A vegan diet excludes all animal products and by-products, like meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. It focuses on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Vegans often rely on alternatives like soy milk and tofu.
Commonly consumed vegan foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes (beans, lentils), nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh, plant-based milk, and meat substitutes made from soy, wheat, gluten, or peas.
A big problem with the vegan diet is that insufficient high-quality protein in a vegan diet may arise due to incomplete amino acid profiles in some plant sources. Combining diverse protein sources throughout the day can mitigate this. Likewise, obtaining certain nutrients like B12, heme iron, and specific omega-3s from animal products requires careful planning or supplementation.
A vegan diet can offer benefits like reduced risk of chronic diseases, lower cholesterol levels, and improved weight management.
We advise against the vegan diet, particularly for those aiming to build muscle. The limited protein variety and potential amino acid deficiencies in plant-based sources might hinder optimal muscle growth and recovery compared to diets including animal-derived protein. But building a great physique and living an extraordinary life with the diet is possible.
From an environmental perspective, adopting a vegan lifestyle can yield benefits like reduced carbon emissions and water usage associated with livestock farming. However, there are downsides, too, like monoculture farming practices that harm biodiversity and the unintended consequences of pest control methods that can impact smaller animals during plant cultivation.
