This past weekend I watched two documentaries about plant-based diets, veganism, their effect on the environment and our health – “Vegucated” and “Forks Over Knives.” As a nutrition expert (it feels funny to say that, but… I am), I know eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds has both long and short-term health benefits. I myself also consume low-fat dairy (mostly in the form of Greek yogurt) and lean animal protein – mainly because of additional health benefits, as well as the taste and variety they bring to the diet. Even though I try to buy organic, grass fed, cage free, etc. when it comes to meats and eggs, I haven’t really thought about where the stuff comes from or what it means. When I think organic, I know the animals have to be raised with certain standards in mind, but am pretty sure they are still not frolicking through the meadows until they happen to pass away pain-free in their sleep. Some of the footage in “Vegucated” clears that right up (to the point of tears, almost). To be honest, I’m not really sure how I feel about this right now…
but I’m still down with the occasional burger, fish, chicken and eggs for now: two egg veggie omelet with sriracha, baked sweet potato fries
I’ve also been doing some reading and researching on vegetarianism (in general, avoidance of animals like poultry, beef, pork and fish) and veganism (avoidance of all animals and animal products including dairy and eggs) – for both professional and personal reasons – in terms of health and sports performance. There’s plenty of research showing that vegetarians are generally “healthier” with less of a risk for chronic disease and obesity, and there’s even some research that shows veganism may be able to reverse some chronic diseases. Whether this is because of an increased focus on fruits and vegetables (and those powerful antioxidants), reduced intake of animal products and processed foods or a combination of both is the question that continues to be asked and answered with support for both sides. It’s also totally possible to eat like crap as a vegan or vegetarian (fake meats, refined carbohydrates, processed stuff), so there’s that to keep in mind too.
A lot of vegan athletes also claim they experienced shorter recovery times in between workouts after following a vegan diet – most famously, Scott Jurek, who wrote “Eat and Run” (great read!) and also that No Meat Athlete guy. This theory really gets me, because wouldn’t we all like to feel good enough to do more quality workouts in a shorter time period? Right now though, there isn’t a whole lot of research to know just exactly how vegan diets effect athletes and whether there is a huge difference between meat eaters and non-meat eaters. We do know that there are a ton of vegan athletes who are thriving these days, and that these diets can be nutritionally “complete.” It’s absolutely possible for vegans to get enough protein, carbohydrates and fat – it just requires a little extra work.
quick vegan dinner – sprouted grain tortilla, hummus, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, tomato, avocado, tofu
This is not the part where I say I’ve gone vegan, am shunning Greek yogurt for life (SAD) and telling all of my patients and clients to never eat meat again, but it’s something I’m going to keep researching and thinking more about. Right now, I think a diet can be healthy whether it includes animal products or not, and the main problems with “unhealthy” diets continue to be processed junk and portion size.
Partly because I’m so into this topic of late, I’ve started using more plant-based protein sources recently like beans and tofu, and it’s been fun to think of new meal combinations I haven’t tried before. Like I said, I don’t plan on becoming a total veghead any time soon, but more variety in the diet is never a bad thing!