is basically pushing yourself to learn a new way of eating, shopping, cooking and sometimes even socialising from scratch! And the information found online is not always the clearest or the most partial. There is a lot of shame being thrown on either side of the table (pun intended). So if you are interested in becoming vegan, or if you are just curious of all the different aspects this lifestyle has an effect on, then here it is!
But first, what defines being vegan? The definition to veganism as given by The Vegan Society is:
“ Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Even though veganism as a whole includes other aspects of your life like not wearing clothing with fur or animal leather, or refusing to buy make-up tested on animals, this article will specifically focus on the effects of the diet.
Effects on the environment
Probably the most widespread reason for people to switch to a vegan diet, besides avoiding animal cruelty, is the impact of animal-based foods and products on the environment.
There is no questioning it, meat has a huge negative impact on our planet. According to FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), 14,5% of greenhouse gas emissions are coming from livestock. This is equal to the emissions of all the transportation worldwide. From cars, buses, trucks, all the way to planes and cargo ships.
Of all the meats, beef is by far the one whose production is the most harmful to the environment. Beef is said to create five times more global warming emissions than other animals. This partly comes from the fact that cows produce a lot of methane, a gas that is said to be 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Another criteria affecting the impact on the environment is transportation. If you live in Europe and buy an Argentinian steak, imagine all the gases released during its transport. Although this is just as true for other tropical fruits, for example.
And then there is also the issue of the impact of livestock on land and water usage and potential pollution. It takes 200 times more water to get about 450g of beef than the same amount of plant foods. 15 000 liters of water is needed before in order for you to be able to buy a 1kg of beef steak, compared to 4 325 liters for 1 kg of chicken.
So let's just say that after reading this you decide to swap your steak for a pack of beans, once a week for a year. Well, according to The Washington Post, this simple exchange releases 331kg of CO² less in the atmosphere, which is roughly what a tree you planted would take 83 YEARS to eliminate. That puts things into perspective...
So, yes, technically speaking, the vegan diet is the most climate-friendly diet. This does not mean that it is the only diet safe for the environment. In an interesting video posted by VOX, it is said that actually the Vegetarian and Mediterranean diets are not too far behind the vegan diet. They also add that if we switched to a Mediterranean diet, this would suffice to "solve 15% of global warming by 2050". Meanwhile, switching to a vegetarian diet could drop the food-related emissions by 60 to 70% according to The Infographics Show.
Now, if you want to have fun finding out the impact of the food you eat, the BBC came up with a greenhouse gas calculator based on how often you consume these foods.
Effects on physical health
This question is probably the hardest one to answer. This is why I interviewed PharmDr. Margit Slimáková, a nutritionist based in Prague, Czech Republic. She told me that in the recent years she has had more and more people trying out the vegan diet... but not all
sticked to it. She claims that this came mostly due to the fact that people do not 'do it right'. Simply put, this is what I found out about 'how to eat healthy'.
Avoid processed foods
Even though PharmDr.Slimáková agrees that nowadays people tend to eat too much meat, (the global meat-consumption average being 34kg per year /person), she however comments that the issue comes mostly from eating too much processed meat (and other processed foods in general). This issue is the same for meat eaters and vegans alike.
She explains for example, almond milk or vegan cheeses you buy in stores are usually filled with sugar and additives, and lack the nutritional value of calcium than the protein you would find in regular dairy products. Same goes for vegan burgers. "When you check the ingredients it’s a highly processed food with about 30 different ingredients and additives. It’s just a product… and it doesn’t even taste good!" she added. This issue of highly processed foods is also true for regular meat products (burgers, sausages, etc).
It's best therefore to eat fresh whole ingredients and home-made meals no matter what diet you decide to follow. If you want meat, have a good piece of steak or grind it in a patty yourself. If you want almond milk, make your own at home.
Eat varied
A common mistake people do when going vegan is to overeat carbs like pasta, potatoes (fried, chips, baked) or tons of bread. Also their calorie intake might be low because you need way more fruits or vegetable to hit the same amount of calories and you usually get full before that. 100g of beef is 270 calories, the same amount of avocado is 160 calories, and green beans are 31 calories.
But probably the biggest mistake new vegans make is to just remove all the meat and dairy. That's it. They don't think of replacing what they discarded with other sources of nutrients. PharmDr.Slimáková says: "If you don’t have meat, I recommend fish or fermented dairy products. These are the best solutions but if you don’t want any animal product, then you have to mix nuts and legumes and
combine it very well together."
However, when going vegan, there is one thing that will be lacking in your diet and that is the vitamin B12. For this, you will need to take supplements to keep a healthy diet.
