If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I am no vegan. I like my animal products, but last week I was able to experience authentic vegan cooking from my good friend and Vegan Chef Charlie. Charlie and I had many discussions regarding veganism, and we were able to come up with 3 things that he and I thought it was important to know and clarify.
- Vegan does NOT mean healthy. I thought this was a HUGE deal, because my belief has always been that vegans are supposed to be healthy. Well, that’s NOT the premise. The primary reason for going vegan is to live sustainably and save the animals while doing so. I always thought that vegans were trying to save animals AND be healthy, so I did not understand the vegans that exist that are eating potato chips and candy bars all day. You know who you are.
- Vegan athletes SUPPLEMENT. Meaning if eating vegan, and avoiding faux meat, you are simply not getting a lot of protein. Fruits, vegetables, and grains are natural and great for your body, but they are low in protein, the nutrient required to build and maintain muscle. Vegetables, fruit, and grains CONTAIN protein, but not in the amounts that can be found in animal products or to the extent that a body builder would require. They are actually higher in carbs then anything else (including nuts and beans). This is simply math, so if you don’t believe me, DM me and I’ll show you. So in order to get that 1g per pound of body weight, you have to supplement with Protein Powders. So all the professional vegan athletes you see out there are tracking their protein and supplementing with various protein based products.
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Plant Based vs Vegan: This was a huge clarity point for me. I continued to harp on the fact that many vegans eat terribly, filling their bodies with processed foods (see point 1), but what Charlie clarified for me, was that my understanding of a “real vegan” was more similar to the idea of living “plant based” i.e. whole foods, vegetables, no fake meat, you get the idea.
What are your thoughts on #veganism Drop me a comment via email at htphysique@gmail.com or click here to message me directly. Let’s talk about it.
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