Pros and Cons of a Plant-Based Diet

Eating a plant-based, vegan diet entails eating vegetarian, but also abstaining from any animal by-products—meaning no dairy, eggs, or honey. There are lots of reasons people choose to eat a vegan diet—environmental impact, health, avoiding animal cruelty—but we want to look at the pros and cons of veganism. Is it actually healthy, or is it just a fad? Is it beneficial for our bodies? What IS the environmental impact? What is the impact on animals? There are so many questions to consider when it comes to this diet choice. So let’s break down a few pros and cons:

Eating whole foods is incredibly beneficial for our diet. And since a plant-based diet has no animal by-products, a healthy vegan diet is composed primarily of whole grains, legumes, and produce. Typically, a vegan diet is high in fiber, Vitamin C, magnesium, iron, and folate. Some studies have found that eating a vegan diet brings decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and more. Eating a vegan diet can also improve blood sugar levels. Since a fully plant-based, vegan diet calls for primarily whole foods, sugary processed foods aren’t typically in the equation—hence the decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Currently on average, 92 million animals are bred, reared, and slaughtered for food production globally every year and it takes 4,325 liters of water to produce 1kg of chicken. Eating a plant-based, vegan diet decreases the demand for animal products and by-products, thus decreasing the number of endangered animals around the world. Additionally, one study showed that people who chose to eat a vegan diet because of the animal and environmental impact (ethical reasons) were more likely to stick to the diet than those who did it for health reasons.

Unless you’re scanning the shelves for vegan junk food alternatives, a plant-based diet can actually be kinder to your wallet. Since a plant-based diet consists primarily of, well, plants, grocery costs decrease. In a traditional diet, meat gets relatively expensive, so it can be harder on your bank account. But when you’re eating a plant-based diet and therefore primarily consuming whole foods, it’s easier to spend less on groceries. It’s important to recognize, however, that just like with a traditional diet, it can be easy to overspend if you splurge on vegan brownies, chips, cookies, and candies. Pro tip (this is even helpful for a traditional diet): shop the perimeter of the store! This will be beneficial for your health and your bank account, and puts you in front of the produce and other whole foods, whereas most of the middle isles are where the junk resides.

One of the main avenues by which we get our protein is through meat and dairy. Since vegans abstain from all animal products and by-products, ensuring a high enough protein intake can be difficult. Even for non-meat eaters, eggs, yogurt, and cottage cheese are some of the primary protein sources. When your diet transitions to strictly vegan, the main protein sources become nuts, legumes, and seeds. Some sources of protein to consider are soybeans (a whole protein), lentils, beans, hemp seeds, green peas, spirulina, oats, wild rice, chia seeds, and nuts. Even with these sources of protein, however, it’s important to consider that most plant proteins do not contain all 9 essential amino acids—they typically lack at least one amino acid—whereas most meat/animal proteins do. These essential amino acids help our bodies synthesize (create) certain neurotransmitters—so without them, our bodies do not function at their optimal level. 

Another way to make sure you’re getting enough protein is with a high-quality protein supplement, like Nourify PLUS. It’s chock-full of nutrients—with 20g of vegan protein, 1 billion probiotics, and a variety of digestive enzymes, it’s the perfect protein supplement. Bonus: it’s gluten, dairy free, and soy free, too!

In addition to struggles with protein intake, a strictly vegan diet can also lead to other nutrient deficiencies. Some studies have found that while a vegan diet can help you avoid all the high-sugar, high-calorie, highly processed foods, it can also lead to deficiencies in Vitamin B12, Omega 3, Calcium, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, and good, high-quality protein. Meat is our primary source of Vitamin B12, and fish is our primary source of Omega 3s. So if you do choose to eat a vegan diet, it’s imperative to ensure you’re taking high-quality supplements to help you get these other nutrients, whether that’s through a good protein powder, multivitamin, or individual supplements.

While the ideal vegan diet is made up primarily of whole foods and grains, the reality is often different. When you switch to a fully plant-based diet, the desire to binge-eat or grab processed foods increases. Especially since as the popularity of veganism rises, so does the purchase of vegan snack foods, ice creams, alternative cheeses and meats, etc. In fact, the vegan product market reached $3.1 billion in 2018, and was still climbing. And it wasn’t whole foods that were causing those numbers, but other vegan products. Additionally, since meat is not part of a vegan diet, other forms of protein are favored. Even nuts, for example—they’re a great source of protein, but they can come with a big calorie count. So whether it’s from processed foods or other high-calorie foods to offset the lack of meat, weight gain is a definite possibility in a fully plant-based diet. 

Whether you choose to eat strictly plant-based, dabble in a hybrid diet, or be strictly carnivore, it truly comes down to what best supports you, your body, and your lifestyle. It’s important to consider the pros and cons to each diet to ensure you’re supporting your body’s optimal function. Don’t just adhere to a diet because it’s “popular” – really take an honest look at your life and habits, taking into account what would be best for your system and lifestyle.