Hello everyone! We are going to kick off part two of “Kickstarting Your Health” with two similar but very different lifestyle choices of eating. So if you ever wondered what the difference between being vegetarian and being vegan is, you’re not alone. Many people, consider and explore these options when making a choice to change their diets due to health factors or just to eat healthier. There are many misconceptions of ideas concerning both categories and what they actually entail. We are going to delve into details about both vegetarian and vegan ways of life.

Vegetarian-

When you think of the term “vegetarian”, what comes to mind? Eating endless bowls of salad through out the day? Fruit plates that don’t sound or look appetizing? Or perhaps, imaging yourself eating a head of lettuce for dinner with side of cherry tomatoes? Not appealing? I don’t think so either. These are just a few of the many misconceptions people have about what it means to be a vegetarian. But, what does being a vegetarian really mean? What are the foods vegetarians eat? Fruits and vegetables? Well there is more to it than that my friends. I have been so lucky to actually experience this way of life in the last few months and will touch more on that topic at the end of this blog.

“Vegetarianism” is a term used to describe people who do not consume animal flesh, but may or may not consume animal products.For a more exact definition, you can look up any dictionary or reference webpage for more information on the term. What are we talking about here, what types of animal flesh? Most vegetarians, do not consume animal flesh, with a few exceptions. The includes: poultry, pork, red meat, fish, shellfish or any type of seafood. “Semi-vegetarians” mainly stick to a vegetarian diet but occasionally eat a particular group of meat. (example: just chicken, or seafood etc.) So, you may be asking yourself, why do people do this? What is the benefit of choosing to eat this way? There are variety of reasons why people choose to be vegetarian. For some, the reasons are health related and are necessary and for others, it is simply by choice. Being vegetarian is definitely a cleaner way of eating. It aids in digestion and has been proven to improve one’s health overall significantly. Why is that, you may ask? When we consume fruits and vegetables, especially in raw form, our bodies absorb the nutrients and minerals much more rapidly. Processed foods (which many of us consume on a daily basis, multiple times a day) along with meat, take a longer time for our bodies to process the vital nutrients from. There are countless articles, blogs, books, reports and documentaries that support these findings. Just do a little research and you will be bombarded with mountains of information that discuss the effects these different foods have on our bodies.

What else can vegetarians eat besides fruits and vegetables? To mention a few: bread, grains, pasta, tortillas, peanut butter, tofu, chips, crackers, candy, etc. Being vegetarian doesn’t mean you can’t eat processed foods or goodies (examples: French fries, chocolate, soda, etc.) It simply means, you typically don’t consume animal flesh, compared to say a omnivore. What about other animal related foods, such as: eggs, butter, milk, etc? As a vegetarian, you can still choose to consume these animal by-products. Many vegetarians still enjoy, cheese pizza, chocolate milk shakes, pastries made with eggs and butter and many more items. There are several fancy names that are attached to these folks too, such as: Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat both and egg and dairy products, Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products and no eggs, Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but no dairy and then are Vegans, which eat no animal products. You can find complete lists of foods that are vegetarian based, online and published in books.

Vegan-

There are different degrees of being vegan. Some people will not consume ,purchase or dress in animal made products, which can consist of leather boots, cosmetics, to consuming dairy products or eggs. The degree of each is a personal choice. Becoming a vegan for most, is a uphill battle. Although, I have been fortunate to know a few vegans (and am related to one 🙂 ), and understand their life a little more in depth. Soy is a big nutritional supplement for protein in lieu of meat. Seitan (wheat meat), tempeh (soy product) tofu, (soy) and textured vegetable protein are a few varieties of different types of “meat substitutes”. Vegetables, rice, breads and doughs made without eggs, pasta made without eggs and tortillas are a few other food items vegans may consume. So is it difficult being vegan? You bet!  My husband and I  went on a vegan fast for 3 weeks, and let me tell you, we had to think about everything we were eating. Almost everything, has some type of animal product in it. Being conscious, reading labels and learning what foods do not contain animal products was a challenge. We were successful in completing our fast, but it was very hard.

People who choose to eat a plant-based diet, are making a very conscious decision to change their life. Eating a plant-based diet not only vastly improves your health , it can lower your risks of having to live on medications as we get older. Many people who have had  health problems such as: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight, have all had significant improvements when being placed on a plant-based diet. The research is out there that yield the results. Changing our habits and learning to eat healthier is a challenge for most of us. Sugar, or some form of sugar, is put into almost everything we eat. Making foods (that we don’t even realize) very addictive and that tend to cause us to overeat. Educating yourself and learning from the information available out there, could be very beneficial for you and your family.

Now it’s not to say that eating meat, or being an omnivore is a bad thing. It is not. Eating healthy proteins and complex carbohydrates (like leafy green vegetables) is a very healthy way to live. It’s just your preference on what you choose to be. As I mentioned earlier in the blog that I would share my own experience of being a vegetarian. My husband was having some stomach issues and so we narrowed down and eliminated some particular food groups, to identify the cause of his discomfort. We tried eliminating gluten, dairy, and grains but he still had discomfort. We decided to eliminate  meat products to measure any difference in his progress. Bingo!! That was it! So for the last year we became vegetarians and enjoyed our new lifestyle. Many people have a misconception that when you’re a vegetarian, you are super skinny. That is not true at all!  We still ate sugar and carbohydrates, and did not participate much in any type of exercise. So, we were not the typical stereotype of a “skinny vegetarian” in the least. We finally figured out that the issue that my husband was having was from eating foods that were highly processed and GMO’d (genetically modified organism). The sad thing is, most foods have GMO’s in them. A lot of meat that you see at your local supermarket, have antibiotics, hormones, and steroids that are all given to the animal prior to being butchered, to fatten them up and produced bigger sized portions. The next step is, we eat them. You can imagine the effect it has on our bodies.

This was just a little insight on two very different lifestyles. If you’re wondering about what it is like to be a vegetarian, or a vegan, there’s so much information out there that can help you get started. Or if you are interested in learning more about plant-based diets and how they can be beneficial to your life, there are videos, books, and tons of articles on these topics. I hope you guys enjoyed this blog, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I taken on a new direction in my life that has consumed much of my time. I will share that with you in the near future, but for now, I will see you guys later 🙂 Journei beyond!

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash