Vegan FAQ's

SO! Many people think that there is really nothing to eat when you are a vegan. Salads? Bananas? Is that pretty much it? A lot of people think so, but this is not the case whatsoever! Dairy and meat are at such a (disturbingly) high demand right now, which makes these items extremely easy to find. Compared to such things as umeboshi plums per se, dairy and meat are relatively cheap and can be found in many different places- 711, Jewel, Walgreens...anywhere! There are lots of misconceptions about veganism, and I am going to try my best with the knowledge I have to address these and answer some common questions!


1. What is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian?
A surprising number of people ask this question, and I am more than happy to answer it! Being a vegetarian means not consuming meat products. This includes chicken, pork, beef, fish (yes, fish), duck, turkey...really any animal. People can take it as far as eliminating things like gelatin (that is made from animal bones) as well- which means no gummy bears, traditional jell-o, marshmallows, etc etc. When a person is a vegan, this means eliminating meat as well as any animal products from their diet. This includes all dairy, such as eggs, milk, cheese, and goes as far as ingredients like casein (latin for cheese, which can be found in some 'dairy free' cheeses). Many other foods are made with dairy, such as bread and lots of baked goods (made with eggs), a lot of pastas/pasta sauces (cheese/milk), chocolates, yogurts, alcohol, etc etc. Being vegan has also expanded to more than just what people consume- there are thousands of things that have some sort of animal product in them, like make-ups, anti-aging creme, clothing, shoes, soaps, shampoos, and so much more. Being a vegan can go as far as eliminating animal products from everything in your life. For me, I have decided to exclude any animal products in my diet, as well as expand a bit on certain products I use. I love the brand Lush for my lotions and soaps, and there are many products that I find at Whole Foods and on The Kind Life website that I can use!

2. Is eliminating dairy and meat from your diet healthy?

Now, before I explain the many ways that this is healthy, I will address why many people can become extremely malnourished by choosing a vegan diet. When going vegan, you are essentially limiting yourself to only a few food groups- whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. It takes some effort to be a vegan. You have to plan ahead on what you're going to eat for the week, make sure you have healthy snacks in your home/office, and be willing to try new and delicious foods! There are a lot of people out there who do not like cooking, or who aren't extremely confident with it. There are other people who are picky eaters or who don't like the taste of raw vegetables, or who may be allergic to nuts. If people avoid the majority of these food groups (or them altogether), essential vitamins and minerals aren't being consumed, thus malnourishment takes place.

In addition, there are plenty of unhealthy food items that are technically vegan. These include things like white breads, processed cereals, oreos, monster energy drinks, kool-aid, french fries, many frozen entrees (like apple pies, frozen pretzels, dumplings), cake mixes, brownie mixes, and lots more. Theoretically, a person can live on all of these things and technically be a vegan. However, the majority of these items are highly processed, have an outrageous amount of salt & saturated fat, and chemicals to preserve them. If a person doesn't eat a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein- they will become sickly, unhealthy, and incredibly malnourished. This is one of the main reasons that being a vegan gets a bad name. Some people don't do research or any planning when it comes to being a vegan. Before they know it, they have no energy, are hungry all the time- and end up going back to eating meat and dairy.

NOW, if the proper amount of veggies/fruit/grains/nuts are consumed- and there is a variety of them, then being a vegan is super healthy and easy and awesome!

3. People have been eating meat and dairy for thousands of years- why give it up?
Correct- the human race has been consuming these for thousands of years. Sort of. Up until WWII, if a person wanted to eat meat, they would personally go to a farm, pick out a specific cow/pig/chicken/whatever, and the farmer would euthanize it themselves. Or back when we were cavemen, we would just hunt it and kill it ourselves! The mass production of meat and dairy products has only been around for just under 70 years...and has been getting worse and worse as time has gone on.

Animals raised for meat live on factory farms. These animals live in cramped, tight, filthy spaces. They are unable to turn around or even lay down in their cage. Many of these animals (especially chickens, turkeys, and pigs) never even see daylight or smell fresh air. Because there are so many animals, it's impossible to provide clean spaces for them- causing their pens to be filled with blood, feces, pus, and urine. Then, they are forced to inhale these toxic fumes- and that- along with constant hormone treatment (to increase egg laying, milk producing, and to fatten up the animals) and unlivable conditions, SOOO many of these animals get sick and either die or become downed and are left to die. If these animals live through this torture, their lives are cut short by years because of how taxing their lifestyle is. For example, egg-laying hens are forced to lay over 300 eggs a year- and after just 1 year, they are sent to slaughter. Hens live WAY longer than just a couple of years, but their bodies are near death after their job is done and they yield useless to the factory farmers. This goes for cows, too. Contrary to popular belief, cows can only produce milk if they are pregnant/nursing (just like humans!) Cows are constantly artificially inseminated to continue the flow of milk. Once the cows give birth, their babies are immediately taken away from them- causing the cows distress and heartbreak (as if their terrible lives weren't enough). For all of these reasons and SO much more (which I will continue to address), the factory farming industry is enough reason for me and many other vegans to boycott these food groups altogether.

