Day Fourty Four: Vegetarian And Vegan

While I'm not a vegetarian or vegan, I eat like one whenever I get the opportunity.

I would argue that the vegan diet is probably one of the most nutrient-dense, healthy nutrition plans available for the human body.  We hear all of the time, "You need to be careful if you're a vegetarian or vegan. You may not get all of your vitamins and become deficient or anemic."

That's true for any diet.

We all know people who decide to become a vegetarian and then order their nachos with everything...hold the meat. Nachos with or without meat is not a good food choice for anyone, unless it's being consumed as a cheat meal.

So, with all of the misinformation out there, what are these two diets comprised of, and why are they high in nutrients?

A vegetarian diet is one that excludes the flesh of another animal. Basically, it means consuming no meat of any kind. A vegan diet is a vegetarian diet that excludes all animal products including all dairy and eggs. Things like cake, cookies, & regular breads are excluded from the diet because they've got eggs or milk in the mixture. There are vegan breads, cereals, and cookies that can be found at health food stores, often they taste amazing.

Plant sources of protein and fat tend to be much better for our bodies than animal sources. Fats found in plants are usually unsaturated and  liquid at room temperature (think olive oil). They are associated with lowering levels of cholesterol, and can be found in foods like avocados and nuts. Proteins found in plants such as soybeans, nuts, seeds, and beans tend to be easy for our body to digest, and therefore move through our digestive tract cleanly and quickly. Many of these also contain insoluble fiber, which has a cleaning effect on our insides, preventing diverticulitis and allowing our digestive tract to run smoothly.

Animal sources tend to contain more saturated fats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature (think fat trimmings from steak). There is a high correlation between these fats and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and digestive disorders. The protein content found in meat is very high as it is the flesh of the skeletal muscle we normally eat when we consume an animal. However, because it is the skeletal muscle, there is often little or no fiber to accompany the protein we consume, which is very different from consuming plants.

There's a lot to consider if one is making the food choice to do either of these. There are a number of resources out there including cookbooks, books, websites, & videos. Vegetarian and vegan foods, when combined with variety, can be very high in nutritional density with every calorie being a productive calorie.

Regardless of whether or not we choose to eat meat, eggs, or neither; it's important to recognize that junk is junk, no matter what it is.

I challenge you to try quinoa.