FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

coline wrote:Exactly the same as me at your age!

It's important to highlight that a sudden change in diet can cause unexpected negative effects but these effects are typically temporary; it's definitely worth consulting with your doctor before making any major changes and keep a journal of any changes in symptoms if you suffer from an ailment while trying this change.

Thank you so much for sharing this, Matt; I haven't read all of it yet but I'm so fascinated by the changes that can occur. At this point in time it isn't entirely possible for me to embrace such a diet (as I'm not in control of grocery shopping or the preparation of meals, for the most part) but I do find myself madly in love with eating vegetables. I think I'm 70% there, I'm already trying to reduce my processed food and sugar intake so it'll be interesting to see what these small and gradual changes do to my health.

I don't know as though I could hack a vegan diet but I'm more than happy to increase my vegetable intake and gradually start decreasing other foods.

Thank you again for sharing, will finish up reading in the near future (lots to take in).

Although I have no interest in dropping animal products, it is very interesting what you have posted! Thanks for taking the time to share .

Ah when I saw this post Forks Over Knives was the first thing that popped into my mind, good luck!

SO you literally have to beat the meat in that diet?

Daniel_G wrote:So, Matt, I'm gonna take your word for it and try vegan for a month. I won't be able to avoid bread, but it's wholewheat, and home made, so shouldn't be too bad I guess.

Yes, that's fine. I didn't clarify in the original post, but bread is actually good to eat (after all, it is a plant-based food), so long as it is whole-grain, minimally-processed bread. Most breads have been processed and refined to the point where they have little nutritional value and a lot of calories, added salts and other such things. In that case, bread would be better replaced with a whole grain choice, such as wild rice or quinoa.

Daniel_G wrote:Have you lost any muscle at all since you started?

No, I've actually gained muscle because I started lifting more often and working out harder due to the fact that my body recovers more quickly on this diet. I didn't go into the details in the original post, but one of the reasons that this diet is a good choice for athletes is that it will keep your body in an alkaline state. Most of the foods in the American (and other western countries), such as meat and dairy, are acid-forming. When your blood becomes acidic, recovery time is significantly slowed after workouts, due to the fact your body wants to maintain a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. I'm sure you're aware that lactic acid is what causes muscle soreness. If your body pH is more alkaline (you can test the pH of your urine if you're curious what your pH level is), you're better able to buffer the acid produced while working out, leading to a faster recovery and less soreness. I've never recovered faster after workouts than I have since going to a whole-foods, plant-based diet. It's amazing how quickly I recover now even after incredibly hard workouts. For example, yesterday I swam 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Today, I was right back in the pool swimming fast! Last year after I did the same swim, it took me 3 days before I felt even OK.

I'm proud of you for giving this diet a chance Daniel. Jumping in feet first usually isn't recommended, but it certainly can be done. However, most everything I've read and heard in documentaries recommends easing into a diet such as this one by not eliminating any specific foods, but rather adding in other foods that fit into the whole-foods, plant-based diet. Soon you'll begin craving the healthier, more nutritious foods.

Before you begin, having a plan is a good idea. I'd highly recommend ensuring that you get all of the nutrients you need while on it, otherwise the results may not be what they could. That book "Thrive" is an excellent reference book for what foods yield the nutrients that your body needs, especially as an athlete. Things to be aware of:
1) Where are your essential amino acids (there are 9 amino acids your body can't synthesize on its own) coming from? If you eat meat, you get all of them at once. Be sure to eat lots of leafy greens and sprouts (they contain a lot of amino acids), and a wide range of nuts, seeds and grains to get them all. Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and hemp seeds are all great. Each nut and seed contains a different amino acid profile, so eating many in combination will usually give you a good sampling of the entire spectrum. The only complete protein that I can recall (containing all 9 essential amino acids) in the plant world is hemp. Hemp protein is a great protein for anyone who needs to supplement their protein intake. But the reality is that if you eat a healthy, well-balanced plant-based diet, nearly everyone will consume enough protein without needing to supplement.
2) Are you getting enough iron? Iron is vital in the synthesis of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen through your blood stream and delivers it to the muscles. This is obviously also very important to athletes. Be sure to get a good source of iron in your diet. Pumpkin seeds, leafy greens and legumes (especially split peas) are exceptionally high in iron and are my primary source for it.
3) Essential Fatty acids, also know as omega fatty acids? Extremely important to overall health many ways (read more online or in a book if you wish to know more). Good sources for omega-3: flaxseed, flaxseed oil, all hemp products, and walnuts. Best sources for omega-6: all hemp products, seeds, most nuts, vegetable oils (including extra-virgin olive oil), avocados.
4) Vitamin B12? The requirement for it is low, but it is hard to find in most foods. Best plant-based sources are: chlorella, miso and nutritional yeast (aka brewer's yeast).
5) Calcium? Vital for bone strength and repair and also for smooth muscle contractions, which is highly important to an athlete. Be sure to eat leafy greens and sesame seeds to get enough calcium.
6) Vitamin D? - Get out in the sun at least a few minutes every day (15 minutes is sufficient) and you won't have any problems with vitamin D deficiency. If you can't seem to get sunlight for at least 15 minutes a day, nutritional yeast is a good source for it.

