4 principles to remember for vegans.

Don’t worry, you probably already know. Vegans have been parroting their trust in the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle since Cecil the Lion’s Great grandfather first trekked along the Sahara. Despite how long the arguments living vegan being an optimal choice for health, some facts will continue to be facts. The purpose isn’t to dissuade or persuade anyone on either opinion of plant-based lifestyles, but serves as a reminder, that like any proper diet, you’ll need to meet certain requirements. Vegan diets may have worked wonders for certain people that will shout it from the mountain tops, these people either did it correctly, or got lucky. Either way, if interested in pursuing a vegan lifestyle, always remember these standard principles of nutrition.

1.Calories in, calories out.

This may sound hard to believe, but being vegan alone may not help you lose weight! Sure, the strategy has worked for many, and principles of the diet can explain it, but at the end of the day, living plant based doesn’t make anyone exempt from the concept of “calories in, calories out.”

Vegetables will provide every macronutrient, as well as the often included macro, fiber. All macronutrients contain calories, and fiber is thought to have a caloric impact. If you have a surplus of calories, the body will store it, and if you have a deficit of calories, the body will used the stored calories….fat. It doesn't matter if that fat came from a cow or from a dandelion, that calorie will do what a calorie will do. Sparing animals doesn’t give you spiritual protection from getting fat, you have to understand that all the same rules of weight loss apply, in every diet!

A Donut can be a vegan Donut, and it will still make you a fatter Vegan.

Did you know that bread doesn’t have any animal product in it? Did you also know that bread can make you fat? So can grapes and strawberries. And definitely do not forget about Bananas, a medium sized one has as many carbohydrates as a Klondike bar. Vegan diets aren’t a safeguard against high glycemic index foods. Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, and bananas are also vegan friendly, but they’re not diabetic friendly. These foods all have sugar, and though they have invaluable vitamins and minerals, you must keep in mind that they are the same carbohydrates as a skittle, slice of bread, or gusher. Disregard the debate on animal ethics, but meat has calories, and fruits and vegetables have calories. Not many food choices get a free pass. Weight change is a quantitative change, not just a qualitative one. A loaf of wonder bread a day could be considered vegan eating, but it could also be considered a day of sh**tty eating. Make the right choices, veganism does not give you an exemption.

2.Whole food.

No doubt, there are significants benefits of a vegan diet. Possibly due to consuming mostly Earth grown nutrients, eating a broad variety of plant-based foods will ensure that you get substantial micronutrients from the food choices made. However, like crappy, non-nutritionally-dense foods that happen to contain meat, many unhealthy foods hide under the cloak of being vegan friendly. Those pea pod shaped crisps are not the same things as actual peas. Ease up on eating potato chips marketed towards PETA, and instead, stick to the foods planet earth hatched out for you. You wouldn’t have to send off a fruit or vegetable grown in your backyard to be processed and preserved by a food plant. Don’t compromise health by eating vegan alternatives like “Vegan Shrimp”, or “Vegan bacon” that are loaded with toxic additives. Think about an organic Chicken breast, vs. the Chicken patty you would find in a Hungry Man microwave dinner. Which would you rather have?

3. Pick Raw foods.

This goes for everybody. Using the Mock-vegan shrimp to get over the fact you removed shrimp from your diet will not do that many great things for your health. However, many people could use a lot more Asparagus, Spinach, Cauliflower, and other nutrient powerhouses.

Back to the Hungry Man example. Do you think you could live off of those? Doubt it, but our ancestors were able to live off of hungering and gathering, so whether your picking veggies or plinking animals, they’re better for you when they skip the factory. Maybe our ancestors had some parts of nutrition mastered more than we do.

While fruits and vegetables do sometimes come in cans, soaked in preservatives, don’t lean towards these options for your choice of plant based nutrition. Have it the way the Earth cooked it; raw!

Explosive movement needs the ATP-CP system.

4. Some micronutrients are only found in meat.

Yes, plants contain numerous different micronutrients, but they might miss some of the few found exclusively, or most prevalently in meat. Zinc and Iron are found most abundantly in red meats in particular, and fish contain Omega-3 and Omega-6. Other animal products also provide beneficial nutrients and ingredients, like bone broth and organ meats. Some vitamins missed by those without animal products in their diet include creatine, b12, DHA(Omega-3 fatty acid), and Heme-iron (the more easily absorbed form of iron.) Without these nutrients, it may be hard to reach micronutrient requirements, or fuel optimal athletic performance. Creatine is an essential part of the ATP-Phosphocreatine energy system, the one used in explosive, high-intensity activities lasting 10-30 seconds. It may be hard to put some power on your punch or your golf-swing living plant-based.

Along with a lack of creatine, going vegan may lead to B-12 deficiency. B-12 deficiency is prevalent in a litany of neuropsychiatric issues, and may contain links to Alzheimers. There are not many non-animal sources of B-12. Some seaweeds and Tempeh are believed to contain trace amounts of bioavailable B12, but nowhere near as much as an egg or steak would. Sure, it can be done, but people have to know how much more it would entail just from eliminating animal products from the food selection.

The big takeaway:

There is nothing wrong with a Vegan diet, but there is something wrong with having unrealistic expectations. Ask yourself why you are changing your diet. What do you want to accomplish with it. Principles are few, methods are many. If you have an outcome you want to produce that requires a vegan diet, go for it. Just know what substances fuel high performance, the nutrients needed to fuel homeostasis, and the calories needed to have the body you want. No diet is perfect for everybody, so stick to the principles that elicit the result.

Want to weigh less? Eat less. [calories]

Want to weigh more? Eat more. [Calories]

Need to fuel for endurance? Start storing energy. [Eat more]

Diet to be the machine you want to be.

Sources:

(1) Seafood diets: hypolipidemic and antiatherogenic effects of taurine and n-3 fatty acids. NCBI

(2) Vitamin B12 sources and bioavailability. NCBI

(3) Creatine: a review of efficacy and safety. NCBI

(4) Total iron and heme iron content and their distribution in beef meat and viscera.

(5) 7 Nutrients That You Can't Get From Plant Foods, Atli Arnarson, PHd.

David Corrado BS, CSCS, TSAC-F

David Corrado began his training career at age 18, volunteering as a fitness coach for students with intellectual disabilities in the Gainesville, Florida area. While at University of Florida, David became certified, and worked as a trainer and coach at the UF campus rec center. Having been certified through multiple curriculums including PTAG and the NSCA’s CSCS and TSAC-F certifications, David now trains in Boca Raton, Florida, specializing in functional strength training for working adults. He trains his clients at the Institute of Human Performance, in Boca Raton, Fl.