Try new things and eat what YOU LIKE
“Meat is definitely not necessary to a healthy diet. You can totally live without any meat, but meat is a highly nutritious food. In one gram of meat, you will have many nutrients." Explained PharmDr.Slimáková. "I usually tell patients to try a diet for a short amount of time and then come back and see what happened. (...) Then you evaluate the results but you need to think about it. It needs to be a diet that you like! Because you will never keep up with a diet if you are not happy, if you are not satisfied. It affects your happiness and your social life, everything."
Important:
It is essential to keep in mind that your diet is not the only factor when it comes to being healthy! You can eat all the apples you want but if you smoke, over-drink and never exercise, you might not be able to keep the doctor away forever.
Effects on your budget:
On average, the same amount of meat will be more expensive than the same amount of veggies. For example, let's say you're planning on making home-made burgers patties. The average price of beef per kilo worldwide is $4.52. If you were to replace the beef with chickpeas, it would be around half the price. However, whether or not you can afford certain foods depends a lot on where you live, your income and whether you buy from a farmer or from big supermarkets.
This is just the price for individual ingredients. Just like with any diet, home-made tends to be cheaper than going to restaurants or buying pre-made food and products.
Also, you need to take in consideration the fact that in order to keep a balanced diet, you will have to go to the pharmacy regularly to buy supplements. The price of supplements varies a lot depending if you buy them in a pharmacy or online, and on the brand that you chose.
Effects on relationships and happiness
Once again, this changes from person to person. It may depend for example on your religion or the traditions you and your loved ones are costumed to celebrate. In America, people usually share turkey on Thanksgiving. Traditionally, Christians eat lamb for Easter. Muslims have goat or sheep for Eid Al Adha's. And the list goes on. This can make it difficult for you to celebrate with other members of your family or your circle of friends if they are not vegan or do not necessarily understand how to adjust to your diet. This is in fact a point made by PharmDr.Slimáková. She stated that being the only one with a vegan diet in your family may affect you morally as it creates a boundary with your loved ones.
Also, you may feel at first that you are giving up on a lot of your favourite dishes. Which is technically true but does not mean you won't find alternatives that taste just as good, if not better. It partly boils down to your expectations. Chances are that if you loved meaty burgers or lasagna, you would be disappointed if you didn't find this same taste when switching to vegan-burgers or vegan-bolognese lasagna. So if instead you approach this as a chickpea sandwich or a lentils lasagna, you know what to expect and are less likely to be frustrated.
Unfortunately, in the society we live in, a lot of people feel entitled to tell you what to do or not to do. It is easy to find haters, may they be online or in real life. They can be vegans or meat lovers. I've heard a lot of friends saying they had been shamed by "angry vegans" for eating meat, just like I heard my vegan friends having very long and difficult discussions with family members who did not approve of their new lifestyle choice. This can affect your happiness as well but in general I think they are the ones in the wrong. What they do is just as efficient as your mom complaining that you still haven't tidied your room when you were just about to do it... a lot of the time it makes you want to do just the opposite.
"It needs to be a diet that you like! Because you will never keep up with a diet if you are not happy, if you are not satisfied. It affects your happiness and your social life, everything." - PharmDr. Slimáková
So no matter what you do, enjoy the food you eat!
To sum up:
Is it better for the environment?
Yes, but being vegetarian or having a Mediterranean diet is not much different.
Is it better for your health?
It all depends on how well you adapt your diet to your body's needs. You can be just as healthy while not being vegan.
Is it better for your budget?
Usually yes, but it depends on the prices where you live, if you eat out often, how much you eat, etc.
Is it better for your happiness?
Maybe. It will be good for you if it makes you feel better about yourself, and that you find recipes you enjoy, that people around you are understanding, and you manage it well so it doesn't affect your health. This is also true for non-vegans.
So is being vegan better?
I believe that being vegan is remarkable when it is done for ethical reasons. If you worry about how badly animals are treated and about the effects of the meat industry on our land and changed your entire dietary habits to help protest against this issue, I admire you!
When it comes to choosing the best diet for the sake of the planet's wellbeing, then yes, vegan is the best option. However, if you are not ready to make such a drastic change of diet, then vegetarian and mediteranean diets are the next best options. Finally the most important notions to retain from this article are to reduce as much as possible our meat intake and avoid highly processed products. Whether it is for the planet or for your own sake!
Besides that, as I said, I am not yet vegan but after all this research I started to experiment with food more, trying to sometimes venture in a vegan bistro or challenge myself to cook a vegan dish that my meat-loving partner and myself could both enjoy.
I challenge you to do the same! Vegan or not, cook a vegan dish, take a picture and post it on social media. Tag a friend who will also have to try the new #oneveganmealchallenge, and tag TheComPost so that we can cheer you on for this culinary experiment!
Article by: Lena Fix Editor in chief at The ComPost.
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