4. The only meat I eat is lean chicken and fish...isn't that healthy?
I wish. Chicken, by far, is the least healthy meat out of them all. Unfortunately, no poultry is included under the humane slaughter act. What does that mean? Well, it means that farmers are frivolously euthanizing chickens and turkeys- like potentially missing sticking them in the wrong places and broiling them when they're still alive. Another disgusting fact about chickens is that the more they weigh- the more companies can sell them for. Not only do chickens receive ample amounts of hormone injections to increase their size (often making it impossible to walk), after they are put in the boiling water to get their feathers off, they let the chickens soak for extra time so that they weigh more. What's in that water? Blood, puss, feathers, urine, feces- everything that was on the chicken when it died. Not cool! Fish isn't very healthy either. Granted, it has the least amount of saturated fat and does contain some needed fatty acids, fish are factory farmed too- and more often than not, they have high levels of mercury in them. No one needs pus-filled chicken or mercury fish in their diet! The only way to be 100% sure that your meat is free-range, organic, and has lived a happy life, is to purchase it from an actual, traditional farmer. There are many false-advertisements of 'cage-free eggs' and 'grass-fed cows' that just aren't true (advertising is another story!). Support your local farmers by purchasing food at your local farmers market, and get to know your farmer and where the farm actually is. This is the only way to know for sure where your meat is coming from...don't believe the advertisements!

5. Humans are at the top of the food chain- why should I care that I'm eating these animals?
97% of the world population agree that animals should be treated with respect. Factory farming is the opposite of this! Not only that, but cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and even fish have been researched- and many studies show that these animals are smarter than we think! Fish are able to retain knowledge for months at a time and can recognize other fish in their schools. Pigs have been shown to solve puzzles and can recognize different humans. Cows form friendships with other cows and can get jealous and protective of their own. These animals are so beautiful and intelligent, but the fact that we are more evolved than they are doesn't mean we should eat them! We wouldn't think about eating our dogs or cats, right? Cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals should be no different!

6. How am I supposed to get my protein and calcium?
Meat and dairy do contain protein and calcium- which are necessities for human functioning. However, humans are more biologically made to digest a vegetable-based diet. For natural carnivores, such as tigers and lions- their digestive tracts are short, which allow their pray to pass through their systems quickly and with ease. Their saliva also contains different enzymes than humans have, which are better used to digest other animals. Our digestive system is around 30 feet long- it can take up to 3 days to fully pass a meal (think about a cheeseburger sitting outside in 100 degree weather for 3 days...yuck!) If our bodies have a tough time actually digesting this food, it has an equal amount of difficulty soaking up all of the protein and calcium. Most of it is filtered through our kidneys and doesn't make it to our muscles and bones, because our bodies simply don't know how to process these nutrients if they are coming from an animal. (Side note: Too much protein can lead to a nasty condition- kidney stones. Ouch!)

Luckily, there are OODLES of yummy foods that our bodies can easily digest and easily obtain these two popular nutrients from. Here's a list of just some of them :)

Protein: Beans!! Kidney, black, garbanzo, lima..all of them! (they are also high in antioxidants- yay for your immune system!- and are high in fiber to help clear the tubes!), tofu (please don't be scared of tofu...it is just soy and adheres to whatever flavors you're cooing with!), seitan, temph, all kinds of nuts, soy milk, & bananas :)

Calcium: Sesame seeds, soybeans, chickpeas, almonds, broccoli, collard greens (really all leafy greens!), and sea vegetables!

7. What kind of side effects do you get from being a vegan?
Now, I can't fully answer this question- as I am still in the process of fully eliminating dairy from my diet (I have been meat-free since October 2009). But here is what I have personally experienced so far, and what my research has proved (warning- this may get graphic!) During the first 5 days of having no dairy, I was miserable. I had headaches, I was hungry literally ALL the time, I felt cranky, tired, and kept asking myself what the F i was doing. I continued to power through this tough time- making myself lots of fresh fruit smoothies, steaming veggies with every meal, and cooking wonderful vegan meals from my cookbooks. After the first few days, things started to get better! I was able to sleep again, my headaches were gone, and I felt a lot happier. So strange, right?! How could eliminating or adding certain foods in your diet affect your mood? It totally does- if you eat crap, you'll feel like crap. If you eat well, you'll feel great. As some of you know, I have had digestive problems since I was 19. I gained nearly 30lbs at one point, had horrible stomach cramps, was constantly bloated, and could never go numero dos. I mean never- I'd be lucky if it were twice a week. I was eventually diagnosed with irritable bowl syndrome and given a stupid pill to take for it (thanks doc). After deciding to not take my medicine, I tried everything (or what I thought was everything)- fiber powder, more whole grains, drinking more water, but those only helped a little. After giving up meat, my bloating and stuff went down, but it still lingered and affected my life quite a bit. A mere week after giving up dairy, I was going to the bathroom every single day. And it's not like I would be in there for 30 minutes- it was effortless and painless and takes less than 3 minutes. TONS of people can relate to this embarrassing problem and often just take laxatives (which I had also tried), but those are just a temporary fix and cause bad cramping and frequent urges. I feel like I am reversing my ibs in a natural and painless way! The combination of eliminating dairy and consuming more vegetables has cured me of constant stomach pain (literally- i am not exaggerating here. my stomach hurt every single day for 5 years. I can distinctly remember the 1 and only day i didn't have any pain- it was the day after I had taken a prescribed laxative for my colonoscopy and i had absolutely no food or waste in me. It was such a wonderful feeling!) And now I have that feeling back! :)

