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Vegetarian vs. vegan: When and why to make the switch
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For many vegans, the first step to ditching all animal-related foods is to become a vegetarian. Cutting out pork, beef, poultry.jpg)
and fish isn’t all that difficult given all the delicious, healthy alternatives that are available these days. But cutting out dairy products can be a struggle for many vegetarians. The ease of eating out is lessened greatly with a vegan diet. Budget concerns are another issue as many of the vegan selections are a bit more costly than non-vegan foods.
Monetary and convenience issues aside, what are the pros and cons to going vegan? Finding cons is nearly impossible to be perfectly honest. The pros definitely outweigh in this situation. Any vegetarian who cuts meat out of their diet for the sake of the animals has a hard time finding it ‘okay’ to consume dairy with the knowledge of where it comes from. As a reader commented in a previous article, cows do mourn the loss of their babies just like humans do. Many dairy farmers strip the mother of her calf so they can hook her up to a milking machine. The calf is often turned in to veal, which is another sickening thought.
One potential (yet debatable) con to going vegan is the nutritional aspect. Many people go about it poorly and fail to find the right balance of foods to maintain a healthy diet. However, if done correctly, a vegan diet can be just as healthy as a well-balanced vegetarian diet, if not more so. There have been studies (found here on a German website translated to English, so it's a little rough to read) on the effects of a vegan lifestyle stating that vegans cannot get enough iron from a completely meat and dairy-free diet. Iron taken from plants only contributes about 5% to our bloodstream (meaning it helps the bone marrow to reproduce new blood cells to replenish our body’s blood supply). Iron from meat or dairy products can contribute up to 40%.
As the Milford Vegetarian Examiner wrote, The American Dietetic Association has reported that “Vegetarian/Vegan diets are healthful”. Well, of course they are. Cutting out processed meats and cutting down on all the bad ripple effects that come with consuming it HAS to be healthier than the alternative. But the point being, a vegetarian diet helps the consumer, the animals and the world a lot more than a carnivorous diet. A vegan diet just takes it that extra step further. It all boils down to the individual. The decision to become vegan is a great one, but don’t feel guilty for sticking with a vegetarian diet. It wouldn’t hurt trying out a vegan diet for a week or so to see how it fits in to your life though. Check out some articles from the Vegan Examiner for more information on going vegan.
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