Veganism has been gaining more popularity in recent years, but many times, the reasons why are a bit misleading of what veganism really is.
Many people still think that vegan is just some diet, or a “healthy” way of eating.
To clarify this, veganism is not a diet. It is not some fad, or trend. It is a moral ideology that seeks to abstain from animal suffering and exploitation as much as practically possible.
This seems to get overlooked a lot. But, being that the most common thing associated with veganism is the food we eat, it can be easy to see how veganism and diet get conflated.
But the truth is, there is a difference. What a person eats is merely one aspect of veganism, and it also has nothing to do with how healthy or unhealthy a person is, either. Which brings me to the next point I want to stress…
Veganism is not about health.
Going vegan doesn’t inherently mean you will be eating healthier. Oreos are vegan, fries and potato chips are vegan, there are plenty of fried vegan foods and vegan desserts, candies, and so on.
HOWEVER.. Sorry for yelling..
It is of course possible to be vegan and be healthy, and that’s what I’m going to discuss.
WHAT A HEALTHY VEGAN DIET WOULD LOOK LIKE
A healthy vegan diet would primarily consist of whole, or minimally processed, plant foods. The main food groups are of course:
- Fruits
- Veggies, leafy greens, tubers
- Whole grains
- Legumes – beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas
- Nuts & seeds
These foods can of course be eaten in their whole forms by themselves, or they can be used as ingredients and additions to various recipes and meals. But focusing on plant foods that are either in, or close to, their whole form will provide the best health benefits.
FRUIT
Berries, apples, oranges, strawberries, all fruit lives matter. Have fruit:
- With or for breakfast
- In a smoothie
- As a snack
- Piled on oatmeal or cereal
- With lunch
- Topping on salads
- With dinner
- For or with dessert
- Eat it all the damn time
VEGGIES/LEAFY GREENS/TUBERS
It should go without saying that everyone should eat their vegetables. But for real, they should. Veggies and leafy greens are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Providing us with health benefits while also being very low in calories.
Certain veggies, particularly cruciferous veggies, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, have been shown to have certain cancer-fighting properties.
And tubers, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, are also some of the healthiest foods on the planet! Potatoes sometimes get a bad wrap, but that’s not because of the potato, it’s because of everything people add to the potato, or when they slice up and fry the potato.
WHOLE GRAINS
Not all grains are treated equally. Some are healthier than others.
Whole grains are the grains that can provide the most health benefits. They contain fiber, complex carbs, protein, and many other nutrients. These are foods like:
- Oatmeal
- Whole wheat, whole wheat flour
- Quinoa
- Brown rice
- Millet
- Farro
- Popcorn
- Whole wheat/grain breads and pastas
Refined grains are the grains that are less healthy, and usually have important things like fiber, complex carbs, and various nutrients stripped away, leaving only the simple sugars. These are foods like:
- White bread, french bread
- White rice
- Yellow rice
- White pasta
- Wheat flour, enriched wheat flour
- Desserts
- Candy
- Added sugars
That being said, when eating grains with health in mind, choosing mostly whole grains over refined grains would be ideal.
LEGUMES
The legume family of food: beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, etc, are some of the healthiest and most underrated foods on the planet. They’ve been a staple in the diets of the populations around the world with the healthiest and longest living people on earth, known as the blue zones, which has given legumes the status of a longevity food.
Legumes are a good source of protein, at around 6g-9g per serving, and a great source of fiber, at around 5g+ per serving.
They’re also very beneficial for gut health. If gas, bloating, or cramps occur when eating them, it’s because your gut isn’t used to, or adapted to, the fibers in the legumes.
This isn’t a bad thing! It just takes time to adjust. Starting with small servings, and increasing over time allows the gut to more comfortably adapt!
Incorporating legumes:
- Beans, lentils, chickpeas as a side dish
- Bean & rice dishes
- Bean or lentil burger
- Lentil loaf
- Lentils as beef replacement
- Bean burrito
- Don’t leave out the beans at Chipotle!
- Chickpea salad sammies
- Hummus
- Soup, stew, chili recipes
NUTS & SEEDS
Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, and seeds such as flax, chia, hemp, can also be a part of a healthy vegan diet.
Nuts are a great healthy fat source, and they also contain some protein and fiber. Nuts are also a good source of vitamin E, which is beneficial for brain health.
However, nuts are high in calories, and very easy to overeat. Similar with nut butters. Keep an eye on serving sizes of nut butters, and as for nuts, a good palm-full is a good serving size to go with.
Seeds such as chia, hemp, or flax, are great sources of fiber, healthy fats, and protein. They’re easy to add to things like oatmeal or smoothies.
HEALTHY PROCESSED FOODS
There is something to say about plant foods that can still be considered healthy, yet are more processed, such as tofu, or whole wheat bread…
Believe it or not, processed and ultra processed foods are not all treated equally. Just because something is processed, or even ultra processed, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unhealthy. What really matters is what kind of processing was done, and what types of ingredients were added and also what was removed.
A great way to know whether or not a more processed plant food is healthy is to look at the nutrition label and see if these areas check out:
- Saturated fat: around 3g per serving or less
- Fiber: if it contains fiber, it’s a healthier choice, 2g-5g or more per serving
- Added sugars: 3g-5g per serving or less. If a food has more added sugar but also higher fiber, it can balance out
- Protein: if the food is a meat substitute, around 10g-20g per serving is ideal
SOME HEALTHY ‘PROCESSED’ VEGAN FOODS:
- Soy milk
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Legume pasta
- Whole wheat pasta
- Whole wheat or whole grain bread, bagels – Dave’s Killer brand is one of the best and healthiest bread brands for my bread & bagel lovers!
- Bran cereals
- Hummus
SCARY INGREDIENT LISTS
In terms of ingredient lists, a lot of times “long ingredient lists” will be used as a fear-mongering tactic to try and make it seem like certain foods are inherently unhealthy.
This is totally misleading. When we see these memes or posts about long ingredient lists it’s usually some vegan food product with a bunch of big long scary looking words as ingredients. Here’s the deal…
Long ingredient lists for one, aren’t inherently bad. It depends more on what the actual ingredients are, and what effect they have on the body. What idiots who fear-monger this nonsense don’t realize is that most of those big long scary looking words are just the scientific names of various vitamins and minerals. There’s also no evidence or outcome data to even suggest that these ingredients in these foods are somehow harmful.
Steer clear of those who promote nutrition info through misleading memes…
Anyway, you have reached the end. Hope this was helpful, and thanks for reading!
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