Vegan vs Plant Based

Vegan vs Plant-Based

 

Many people wonder what is the difference between a whole foods, plant-based and a vegan diet?

A plant based diet centres around plant foods. Fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. No animal products. No meat, fish, butter, milk, eggs, cheese, gelatin or other animal by-product. 

Being a vegan is a lifestyle choice that involves the personal ethics of using animals for food, clothing, cosmetics or other products.

A plant-based diet would be a vegan diet, but a vegan diet may not be a plant based diet. Oreos are vegan, so are corn chips, faux meats, vegan “cheese”. You don’t have to be either/or, but you may make different choices depending on your goals. I would like to be 100% vegan, but I am not. I wear wool and I own leather shoes. I also would also like to be more plant-based, and that is my personal challenge.

Can I eat a whole foods, plant-based diet for the month?

I believe a plant-based diet is the best diet and I am not alone. When people ask me about why they might choose a plant based diet. My reasons are always your health, the health of the environment and the health of the animals. Here are my top 3 reasons in each of these category.

Personal Health Reasons:

1. Vegans weigh less than meat eaters.
2. Vegans live longer than meat eaters.
3. Plant based diets can reverse and prevent most chronic diseases.

Environmental Health Reasons:

1. We need 1.5-2 planet earths to sustain the current livestock production.
2. Producing animals for food is the number one cause of climate change.
3. 70-80% of antibiotics are fed to HEALTHY animals to prevent infections from living in filthy conditions.

Animal Health Reasons:

1. There is no such thing as humane meat.
2. Standard practices for the treatment of animals is inhumane torture.
3. Standard practices for the killing of animals is barbaric and inhumane.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the largest healthcare organization in the US, recently announced 

“AND finds the vegan diet is best for reducing the risk of (and treating) illness such as heart disease, hypertension, some forms of cancer, and type 2 diabetes. AND deemed vegan diets effective at promoting a lower body mass index, more environmentally friendly than other diets, and safe for people in all stages of life—including athletes, pregnant women, children, and older adults.”

Kaiser Permanente the largest health care provider in the US advises their 17,000 doctors to recommend the most powerful prescription to their patients: a healthy, plant-based diet and active lifestyle.

There is a difference between plant-based and vegan. They both have benefits. Whichever you choose you are making a difference to your health and the world around you. There really is no down side to eating a more plant-based diet, and it’s delicious.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla