Sure most vegans think they are healthy vegans. Do they really know what they are talking about? Well on one hand, anyone who is taking steps in their life to eliminate diet and behavioral elements that cause disease and poor health should be commended. On the other hand, there are an almost infinite number of recipes for success in terms of how to become a healthy vegan. Let’s face it, perfect health does not magically descend upon you as soon as you give up consuming animal products.
Many people visiting this site will be in a different camp, health-wise. The journey for someone who is gluten intolerant or who has significant gluten sensitivity is long and often fraught with setbacks. It took me years to clean up my diet completely so that my digestive tract could heal properly. It also took a long time to create new habits in terms of where, when, and how I ate so that I would not accidentally get dosed with gluten. Sure, I was getting healthier and healthier overall, but was I healthier than a gluten and animal eater? No.
What about those people who either do not have a gluten issue or have figured it out completely? Then the last paragraph would not really apply to you and most of those people might be tend to be in the super healthy category, right? Well, not necessarily. Ultimately, to become a healthy vegan, balance must be maintained, which means getting enough fat and complete protein in your diet as well as complex carbs (that is GF carbs for us).
Next, if your “healthy vegan” meals are actually low fat. Low protein, low calorie dishes like iceberg lettuce salads, then you may be snacking on a whole lot of unhealthy foods to fill the void. Even if you are getting by on willpower and skipping the chips, candy, and cookies (occasional moderation notwithstanding, of course, then you may be facing a nutritional deficiency. Oh, and do not expect a simple multivitamin to fill that void. A healthy vegan learns how to balance their diet with healthy snacks as well as healthy, rich and satisfying meals that really meet the bodies needs.
