Is veganism healthy?
It’s important to remember that veganism is not a diet, nor is it a health movement. It’s a moral and ethical philosophy against animal exploitation, and that’s it. But in addition to veganism being the best thing for the animals, it just so happens to be the best thing for your health, assuming you’re eating a relatively healthy diet and not exclusively vegan junk food. So even though one of the criticisms we often hear is how unhealthy veganism is, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
We know that getting protein as a vegan is easy as a vegan, despite the myth that we are protein deficient because “protein is only found in meat.”
We know that we don’t need to take a ton of supplements despite the claims we keep hearing (but please, make sure you are getting B12 through a supplement or fortified food).
And, most importantly, we know that veganism is acknowledged as healthy for people in all stages of life, and is recommended by numerous expert organizations in the dietetic and medical fields:
University of Bologna “Cardiovascular health and cancer risk associated with plant based diets: An umbrella review”: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300711
Here’s an article that explains the findings in layman’s terms: https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/yes-plant-based-diets-really-are-better-for-your-health-review-finds-386813
Stanford Medicine “Cardiometabolic Effects of Omnivorous vs Vegan Diets in Identical Twins - A Randomized Clinical Trial”: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2812392
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition “Dietary protein intake in midlife in relation to healthy aging – results from the prospective Nurses’ Health Study cohort”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523662823
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics “Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on Vegan Diets”: https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(16)31192-3/abstract
United Kingdom National Health Service “The vegan diet”: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-vegan-diet/
British Nutrition Foundation “Vegetarian and vegan diets”: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/putting-it-into-practice/plant-based-diets/healthy-eating-for-vegetarians-and-vegans/
British Dietetics Association “Vegetarian, vegan and plant-based diet”: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/vegetarian-vegan-plant-based-diet.html
National Library of Medicine “Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on Vegan Diets”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27886704/
National Library of Medicine “Position of the American Dietetic Association on Vegan Diets”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19562864/
John Hopkins Center “Meat Consumption: Trends and Health Implications”: https://clf.jhsph.edu/projects/technical-and-scientific-resource-meatless-monday/meatless-monday-resources/meatless-monday-resourcesmeat-consumption-trends-and-health-implications
Dietitians of Canada “What You Need to Know About Following a Vegan Eating Plan” https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Vegetarian-and-Vegan-Diets/What-You-Need-to-Know-About-Following-a-Vegan-Eati.aspx
Israel Ministry of Health “Infant Nutrition in Vegetarian and Vegan Families”: https://me.health.gov.il/en/parenting/raising-children/baby-nutrition/solid-food/vegetarian-vegan-feeding/
The BMJ “What does the evidence say about vegan diets in children?”: https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2792/rr
I think this part might be my favorite. We know that a whole foods plant-based diet is of course the healthiest, but even plant-based meat substitutes are often healthier than meat:
Stanford Medicine “Plant-based meat lowers some cardiovascular risk factors compared with red meat, study finds”: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/08/plant-based-meat-versus-animal-meat.html
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies “The Future of Meat is Meatless; Is It Also Greener and Healthier?”: https://nutritionstudies.org/the-future-of-meat-is-meatless-is-it-also-greener-and-healthier/
University of Bath “Plant-based meat ‘healthier and more sustainable than animal products’ - new study”: https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/plant-based-meat-healthier-and-more-sustainable-than-animal-products-new-study/
Science Direct “Plant-based animal product alternatives are healthier and more environmentally sustainable than animal products”: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833522000612
Healthline “Why Most Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Are Healthier Than Real Meat”: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/plant-based-meat-healthier
SciTechDaily “Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Are Better for Your Heart Than Normal Meat”: https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-plant-based-meat-alternatives-are-better-for-your-heart-than-normal-meat/
Pro Veg International “Study finds meat substitutes are often healthier than comparable meat products”: https://proveg.org/press-release/study-finds-meat-substitutes-are-often-healthier-than-comparable-meat-products/
The best part about plant-based meat substitutes is that none of them have been classified as carcinogenic, but we can’t say the same thing about animal-based meat. The World Health Organization has classified some forms of animal meat as carcinogenic: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/cancer-carcinogenicity-of-the-consumption-of-red-meat-and-processed-meat
Then there are the additional health issues caused by meat:
A recent study from Harvard has found a link between heme iron and diabetes. Heme iron is a type of iron only found in animal products; it is not found in any plant-based foods: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/significant-link-found-between-heme-iron-found-in-red-meat-and-other-animal-products-and-type-2-diabetes-risk/
Heme iron has also been shown to increase the risk of colorectal cancer: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21209396/
Processed red meat raises the risk of dementia: https://aaic.alz.org/downloads2024/AAIC-2024-Processed-red-meat.pdf
Red meat in general raises your blood pressure and can lead to hypertension: https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/35/8/679/6585635
Then there’s the disgusting truth that every hamburger you eat probably has a little bit of poop bacteria in it: https://www.businessinsider.com/poop-bacteria-in-all-ground-beef-us-consumer-reports-2015-8
So not only is a vegan diet healthy, but animal products are quite literally killing you.
