Vegan and Vegetarianism

[rouluer]

I've stopped eating meat, fish and dairy for past 6 months, though I do eat eggs. A vegetarian you call me with each day moving forward to Veganism. 2 major aspects I noticed, you just don't put on weight and secondly this diet has lowered my blood pressure. Having an out of hospital cardiac arrest at 45, 6 years ago, I've been very conscious what I what over the past 6 years but since dairy, meat, fish has disappeared I feel incredibly good, some things.......

full of energy

feeling alert

good sleep patterns

keeping a good weight without worrying

blood pressure good and lowered

happier and feel much younger

food bills have been reduced by a good amount!

I studied some articles and books about Veganism mainly and also Vegetarian diets and dairy and meat is simply bad for you IMO and especially for the heart, there are some good aspects of dairy, meat and fish but you can get these nutrients and more from plants, such as protein and vitamins.

I'm never going back to meat, fish or dairy. IMO this is a cause of heart disease, apart from hereditary or complicated circumstances when a diet is not the cause mostly. I just don't think eating animal fat can be good for you.

There are fantastic recipes out there for vegans and vegetarians. This diet and exercise and you can't go wrong.

Just giving my feedback and experience but his a huge game changer for me. A pity I didn't start @20.....lol

[Mikedabike]

Brilliant. You echo my thoughts exactly. The only problem is, you have continued to do it, but I have faltered. Prior to my AVR December 2019, I decided to try being a veggie some months before the operation.. I have always been very physically active and always eaten healthily and always seen the sense in being a veggie or vegan. In spite of the heart symptoms waiting for the operation I can honestly say I have never felt so good. Even while I was in hospital recovering from the operation I remained veggie. The problem arose once I returned home. I found it easier to revert to whatever food the rest of the family were eating. I could kick myself. There is now so much research out there (factual and anecdotal) that almost screams out that at the very least we should massively cut down meat consumption. I am so grateful you made this post as I now suddenly have a resolution for the new year. At the very least stop eating meat, and increase my vegetable intake. Thank you for the post. Good luck in your progress, onwards and upwards.

[Thanksnhs in reply to Mikedabike]

Hi I am the opposite I hate vegetables, the only ones I can eat are Carrots, onions potatoes and mushrooms, anything green is definitely a no no, I have eaten meat and dairy my whole life, I am 62, my heart condition was congenital, a faulty gene, I have never had high cholesterol or high blood pressure, I never put weight on, I am still the same weight I was in the 70's, 8 stone, I think it's just a lifestyle choice if you want to be vegan or vegetarian, I do take vitamins, I have spoken to cardiologists and dietitians and they are fine with my diet, I could not imagine life without meat 😋, I had a transplant in July and have recovered well, I think it's just what works for each individual, obviously if you are overweight you would have to diet for your health , but you could still eat meat and fish, glad you are doing well take care char

[rouluer in reply to Mikedabike]

Go for it! I know it's hard to see others eat meat, but the choice is yours just stop, they eat veges with their meat just add brown rice and some more veges etc. There are so many tasty recipes out there with differnet types of beans and chillies. Arnold and Stallone I read are now vegan it's not about fashion or trends some may think, a non-dairy diet is actually a fact mitigates all sorts of health problems and less prone to health issues. Good for the environment as well. It's not that hard I mean your diet doesn't change a lot in my case a Vegetarian, Vegan is extra hard but even better. Make your new years wish, just do it! Like you wake up in the morning and brush your teeth or go for a morning run.

[Janma123]

Two points to remember - iron from animal sources is easier for the body to absorb, and vitamin b12 supplements will be needed in a vegan diet, although there are fortified foods on the market. You will have adequate stores in your body for a length of time but make sure those stores don’t become depleted.

[rouluer in reply to Janma123]

Being a Vegetarian at the moment I get my B12 from eggs and plenty of it as you say with a Vegan diet it's harder but you can actually get B12 from Marmite (salt reduced version) yeast extract if you like it. Also other foods that contain B12 such as yeast extract is fortified soy and almond milk, fortified cereals. If you like Sushi without fish versions, seaweed contains a huge amount of B12 and also mushrooms. There are plenty of ways to intake B12 without meat, just not many people know about this, a bit of research, like Tempeh is very popular with Vegans unlike Seaweed and there is very good amount of B12 from Tempeh and much easier to eat than seaweed for 99.9% of people. But if I was Vegan I would take a B12 supplement as well, easier enough down the hatch!!😀