Can I be fully healthy w/o going vegan/vegetarian?

[Tealtop1]

as I am now I'd say I'm fine. I'm 5"3 and I'm 120 pounds. I eat well for the most part and workout almost daily.

my issue is that I want to be really healthy, not like scary ripped no body fat healthy, but I want to glow and physically look like I take care of myself.

is there any way I can do that w/o going vegan/ veg.

i've noticed that most people who look really good and healthy are the vegans and stuff, so is that my only choice?

i like things like milk, greek yogurt, string cheese, and a lot of other animal based products, so I'd really hate to give those up.

Updates

+1 y

is there a reason why so many people seem to detest vegans and vegetarians so much? it just seems like a little much to be calling an eating style bullshit and that they are weak and malnourished. there are a good amount of perfectly healthy vegans and vegetarians

[WeaponZero]

To answer the update: Vegans (not necessarily vegetarians, but vegans specifically) are not well liked by people outside of their views generally because of the way they more or less take their dietary lifestyle/nutrition habits to the point of being religious about it. Vegan propaganda becomes scripture, and everyone who does not follow it is evil, etc...

To answer the main question: Yes, you can be perfectly healthy. In fact it could be argued that it is healthier, because you have a more plentiful source of specific nutrients essential to the human body, such as Vitamin B12, Iron (Iron sourced from vegetable sources is not readily absorbed by the human body, so only a small amount is actually used).

I personally Went through a phase where my diet consisted of very little animal based products. I didn't do it intentionally to cut out animal based products, I mainly did it for calorie reduction purposes. I am way healthier and fitter now than I was then, and I eat at least two meals containing meats a day.

[DodgersGM]

Eat as many whole foods as possible and make the vast majority of your diet plant based. Cook as much of your own food as possible. Limit your animal product consumption to high quality stuff...hormone and antibiotic free,100% grass fed when applicable, organic, etc.

[xzinax2]

depends you ask,really. there's no right answer for now. I'm vegan,and yes plenty of studies are on our side,so I do think you have to be vegan and avoid processed food-but I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you that's a definite answer since nobody really knows. frankly I felt like shit before going vegan,and now I don't even get headaches,my skin cleared up,i have more energy-but a lot of people don't do it right and live off of processed food and don't eat enough.

thing is,we will have to be vegan eventually,they're already making cheaper replacements for eggs and meat-the meat,dairy and egg industries just aren't made to last,it's impossible to keep them forever,and they will be replaced with cheaper alternatives that don't destroy the planet and don't involve animals being killed and tortured.

[bubbiexo]

You can be healthy and still eat meat and dairy. There is nothing wrong with it if you aren't cheaping out and if you're buying high quality meat. People that are vegans aren't always healthy, just like meat eaters aren't always healthy. There is a ton of "crap food" that is vegan. And there is a ton of crap food that isn't vegan. It's about choices. Vegans will tell you that it's the only way to eat, while people opposed to veg will tell you that you can't survive without animal products. Neither of these things are true.

I'm not downing either style of eating, but by no means do you NEED to be veg to be healthy. Just make wise food choices.

[Jsonason]

This. Bubbiexo just summed it up nicely. You don't need any other answers.

[Jsonason]

You don't need to be veg to be healthy. Going vegetarian has some health benefits but it's not like you can't be healthy anyway. A vegan diet has some downsides compared to a vegetarian one and if you're not managing it correctly it's actually pretty bad for you. If you're going vegan you need to know what you're doing or you could end up with deficiencies.

[Jsonason]

Oh, and I'm a vegetarian since 10 years and I have never had any health problems related to my diet. Been vegan on and off, need way more planning to make that work though and I just don't have the energy for it right now.

[Daph81]

Being a vegan/vegetarian does not mean being healthy. There are unhealthy people who are vegans/vegetarians. Vegan = healthy is bullshit. More like vegan = weak and less energy...

Being an omnivore also doesn't mean being unhealthy.

Everything in moderation, knowing what your body needs and giving it what it needs, that's healthy. Depriving your body of certain food groups, especially stuff you love, is NOT HEALTHY.

[Jsonason]

Something doesn't become good for you just because you like it, that's absurd. You will do just fine completely skipping some food groups as long as you make sure you get what you need from others. It's not like dietary restrictions are something exclusive to vegetarians either, there's plenty of religiously motivated diets to go around. I don't see Jews drop dead due to shellfish deficiency for example.

A properly managed vegan diet doesn't make you weak.

[Daph81]

You don't understand what I mean.

She was talking about dairy products. That's a food group. Not like avoiding yogurt and drinking milk instead.

And there's an experiment done with vegans and omnivores, the omnivores have more energy when doing physical work in general and have more stamina.

[abundantlyrich]

+1

[Daph81]

weak because it has been proven. A BBC documentary did this experiment, comparing vegan taekwondo women and a marathon athlete. They switched their diet for a month, I think. The marathon athlete became vegan, the taekwondo athlete eats meat. The taekwondo athlete felt she had more energy and can train longer, whereas the marathon athlete has trouble building muscle mass and feels weak.

My professor also went vegan for 3 months and stopped because it made him feel weak.

[Daph81]

The vegans you mentions in your update probably don't realize it anymore because they're used to it or doesn't have to do strenuous activities.

So yes, to me going vegan doesn't make any sense and just makes your life more difficult. Not to mention that vegans sometimes call us omnivores "murderers", "killers", etc. Who wants to be called those things?

[kangaru]

You will lack certain nutrition, and may have to take vitamins. I have friends who are vegetarians they are healthy.i was vegetarian for one year before and that's the happiest period I had , in addition I felt healthier

[nowistheonlytime]

I'm a veggie, it's a more healthy,

But vegan is more so (my sister is vegan)

I could go on about how unhealthy a meat diet is, with all the fat, hormones and antibiotics etc

But you really do feel fitter, faster, cleaner without the meat,

[greyiggy]

yes by eating mostly raw foods and also cooked healthy foods. I tried a 50/50 raw food cooked food diet and eventually became 80/20 doing this and had the most energy and felt and my skin looked the best also. Friend me if you want some tips. :))

[htguywhowntsu]

im a vegan...its the healthiest diet on the planet...dont listen to anyone else...do what you want...the quicker you can go on a plant based diet the quicker you will see reults

[abundantlyrich]

you can be fully healthy if you are not going vegan/veg a 100 percent.

Youll be weak, emotinally sensitive, and malnourished.

[Jsonason]

Not really. As long as you manage your diet properly you won't have deficiencies. Where does this crap come from?

[abundantlyrich]

That's effin bull shit, I was on it. You tried being vegan especially when working on a full time sch. I happen to know a lot of them on these so called special diets, theyre too sensitive! and they effin always overreact to trivial matters. Been there done that.

[abundantlyrich]

There's very little nutrition left these days in food than compared to nutrition found 30 years ago. People have to eat more to gain the standard level of vitamins required by the body or else, take supplements. That's life.

[Anonymous]

yes of course being veg does not equal healthy! OMG how on earth did you get that idea

yoghurt is very good for you

meat also is not bad for you

potato chips and soda on the other hand BAD

[Tealtop1]

i'd say being veg. is healthy. vegetarians don't eat processed foods, or hormone ridded meats, or foods with high saturated fat or cholesterol. how is being veg. not healthy? it's not like vegetarians eat just vegetables, I hope you don't think that.

[Opinion Owner]

I was vegetarian for 9 years by the way.

[Tealtop1]

if you weren't healthy while being a veg. maybe you didn't do it right, like many here have said you need to do it right in order to be a healthy veg.