Now, I've experienced some side effects that haven't been so pleasant (warning! graphic again!). I haven't done too much research into why this happens- but for many beginning vegans, it's common to get really gassy. And not just the typical 'I ate too fast' or 'I had a burrito' gas- I'm taking about nasty, nearly-toxic ones, folks. They happen often, too. Like I said, I'm not exactly sure why this happens- I'm thinking it's just one of the ways my body is detoxing, but they are still happening (not as often, thank goodness) and usually subside within 3-6 weeks. NOW, what's been interesting is when I have had a little cheese here and there, my stomach gets super bloated and the gas is a non-stop-lethal mess. My body is already getting used to not having dairy, so the few times that I have eaten it, my body has responded negatively. Another somewhat annoying side effect I am still having is feeling hungry. I am still adapting to not having that 'super full' feeling, and I get hungry more often. Ironically, I am eating more food than ever before, but these foods pass through our systems and feed our bodies so quickly and effortlessly that we have no choice but to eat more! Have you ever thought 'Gee, this food tastes SO good but I am getting so full. Wouldn't it be cool to just eat and eat and not get as full?' Now, I'm not saying I am never full. I just took a blogging-break and ate some delicious homemade chili and had a spoon of peanut butter and a full glass of water and I am feeling full- but I don't feel stuffed or bloated or tired! I feel satisfied, but in a few hours I will need to eat a small snack before bed. Feeling constantly hungry is also short-lived...I have been nearly dairy free for a month and it's already subsiding! Not only that, but I get to eat delicious veggies, smoothies, fruit, nuts, and beans all the time...eating is fun :)

More side effects that I have personally experienced, along with some that have been documented (that I haven't experienced yet..I can't wait!!) are weight loss, faster hair & nail growth, clear skin/disappearing acne, feeling content, calm, and clear, no digestive problems or pain, little or no bloating, shiny hair, better overall organ function, healthier cholesterol levels, and feelings of happiness and love for all animals! <3 :)

8. What are the challenges of being a vegan?
Once you are over the initial detoxing phase of meat and dairy (which can be really tough, it may take a little while to fully give these up), there aren't any huge challenges. A few things that vegans can do to minimize their efforts is to always keep healthy food/snacks around and to cook meals ahead of time. The main issue that I've had is when I go out to eat. There aren't many chain restaurants that offer vegan things. I have to call ahead of time (more planning...no spontaneous trips to get food anymore!) to see if the restaurant has anything vegan on their menu, or if the chef could prepare something vegan for me. If these answers are both no, or 'We have a salad...!', I am more than happy to eat salad. I bought a great vegan dressing from Karyn's raw/vegan restaurant in Lincoln park, so I just bring that with me and enjoy a nice day out with my friends. Yes, I miss being able to just order off the menu like most people do, but all of the benefits of veganism outweigh that, and I am happy to eat whatever the restaurant serves me that fits my lifestyle. (Coming soon: LoKal adventure! My happy-ending 1st restaurant-since-being-a-vegan-experience...and I didn't eat a salad!)



If you have made it this far, THANK YOU TIMES INFINITY for reading this all the way through!!! I hope I have answered some of your questions about veganism. I know there are probably a lot more, but these are usually the main ones I get, so I answered them to the best of my ability!

I'm not saying that I know everything about meat, dairy, nutrition, veganism, or anything else. I am aware that there are facts that contradict the research I've done, and that there will always be people who are avid meat and dairy supporters. I choose to believe the credible research that I've done over the past 18 months, and actually experiencing these same effects and benefits further makes me believe that living vegan is the right choice for me. I love EVERYONE and if they are happy eating meat/dairy/whatever, that is fine with me. I never want to come off as I am forcing this information on anyone! But I have done a lot of research and there is a lot to be known about these industries and nutrition in general.


Thanks again for reading, folks!!!! Much love xoxoxoxo

<33holly


P.S- Stay tuned for my easy tips on transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, or just a healthier life in general! (Aka vegan essentials!)