There is so much more I could discuss here, but I think those are probably the biggest ones to ensure that you're getting to keep your body healthy and running well when eating a plant-based diet. Any that I don't mention will likely be covered by one of the foods covering the above 6 listed nutrients.

Grey wrote:It's important to highlight that a sudden change in diet can cause unexpected negative effects but these effects are typically temporary; it's definitely worth consulting with your doctor before making any major changes and keep a journal of any changes in symptoms if you suffer from an ailment while trying this change.

Yes, this an excellent point; thank you for pointing this out Grey.

Grey wrote:Thank you so much for sharing this, Matt; I haven't read all of it yet but I'm so fascinated by the changes that can occur. At this point in time it isn't entirely possible for me to embrace such a diet (as I'm not in control of grocery shopping or the preparation of meals, for the most part) but I do find myself madly in love with eating vegetables. I think I'm 70% there, I'm already trying to reduce my processed food and sugar intake so it'll be interesting to see what these small and gradual changes do to my health.

If you're already 70% there, which is roughly where I was prior to educating myself further and making the decision to move to 100%, the transition can be quite quick and seamless, at least in my experience.

Grey wrote:I don't know as though I could hack a vegan diet but I'm more than happy to increase my vegetable intake and gradually start decreasing other foods.

That's really all it takes and is what I understand to be the best way to go!

Grey wrote:Thank you again for sharing, will finish up reading in the near future (lots to take in).

You're very welcome. And thank you so much for taking the time to read it

akinkysnorlax wrote:SO you literally have to beat the meat in that diet?

Multiple independent scientific studies suggest that eliminating all meat is the healthiest way to eat, yes. However, I think all things in moderation is fine. The problem is that most people don't understand "moderation" when it comes to meat and other animal products. Most experts agree that getting less than 10% of your calories from animal products (meat, dairy and eggs) likely has no significant long-term health effects. But most Americans eat far more than this. I can't recall the exact number, but I think it is upwards near 20% to 30% of the calories in average US diet that are coming from animal products. So if you want to eat an occasional piece of meat, have some cheese, drink some milk, eat some yogurt, have some eggs, etc., that's fine on the rare occasion. But it should be the exception to one's diet and not a regular part of the diet. Think of animal products as a "dessert" or "side dish" in the sense that you wouldn't want to feature cake or pie as the main dish for a meal. But it's perfectly fine to it a small portion size of it from time to time.

I will have to watch those tonight after I realize that with all these channels, there is still nothing to watch. More power to you, Matt! Glad your knee is doing better!

If you need or want a substitute for milk, I use Organic Silk (the unsweetened version). That stuff tastes better than milk, in my opinion. The sweetened version uses pure cane sugar, and still 'qualifies' as vegan... if you will.

I'd add, that you can improve the quality of your life just by taking processed foods out of it. Which can be extremely difficult once you realize how much processed food you eat during any given week. I have a couple guilty pleasures, the most important being my peanut butter multi grain cheerios. I believe in 'all things in moderation'... but my focus lately has been on proteins, good carbs and nutrient rich super foods (strictly organic). Yes, a definite improvement in my overall health and I'm down close to my high school weight... 20+ years later. Though, that's not just diet... I'm on day 23 of a 90 day workout schedule. I noticed a difference in a lot of things pretty much within a few days of changing the way I eat. Energy being the biggest change...

