Are you interested in a vegan/plant-based diet? Maybe you've heard many misconceptions or myths that have been stopping you from taking that step. Or maybe, you are the one who believes these many myths about vegan diets. I hope that today, I can change your mind on a few things by debunking the most relative vegan related myths. Read on!
Myth 1 - Veganism is expensive
That is what I believed for a long time too actually! But the truth is that being vegan is way less expensive than you think - if you do it the right way. What tends to be expensive when you go vegan is all the fancy ingredients and new products that you're introduced to. Especially when you go in health food stores, they are filled with a variety of vegan products! Mock meats, vegan dairy products, meatless nuggets you name it they have so many alternatives to animal foods today. However, if you became vegan in part for health reasons (which is my hope), these foods are definitely not on the list of most nutritious products for your health. A vegan or plant-based diet will be healthy especially when kept simple: fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are all you need to grow big and strong! Of course, over time you'll add things to your grocery list to enjoy good recipes like soy sauce, nutritional yeast and stuff but things like mock dairy and meat are definitely not necessary! What might be expensive is building your vegan pantry basic because most likely there will be things you don't have in your pantry but that can be built over time, there's no stress. Now that my pantry has its basics of spices, herbs, nutritional yeast, soy sauce etc. my groceries only cost me 50$ a week for two people, and no my husband isn't skinny! So yes, it's definitely possible to be vegan on a budget.
Myth 2 - Vegan = Healthy
Although many of us became vegans for health, many vegans are actually not healthy. I once was one of those! If you ask my husband what I was eating when I became vegan he'll quickly tell you: Clif Bars. Clif bars are vegan energy bars that are packed with sugar and processed ingredients. But for a while that's all I ate, and so did my husband when he came over. So much so that he literally can't eat those Clif bars anymore! The fact is that I became vegan for the animals and didn't care much about my health at that time. But for many, they become vegan quickly without knowing what to substitute their old eating habits with. This is especially relevant if you were raised on the SAD diet or Standard American Diet. This includes high intakes of red meat, processed meat, pre-packaged foods, butter, candy and sweets, fried foods, high-fat dairy products, eggs, refined grains, potatoes, corn (and high-fructose corn syrup) and high-sugar drinks and no I didn't make this up it's actually the description of this diet! Look here. When raised in countries where plant-based foods are very prominent in the cultures diet such as Latin America (lots of rice and beans), the Caribbean (again lost of rice and beans) and India (lots of legumes in general and grains), it is easier to transition in a healthy way. But coming from the SAD diet it's important to learn how to cook a whole new variety of foods. Often, the SAD diet does not include any legumes, grains and barely any vegetables which means it's time to start being informed! To make sure you lead a healthy and balanced plant-based lifestyle, all the plant food categories are important. I'll give you a short list of what they are important sources of:
Legumes: iron, folate, fiber and protein
Nuts: healthy fats (omega 3's), magnesium, fiber, vitamin E
Seeds: healthy fats (omega 3's), fiber and calcium
Vegetables: folate, calcium and fiber
Fruits: vitamins, folate, fiber and anti oxidants
Grains: B vitamins
So make sure when transitioning that you learn about the different foods your body needs for optimal health as well as getting accustomed to the new ways of cooking! Although it may be tempting, don't turn to the easy route of processed vegan meats and dairy and all other kinds of packaged vegan food there is out there, cooking and preparing your food yourself is the best way to ensure your eating quality food!
Myth 3 - Vegan = Malnourished
Now although it's very possible to be malnourished when following a vegan diet as we've seen above, this does not mean that eating a properly balanced plant-based diet will make you malnourished. There are many misconceptions out there about plant vs animal protein for example that are just false. I wrote about these in another blog post that you can see here. Another subject that is often brought up is calcium. Many believe that without dairy it is impossible to get enough calcium and that dairy is the ultimate source of calcium. However, once again, science tells us that's false. Please go here to read about my post on this exact topic. Once we are better informed, we will realize that all the nutrients we need are found in foods that grow from the ground. The only unfortunate exception here is vitamin B12. The only organisms to produce vitamin B12are certain bacteria, and archaea. Some of these bacteria are found on plants that herbivores eat (Wikipedia) and once ingested, the body produces vitamin B12. If we were all farming and growing our own food like before, this would not be a problem. However, since our food is washed and treated so much it usually loses the bacteria that produces B12 so often it's necessary for plant-based eaters to take a vitamin B12 supplement. But I definitely encourage all to grow their own crops that they may get all their nutrients as naturally as possible! Now not only does following a vegan diet not lead to malnourishment (when done properly) but it actually increases health! For example, unlike animal based foods, plants contain fiber and no presence of cholesterol. As we know, fiber plays a great role in digestive health which is an area of health that many North Americans suffer from (digestive diseases). To read more about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, please read my blog post on this here.
Myth 4 - Vegan diets are not good because they have too much carbs
So the question is: what's wrong with carbs?? Carbs or carbohydrates are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products. They are one of the three macronutrients (just means we need a lot of it) are body needs to function. Up to 65% of our diet should consist of carbohydrates which are vital to provide your body with energy. So why are so many food fads and people in general hating on carbs? Actually we got it wrong, carbs are not the bad guys. Processed carbs, just like any processed foods, are the bad guys. It just sadly turns out that most processed and refined foods happen to be carbs! These include white bread, crackers, store bought cereal, granola bars, white rice, sugar, foods containing fructose and corn syrup, pastries, fruits juices and many more! These undeniably are bad for our healths. However, whole carbs such as legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables are super nutritious for our bodies So once again, it is important to be informed on nutrition in order to make wise decisions for you health!
Myth 5 - Vegan only eat salad OR If I go vegan, I'll always be hungry
First of all, salads can actually be amazing! Especially when you go plant-based because then you get creative with all sorts of dressings and new vegetables you try. But despite salads tasting great, that's not all we need nor do we starve on this diet. The fact is that I would argue that most people on the SAD diet mentioned above are the ones that are always hungry. The reason why I say that is because of one of the things that differentiates a plant-based diet to an animal-based diet: fiber. We're told that fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead it passes through the body undigested. It can help food move through your digestive system, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check (source). Not only does it keep hunger in check but it also allows food to stay in your stomach longer helping you to feel full faster and longer as well (source). Considering the fact that no animal product contain fiber, it's really a wonder that meat eaters aren't more hungry! Maybe you are and have just never realized that you tend to want to eat much more often than you should. On the other hand, all plant-based foods contain fiber, allowing us to feel satiated and satisfied for a long period of time we just need to give them a chance!
Although there are many more vegan myths out there, these are the ones I felt were most relevant to tackle and hope that they clarified certain misconceptions for you. I hope that it will encourage all of us to do our research and be informed when learning about new things and that applies to anything! On this note, I leave you with a brief resume of the myths and wish that God may bless you on this journey. Thanks for reading!
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