Is being vegan unhealthy? Is it hard? Experienced vegans please

[Hardgainer]

I'm new to the concept and want to still be able to have my gains.. is it going to ruin my energy flow and daily strengh? Is the food hard to maintain? what kind of difficulties does being vegan has? I'm also curios about raw food veganism.

[benwl]

Veganism started off as an ethical position about avoiding animal based products, rather than specifically targeting health - so it's as possible to be a very unhealthy vegan as well as a very healthly one - but with the exception of vitamin B12 (which should be taken as a supplement) there is nothing that animal based foods provide that can't also be obtained from plants. And there are some good arguments that the plant based ones are better.

I've been a vegan for around 3 years now, and the only difficulty I've had is finding something to eat when I dine out.

Otherwise I'm healthier, stronger, fitter, have more energy and actually enjoy cooking and eating more than I did before.

[Hardgainer in reply to benwl]

I'm still skeptical towards this.. why can't you eat outside?

[benwl in reply to Hardgainer]

Most restaurants have few or limited vegan options.

Are you skeptical that vegan diets can be healthy? Only you can decide how much research to do on this, whether you trust the sources etc.

One question I would suggest you ponder is the reverse of yours which is can meat and animal based diets be healthy? It's not as stupid a question as it sounds because in many cultures eating meat is so normative and common that people assume it must be healthy just because everyone else does it too.

I recommend this site as a good starting point for research

nutritionfacts.org

[Hardgainer in reply to benwl]

I was thinking of making my own food and taking it with me outside.. You think it's hard to do?

[benwl in reply to Hardgainer]

Yes, that would work - I sometimes take my lunch into work ( I cook enough the previous evening for two meals).

And there's people here (not necessarily vegan) who batch cook a week's worth of meals at the weekend.

Do you cook a lot at the moment?

[Hidden]

I am not a vegan but I don't eat meat for ethical reasons and I try to choose vegan where I can, for ethical reasons but also because I do believe (based on the research I have done) that a plant based diet is one of the healthiest ways you can live.

What I would say is that going from an omnivorous diet to herbivorous might be very daunting and might be easier to achieve in little bits. Like cutting out all meat first, or only having dairy at a weekend, just an idea. What I would also say is that it is very easy to lean on processed foods to transition, but I don't think there is any harm in that as long as you don't use them forever or in excess.

Why are you considering veganism?

[BadHare]

I’ve resorted back to being vegetarian, though I know a number of extremely healthy vegans, including some who have enough energy to go to the gym several times a week, & some who run marathons. The Vegan Society have an excellent website which will provide you with as much information as you might need. You may also have a local social group should you wish to meet other people who have a plant based diet. There are lots of websites dedicated to vegan recipes, some I’ve posted.

Try to avoid processed vegan foods such as margarine, & depending on processed meat substitutes that are soy based. There are better/healthier alternatives available.

Don’t let anyone’s negativity put you off trying it for yourself, but do make sure you have enough B12. Nutritional yeast (in the blue tub)is a good source, & is also a tasty alternative to B supplements.