Also Matt, I can't find it now... but I thought I read that you like to go out for fish/sushi. Fatty, cold water fish (wild, not farmed) are Omega 3 rich fish (salmon, herring, sardines)... which have been found to help arthritis. You can also get omega 3's from flax seeds and walnuts.

cyph3r_gfy wrote:I'd add, that you can improve the quality of your life just by taking processed foods out of it.

Yes, if there were one thing that I'd say would make the biggest positive impact in one's overall health, it is this (taking processed foods out of the diet).

cyph3r_gfy wrote:Yes, a definite improvement in my overall health and I'm down close to my high school weight... 20+ years later.

That's incredible! Congratulations! I doubt I'll ever reach my high school weight again. I weight 160 pounds in high school and was 2 inches shorter than I am now. I haven't been under 175 since I was a sophomore in college (when I pretty much stopped growing).

cyph3r_gfy wrote:Also Matt, I can't find it now... but I thought I read that you like to go out for fish/sushi. Fatty, cold water fish (wild, not farmed) are Omega 3 rich fish (salmon, herring, sardines)... which have been found to help arthritis.

Yes, I do love fish and sushi and was eating them 3 or 4 times per week before making this recent diet change. I have replaced those sources of protein and omega 3's with the ones you mention (flax seeds and walnuts) along with others.

Hippie!

J/k . My wife changed to a vegan diet a couple years ago but gradually started making a few exceptions (such as dairy) when eating at home. How do you get your B vitamins, Matt? I've heard getting enough, and not just ingesting, but absorbing can be an issue w/out meat. (Edit: Just saw your response above about sources, but still curious whether it requires something specific for absorption).

At the same time my wife changed her diet, I started learning just how bad factory farms are and more importantly to me, how large of a percentage of our food comes from these farms (like 98%). I had seen bits of the horrible pictures/video footage when I was younger but had just assumed these were exceptional cases that would be shut down now that the truth was out. But in reality, they are the widely accepted norm. It is the food Americans eat. Not only do I not want to support unnecessary, unethical, and cruel treatment of animals, I don't want to be eating hormone injected, pesticide infused, meat/dairy from diseased animals! People blame our ailments on things like animal products and childhood vaccinations, but I wonder how much of it is what's in those animal products that shouldn't be. That's what I'm looking at when I hear about things like childhood autism on the rise.

So many people say, in a knee-jerk reaction, "Oh, I love meat too much to go vegan" (sometimes substituting the word "bacon" for "meat"). But I don't think a diet change has to be so black and white. I've never liked vegetables or many fruits. So the idea of changing my diet was scary. But I started thinking, if I'm going to eat meat, I should have no problem with where the animal came from or how it died, and I should be willing to kill it myself, if I had to. That last part really made me think about how much meat I was eating and how often I'd be in my back yard killing animals if I raised them myself. I made the shift from thinking of meat as a main course to thinking of it as an occasional supplement. What I decided to do was cut out about 3/4 of the meat in my diet (maybe a little more) and replace it with healthier, plant-based foods or dairy. Not only is this healthier, it's cheaper. That allows me to afford meat & dairy from responsible farms with healthy, and well treated animals. The hard part about this change was no longer eating fast food or meat at restaurants. Changing the food I cook at home hasn't been hard at all, it's been an improvement. Since I've started gardening, my brain & palette has become more accepting of vegetables too. Something about growing them myself & seeing where they come from made them more appetizing to me. Some of them. Not all. Squash can suck it.

Some of what I eat: There's a lot of good alternatives to eating just a chunk of meat as a meal. I try to eat less red meat than poultry/fish and have stopped eating pork. I love Whole Foods' Animal Welfare Rating program and buy mostly level 4 and up meat. I've switched from eating beef hamburgers to Morning Star veggie burgers, not because I decided against beef burgers, but because the Morning Star burgers are delicious! I use Italian style seitan in my spaghetti sauce instead of beef (occasionally with half of a Whole Foods chicken Italian sausage) I've also started cutting my ground beef 50/50 with seitan or ground Tofurkey. Even fast food restaurants will cut their meat with soy so it's nothing foreign. Whole Foods has this awesome turkey ham which is good for pork-free sandwiches too. Organic Valley and Vital Farms are great sources of milk and eggs, respectively, if they're available to you.

