Pros and Cons of Going Vegan

I was thrilled when I heard that Jean Enersen of KING 5 was talking about the pros and cons of going vegan on HealthLink. I admit, I also had a bit of trepidation about what cons they might conjure up. Thankfully, I never heard any cons. My Seattle based Slender For Life™ weight loss program supports the vegan eating strategy recommended by nutritional experts like Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. John McDougall. At Slender For Life™ I talk about eating real food – food that looks like it was dug out of the earth, picked off a plant or bush or out of a tree. My book, Becoming Slender For Life and its hypnosis CD set offers you tools and resources to support you with weight loss and healthy eating.

Pros and Cons of Going Vegan

“It is a little bit of a change and whole lot of people know that they want to do it because they know if they do it they can get rid of all the cholesterol, all of the animal fat and they can be slim and healthy,” said Dr. Neal Barnard from the Physicians for Responsible Medicine. Dr. Barnard says a plant-based diet can help people lower their cholesterol, blood pressure, and lose weight. But it does require a lot of meal planning. Vegan convenience foods can help ease the transition, but dietitians say just because it’s vegan, doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

“If it comes in a package, it’s still a processed food,” said registered dietician Rececca Scritchfield.

All that food can still be packed with calories, sodium and sugar, so read labels carefully, she advised.

Read Pros and Cons of Going Vegan

The use of processed foods in any eating strategy should be minimized. Sometimes I hear from clients that they are trying to take short cuts to healthy eating by purchasing packaged vegan convenience meals. When I send them home to read the label, they rarely continue to purchase processed food.

In the news clip, the question is raised about protein. Just a few weeks ago I wrote Where do you get your Protein if you don’t eat Meat? where I pointed out that if you are healthy, it is impossible for you to have a protein deficiency if you only eat plant-based food. The question I always ask is, “Who do you know that has a protein deficiency?” The answer, “no one.”

My book, Becoming Slender For Life and its hypnosis CD set can support you in making the lifestyle changes necessary for your health.

My Simple Recipes ~ Jeff Novick, MS, RD is an excellent resource for simple, fast, inexpensive and healthy meals. To learn more about vitamin B12, read Vitamin B12 Deficiency—the Meat-eaters’ Last Stand, by Dr. John McDougall.

Read Eating Your Way to Heart Health
~ Sanjay Gupta

Thank you Jean Enersen and KING 5 HealthLink for promoting healthy vegan eating.

Check out Slender For Life™ and call (206) 903-1232 or email for your free consultation.

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