Vegetarian vs. Vegan?

[homeschoolingmama]

I do understand the differences of being Vegetarian vs. being Vegan.

Why would someone choose one over the other nutrition wise?

Is one healthier?

What are the pros and cons of each?

Lets talk about the nutritional differences between the two!

[Sayward]

I think it's entirely possible to very healthy as either. It's also entirely possible to be *unhealthy* as either. There's such a wide variety of options with each, that there's really no way to just 'blanket statement' about which one is healthier. A vegan eating nothing but french fries and potato chips is not a healthy vegan! Same goes for a vegetarian eating nothing but cheese pizza.

it should also be noted that people don't go vegan for health reasons (veganism is by definition an ethical stance, because it includes other aspects of life besides diet; if someone is just 'eating vegan' then they are a strict vegetarian).

That said, I think it's a lot *easier* to be healthy as a vegan. I find that a lot of vegetarians rely heavily on dairy products and in my opinion dairy is an absolutely unhealthy, unnatural 'food'. Looking *solely* from a health perspective, I think eliminating dairy would be much more substantial than eliminating meat. Of course eliminating both is even better. From a purely health perspective, eggs are not too bad. Honey is not unhealthy and may even carry some health benefits.

So, it really depends on the specifics of how the person eats, not the general label that defines their diet. Just my opinion.

[eepster]

Trying to stay on topic here...

I'm a LO vegetarian.

I think the main advantage to vegetarianism over veganism is that it's easier. It's just much simpler to get enough nutrition and calories. It's reasonably easy to find a vegetarian meal in most places. Etc.

I think a good carefully thought out vegan diet is inherently healthier than a good vegetarian diet, but takes more work. You can't walk into most restaurant and order vegan straight off the menu. Of course from a moral point of view there is a clear connection between the dairy, wool and egg industries and the meat and poultry industries. (Morally you loose me on honey though. Lots of insects die in the growing of vegetable crops. Bees kept for honey live a pretty good life, and act as necessary pollinators.)

I have been a vegetarian for over 2 decades. I really don't think I could have kept up a completely vegan diet for that long. I had to go completely dairy free for a brief time when DS was a baby, and it was torture. I still stay light on dairy though since I'm very lactose intolerant.

I wonder sometimes if the current prolifferation of vegans is b/c it has become so so easy to be a vegetarian. 20+ year ago when I started as a vegetarian, it was a real effort. There were no veggie burgers or tofu dogs at the supermarket, one had to go to the health food store. Even at the heath food store there was no chik' nuggets of fakon. Just finding plain old tofu or tempe required finding an Asian market (which were a lot less common in those days.) It was also a lot harder to find a vegetarian meal at a restaurant.

I think doing something that takes a bit of effort is intrinsically rewarding, so vegetarianism just seems too easy these days. If I were still young and idealistic as I was in my teens but in these modern times, I might go vegan. However, at middle age the easier path just looks easier.

I feel that in the 20+ years I've been a vegetarian, I have prevented much more animal suffering than I would have if I had tried to be vegan and gave up after 2-6 months (which I've seen happen many times.) Also as a relatively early adopter, I have helped lay the path that makes being veg*n to day so much easier than it was when I started.

[MountainMamaGC]

I think that a mostly vegan diet is the healthiest option. I think too much dairy and eggs is not good for anybody. If you dont have any food sensitivities eggs and dairy or ok in small doses. I let my LO eat eggs/dairy once in awhile. She is a growing child and her body can handle the fat and cholesterol in eggs and dairy. I dont think its necessary for her survival and there are plenty of healthy vegan children and families.

[homeschoolingmama]

This is interesting. Thank you!

I have been a vegetarian for about 15 yrs now. My family hasn't. I have been buying Organic meat for them but I love the idea of veggies and fruit, legumes...it all just seems so much more healthy.

Have you guys heard of the books Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis? They look like really good, informative books.

I am really just trying to figure out which would be healthier. I am considering our family being vegetarian but vegan as well. Let me explain better. lol

We could mostly eat Vegan but then have eggs on occasion type of thing. So our day to day lives would be more Vegan but not strict. Oh I don't know the titles. This is what I am leaning towards.

We already only drink Almond Milk instead of cows milk.

[Sayward]

Originally Posted by homeschoolingmama

This is interesting. Thank you!

I have been a vegetarian for about 15 yrs now. My family hasn't. I have been buying Organic meat for them but I love the idea of veggies and fruit, legumes...it all just seems so much more healthy.

Have you guys heard of the books Becoming Vegetarian and Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis? They look like really good, informative books.

I am really just trying to figure out which would be healthier. I am considering our family being vegetarian but vegan as well. Let me explain better. lol

We could mostly eat Vegan but then have eggs on occasion type of thing. So our day to day lives would be more Vegan but not strict. Oh I don't know the titles. This is what I am leaning towards.

We already only drink Almond Milk instead of cows milk.

I own Becoming Vegan and it's awesome! Tons of great, practical nutritional info and it also has specific sections for meeting the nutritional requirements of children. Highly recommended! =D

[JessicaS]

Hello!

I have returned this thread after some edits.

Posts in opposition to a veg*n diet are not hosted in this forum.

Please read the forum guidelines. Thanks!

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by Sayward

I own Becoming Vegan and it's awesome! Tons of great, practical nutritional info and it also has specific sections for meeting the nutritional requirements of children. Highly recommended! =D

+1

[CatsCradle]

My DH is a vegan but I can't call myself a vegan because I buy a block of organic cheddar about every three weeks and I have an occassional piece. We don't do eggs or any other dairy.