This diet definitely doesn't qualify as "health food" but is my attempt to do my part to consume a naturally sustainable level of animal products and say "no" to factory farms. I think if everyone adopted at least a diet like this, there would be huge health improvements and a change in the farming industry. So when I say in the subject line, I think there's a happy medium, I mean as a transitional step that many people may be more likely to accept than switching to hardcore veganism right off the bat. There would still be room for improvement, but it is a start. Maybe one day I'll be brave and disciplined enough to move completely to a superior diet like yours, Matt, and thanks for sharing about it. I don't know that I'll ever find it necessary to completely cut out meat, but no doubt eating everything your eating is extremely healthy. I'll have to look more into the negative/inflammatory effects of dairy, that was news to me.

I encourage everyone to go check out where the food you eat comes from, plant or animal products, and decide if it's what you want to be eating. Check out factory farming footage. It is hard to watch, but it really is what you are eating AND funding unless you are taking deliberate steps not to.

xr280xr wrote:occasionally with half of a Whole Foods chicken Italian sausage

That stuff is the shiznit, tastes much better than the turkey version... no exactly sure why. Turkey, for the record, is considered a super food.

xr280xr wrote:Squash can suck it.

I LOL'd at work, and got all kinds of stink eyes when I first read that.

Someone's been terribly cooking squash for you then. That stuff is awesome too, if prepared properly. I prefer grilled with a little EVOO.

That's great Matt! Congratulations for changing your diet to a whole foods diet!

I am the same way, I drink every single day barley grass with chrollela and a bunch of others leafy greens mixed together but the most important to me is spirulina.... Check the information about it, although I bet you already know what it is. I suggest you read a book is called the green food bible, highly recommended for you!

Another point I want to make that it really isn't the dairy food and the meat and chicken that is dangerous. The real problem with the USA is that they are fanatics of using NASTY FOOD ADDITIVES. I try to avoid them as much as possible. I changed my diet about 8-9months ago to hust eating fish and vegerables + spirulina and barley grass and since then I haven't been sick at all + i feel like I have more energy than before.
Back to the point about food additives, USA companies like monsanto put a lot of food additives that aren't necessary at all. Europe tightly regulates food additives and is against most of the additives. An article was written about the ingredients that macaroni and cheese has in europe compare to USA. While the USA list is extremely long and hard to read all of the contents, the europe macaroni and cheese list is extrmely short. My question is, why USA puts more food additives than europe does? What is the secret behind it?

USA education about a healthy diet sucks, part of the reason why americans get sick often and end up with tons of diseases is because of this.
I don't have much time to write and fully explain my points but I will if I can!

These articles are in french but are good articles regarding the cons and pros of food additives GMO foods and all that, also there is a list of harmful food additives which around 500 of them can cause cancer, hyperactivity, or asthma and bunch of other diseases.
Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdoMKyMy_6Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvAvclbtbtM

Articles
http://www.dossierfamilial.com/sante-ps ... aires,6058

http://www.dossierfamilial.com/conso/dr ... uette,1185

http://www.consoglobe.com/additifs-alim ... ngereux-cg


I do have a list of the additives:

Dangerous Food Additives table
Additive Number
Name of Food Additive
Hyper-
activity
Asthma
Cancer

102 & E102
Tartrazine (food color)
H
A
C

104 & E104
Quinoline Yellow (food color)
H
A
C

107 & E107
Yellow 2G (food color)
H
A
C

110 & E110
Sunset Yellow (Yellow food color #6)
H
A
C

120 & E120
Carmines, Cochineal (food color)
H
A
-

122 & E122
Azorubine, Carmoisine (food color)
H
A
C

123 & E123
Amaranth (Red food color #2)
H
A
C

124 & E124
Ponceau, Brilliant Scarlet (food color)
H
A
C

127 & E127
Erythrosine (Red food color #2)
H
A
C

E128
Red 2G (Red food color)
H
A
C

129 & E129
Allura Red AC (food color)
H
A
C

E131
Patent Blue (food color)
H
A
C

132 & E132
Indigotine, Indigo Carmine (food color)
H
A
C

133 & E133
Brilliant Blue (food color)
H
A
C

142 & E142
Acid Brilliant Green, Green S, Food Green (food color)
H
A
-

143
Fast Green (food color)
-
A
-

150 & E150
Caramel (food color)
H
-
-

151 & E151
Activated Vegetable Carbons, Brilliant Black (food color)
H
A
C

154
Food Brown, Kipper Brown, Brown FK (food color)
H
A
C

155 & E155
Chocolate Brown HT, Brown HT (food color)
H
A
C

160b & E160b
Bixin, Norbixin, Annatto Extracts (yellow, red to brown natural colors)
H
A
-

E171
Titanium Dioxide, TiO2 (to give foods an opaque color)
more on Titanium Dioxide in comments below ↴
?
?
?

E173
Aluminium (preservatives)
-
-
C

E180
Latol Rubine, Pigment Rubine (preservatives)
H
A
C

200 &
E200-203
Potassium & Calcium Sorbates ,Sorbic Acid (preservatives)
H
A
-

210 & E210
Benzoic Acid (preservatives)
H
A
-

211 & E211
Sodium Benzoate (preservatives)
H
A
C

212 & E212
Potassium Benzoate (preservatives)
-
A
-

213 & E213
Calcium Benzoate (preservatives)
-
A
-

E214
Ethyl Para Hydroxybenzonate (preservatives)
-
A
-

E215
Sodium Ethyl Para Hydroxybenzonate (preservatives)
-
A
-

216 & E216
Propyl P Hydroxybenzonate, Propylparaben (preservatives)
-
A
-

E217
Sodium Propyl P Hydroxybenzonate (preservatives)
-
A
-

220 & E220
Sulphur Dioxide also Sulfur dioxide (preservatives)
H
A
-

221 & E221
Sodium Sulfite or Sodium Sulphite (preservatives)
-
A
-

222
Sodium Bisulfite or Sodium Bisulphite (preservatives)
-
A
-

223 & E223
Sodium Metabisulfite or Sodium Metabisulphite (preservatives)
-
A
-

224 & E224
Potassium Metabisulphite or Potassium Metabisulfite (preservatives)
-
A
-

225 & E225
Potassium Sulfite or Potassium Sulphite (preservatives)
-
A
-

E226
Calcium Sulfite or Calcium Sulphite (preservatives)
-
A
-

E227
Calcium Hydrogen Sulphite or Calcium Hydrogen Sulfite (preservatives)
-
A
-

E228
Potassium Bisulfite, Potassium Hydrogen Sulfite or Potassium Bisulphite, Potassium Hydrogen Sulphite (preservatives)
H
A
-

E230
Diphenyl, Biphenyl (preservatives)
-
-
C

E231
Orthophenyl Phenol (preservatives)
-
-
C

E236
Formic Acid (preservative)
-
-
C

E239
Hexamine, Hexamethylene Tetramine (preservatives)
-
-
C

249 & E249
Potassium Nitrate (preservative)
-
A
C

250 & E250
Sodium Nitrite (preservative)
H
A
C

251 & E251
Sodium Nitrate (preservative)
H
-
C

252 & E252
Potassium Nitrate (preservative)
H
-
C

260 & E260
Acetic Acid, Glacial (preservatives)
-
A
-

280 to 283
Calcium or Potassium or Sodium Propionates, Propionic Acid (preservatives)
H
A
-

310 & E310
Propyl Gallate (Synthetic Antioxidant)
-
A
C

311 & E311
Octyl Gallate (Synthetic Antioxidant)
-
A
-

312 & E312
Dodecyl Gallate (Synthetic Antioxidant)
-
A
-

319 & E319
TBHQ, Tert Butylhydroquinone (Synthetic Antioxidants)
H
A
-

320 & E320
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) (Synthetic Antioxidants)
H
A
C

321 & E321
Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) or Butylhydroxytoluene (Synthetic Antioxidants)
H
A
C

330 & E330
Citric Acid (NOT DANGEROUS if naturally occurring e330 & 330 citric acid additive – but other can contain sulfites and mold, explained earlier in the article above this table and the printable version link.)
-
-
-