Like some of the posters above, I've been a vegetarian for a long time - over 20 years. I think the thing that really helped me adapt to a more vegan lifestyle was getting some great books on vegan cooking. I love to cook and I found that cooking vegan meals (especially preparing vegan meals for others) was so much more fun and challenging than slapping some cheese on something and calling it vegetarian. Also, I agree with the PP that it is sooooo much easier to be a vegan these days. There is a wide variety of information available and wide variety of plant-based foods available even at the most mundane grocery store. For one, I'm lucky that I live in a culturally diverse town with a whole lot of options. But I think that anyone, anywhere, in the Western world with a good sense of how to put together food should be able to successfully put together a healthy vegan plan.

As far as what is more healthy? I think it all depends on your approach to either. A vegetarian diet can be very unhealthy if you make all the wrong nutritional choices. A vegan diet can be unhealthy if you don't find nutritional balance. Both can be excellent if one makes all the right choices. I would argue, though, that I would feel better about myself if I were a consistent vegan. For me it comes down to a personal psychological/spiritual component.

[red and lulu]

Originally Posted by Sayward

I think it's entirely possible to very healthy as either. It's also entirely possible to be *unhealthy* as either. There's such a wide variety of options with each, that there's really no way to just 'blanket statement' about which one is healthier. A vegan eating nothing but french fries and potato chips is not a healthy vegan! Same goes for a vegetarian eating nothing but cheese pizza.

it should also be noted that people don't go vegan for health reasons (veganism is by definition an ethical stance, because it includes other aspects of life besides diet; if someone is just 'eating vegan' then they are a strict vegetarian).

That said, I think it's a lot *easier* to be healthy as a vegan. I find that a lot of vegetarians rely heavily on dairy products and in my opinion dairy is an absolutely unhealthy, unnatural 'food'. Looking *solely* from a health perspective, I think eliminating dairy would be much more substantial than eliminating meat. Of course eliminating both is even better. From a purely health perspective, eggs are not too bad. Honey is not unhealthy and may even carry some health benefits.

So, it really depends on the specifics of how the person eats, not the general label that defines their diet. Just my opinion.

i personally don't believe that we human mammals are meant to consume the milk of other mammals. it seems unnatural to me. but i think that ultimately you have to eat what makes you feel good (and i don't mean like the yummy over-indulgent feel good but the i'm feeding my body what it needs to function well kind of feel good). for me that means no dairy, no eggs, but also no refined sugars, minimal processed foods, etc.

dp eats dairy occassionally (and always feels like poo afterwards), but we both agree on raising dd vegan for ethical and nutritional reasons. we subscribe to a macrobiotic approach, which is more about what you are eating, how, and when, than just what you're excluding from your diet. like the pp said, it's the specifics not the label that determine the health of the diet.

[eepster]

Originally Posted by CJsMama

i personally don't believe that we human mammals are meant to consume the milk of other mammals. it seems unnatural to me.

If we're going to base our diets on what is the most likely natural human diet, we're going to be eating a whole lot of creepy crawly things like bugs. The first solid food my nephew ever got was a spider he caught himself. The only "meat" DS ever ate were a bunch of ants from an apple slice he dropped in the grass then picked up again several minutes later. Early humans probably ate a lot of bugs just like our closest kin the chimpanzees do. Plenty of cultures still eat bugs.

Personally, I'll stick to my less natural diet of yummy unnatural foods like falafel and leave the bugs to others.

[Baby_Cakes]

I think it's technically healthier to be vegan, b/c you avoid all of the mainstream baked goods. Though it's possible to bake your own vegan cupcakes etc, and of course it's really easy to eat plenty processed junk as a vegan, I think for the most part because you avoid the dunkin donuts-es and pepperidge farm-ses, you win. I also think that cheese and other dairy products (unless locally obtained) contain a load of antibiotics and hormones, which I do not view as healthy.

[marsupial-mom]

Vegan is better. 0 cholesterol, less saturated fat, more fruits and veggies, more fiber... And more ethically consistent.

[dauphinette]

I think either could be better depending on your constitution. Some people thrive with animal fats in their diets and that is scientifically proven. But for other people Vegan is going to be the healthier choice by a long shot.


I don't think their is a one size fits all answer to this question. I mean something might be whole-y right for one person, but whole-y wrong for the next.

[bandgeek]

Well for me, getting rid of dairy is a very good choice health-wise because it doesn't agree with me at all. I've been consuming dairy for years knowing it was bad for me and there's no telling what damage I've done to my body.

So soon after going vegetarian I started getting rid of dairy and it just seems natural to get rid of eggs too. I still eat them on occasion, but I'm finding them not-so-appetizing these days thinking about the conditions they come from. I took 2 bites of my eggs this morning and I was done.

So FOR ME I think veganism would be healthier. I understand about proper nutrition so I won't be a vegan who survives on potato chips and coconut milk ice cream (I'm sure vegans like that are out there).

I don't think one is inherently healthier than the other. It depends on your diet as a whole since certainly there are vegetarians out there that are healthier than some vegans. I'm sure there are meat-eaters who are healthier than some vegetarians. It all depends.

I think as a whole though, assuming everyone is eating well-rounded diets, vegans are going to be healthier unless the people eating animal products are super conscious of their saturated fat intake, plus where they get their food sources (because of hormones and antibiotics and stuff).

[marimara]

I think "better" is a relative term. Like others said, you can be unhealthy on either diet. I was an unhealthy vegetarian for years before I cleaned up. I think what can be called healthiest is up to the individual. I do think that humans can thrive on a variety of diets but one heavy in fruits and veggies is healthiest. The degree to which you add other things (eggs, dairy, breads/pasta/rice, meat, fish) is up to personal taste, experience, personal situation, and individual health. I think that we each have all had to experiment to see what works best for us.