407 & E407
Carrageenan (Thickening & Stabilizing Agent)
-
A
C

413 & E413
Tragacanth (thickener & Emulsifier)
-
A
-

414 & E414
Acacia Gum (Food Stabilizer)
-
A
-

416
Karaya Gum (Laxative, Food Thickener & Emulsifier)
-
A
-

421 & E421
Mannitol (Artificial Sweetener)
H
-
-

430
Polyxyethylene Stearate (Emulsifier)
-
-
C

431
Polyxyl Stearate (Emulsifier)
-
-
C

E432 – E435
Polyoxyethylene Sorbitan Monostearate (Emulsifiers Gelling Stabilisers Thickeners Agents)
-
-
C

433 – 436
Polysorbate (Emulsifiers)
-
-
C

441 & E441
Gelatine (Food Gelling Agent)
-
A
-

466
Sodium CarboxyMethyl Cellulose
-
-
C

507 & E507
Hydrochloric Acid (Hydrolyzing Enhancer & Gelatin Production)
-
-
C

518 & E518
Magnesium Sulphate (Tofu Coagulant)
-
-
C

536 & E536
Potassium Ferrocyanide (Anti Caking Agent)
-
A
-

553 & E553 & E553b
Talc (Anti Caking, Filling, Softener, Agent)
-
-
C

620 – 625
MSG Monosodium Glutamate, Glutamic Acid, all Glutamates (Flavour Enhancers)
H
A
C

627 & E627
Disodium Guanylate (Flavour Enhancers)
H
A
-

631 & E631
Disodium Inosinate 5 (Flavour Enhancers)
-
A
-

635 & E635
Disodium Ribonucleotides 5 (Flavour Enhancers)
-
A
-

903 & E903
Camauba Wax (used in Chewing Gums, Coating and Glazing Agents)
-
-
C

905 & 905 a,b,c
Paraffin and Vaseline, White Mineral Oil (Solvents, Coating and Glazing, Anti Foaming Agents, Lubricant in Chewing Gums)
-
-
C

924 & E924
Potassium Bromate (Agent used in Bleaching Flour)
-
-
C

925 & E925
Chlorine (Agent used in Bleaching Flour, Bread Enhancer and Stabiliser)
-
-
C

926
Chlorine Dioxide (Bleaching Flour and Preservative Agent)
-
-
C

928 & E928
Benzoyl Peroxide (Bleaching Flour and Bread enhancer Agent)

jht-union wrote:My question is, why USA puts more food additives than europe does? What is the secret behind it?

$$

It's no secret. It's one of the pitfalls of pure capitalism that has not been regulated away in the US. Longer shelf life is the reason for many of the additives. I think some of them are for cheaper processing or to allow cheaper ingredients to be used. Americans also like their food coloring. Remember Crystal Pepsi? Pepsi without the caramel color. Didn't sell.

Informative post Matt, I know some one who's gone all vegan he looked a strong big fella befor but I think he's gone way over the top with it all, now he looks emaciated. Even plants eat meat, lol

jht-union wrote:I am the same way, I drink every single day barley grass with chrollela and a bunch of others leafy greens mixed together but the most important to me is spirulina.... Check the information about it, although I bet you already know what it is. I suggest you read a book is called the green food bible, highly recommended for you!

Thanks for the information Jacobo! I do also drink chlorella along with chlorophyll and eat a lot of leafy greens I believe is in spirulina the Vega One nutritional shake, but I should probably purchase some myself to add to my juice.

jht-union wrote:Another point I want to make that it really isn't the dairy food and the meat and chicken that is dangerous. The real problem with the USA is that they are fanatics of using NASTY FOOD ADDITIVES.

While the additives in food are definitely a serious problem, it has been scientifically shown that eating any animal products in significant quantities (greater than 10% of daily caloric intake), dramatically increases one's chance for heart disease, cancer, obesity and other serious diseases.

I totally agree though, that for the majority of Americans, the more serious problem for their health is the eating of processed foods loaded with all sorts of chemicals.

Dr GreenThumb wrote:I know some one who's gone all vegan he looked a strong big fella befor but I think he's gone way over the top with it all, now he looks emaciated. Even plants eat meat, lol

What does he eat? I've seen both ends of the spectrum. There are plenty of vegans that maintain an insane amount of muscle mass (think vegan body builders). And then there are those who eat "vegan" but not in an entirely healthy way. Remember the term "vegan" simply means that one does not eat animal products. It really says very little about what the individual is actually eating...