EATING VEGAN FOOD YET STILL SICK?
Vegan food is thought to be the kind of food that you can eat as much as you want and nothing happens to you. At least nothing detrimental. But nothing can be further from the truth. I’ve been in endless heated debates with raw vegans and cooked food vegans regarding the varying types of food consumed in the vegan regime. The one thing that is consistent across the board is that vegans are passionate about their lifestyle and they have no problems letting you if they disagree with something that you’re doing. You know what’s really interesting? Only 0.5% of the nation’s population are vegans. I’ll be damned because it seemed to me like it was much more than that! In truth vegans are just a more strict subset of vegetarians. Vegetarians on the other hand make up about 3.2% of the nation’s population. All in all we’re looking at less than 4% of the population who openly identify with a form of vegetarianism.
The first thing you think of when you hear people speaking about vegan food is probably something tasteless or a diet that focuses on eating leaves all day. I have a surprise for you. Due to the growing popularity of the vegan lifestyle there are people jumping on board daily. We know that meat eating can cause a plethora a sicknesses in the body. However, what many don’t seem to know or fail to realize is that just because you consume vegan food doesn’t mean that you’re going to be healthy.
Vegan does not equal optimal health. I know that’s a strange thing to say but it’s the truth. We were sold this information to perpetuate a growing lifestyle. I’m not speaking against vegans (I support the lifestyle) but I do need to address a question that was asked just recently during a consult with a friend. “Cochise, if being a vegan equates to good health and wellness, how is it that I see many self-proclaimed vegans that are overweight and sickly?” It was a good question and it made me think about a few of the vegan associates that I have who are “technically vegans” but their outer appearance says otherwise.
The most important thing I learned during my ascension in health and wellness information is that if you’re going to speak with passion about a certain topic you need to look like you actively represent that which you profess. In understanding that I made it a point to do my best to look the part when i’m speaking about health and wellness. Here are a few reasons why some vegans are still overweight and look sickly.
You’re A Junk Food Vegan. Many of us find it difficult to segue from the life we left behind so we live in perpetual compartmentalization. We live eating vegan junk food like mock chicken nuggets, chips, candy bars, etc. Yes these vegan foods are things that you need to get rid of if you’re looking to reap the benefits of the vegan lifestyle.
Starch-a-tarian. If all you eat is french fries, pasta, bread and rice then you might as well go back to eating meat. You’re filling your body with nothing but starch which causes your blood to thicken and harden to a pasty like consistency. If the blood becomes hard then it’s going to be impossible to travel throughout the body. What’s worse is these starches transform into sugar (complex carbohydrates) within the body and are not digestible for many people of African descent.
Zero Raw Food Consumption. On top of people consuming the aforementioned food items, they also consume little to no fruit, salads or green foods. You are giving your cells no nutrition and you’re causing a serious digestive problem. The raw green leafy vegetables provide the roughage necessary to cleanse the intestines and sweep out toxins and bacteria by provoking you to visit the toilet more frequently.
Artificial Drinks. If we’re talking about vegan food we have to mention drinks. There are people in this world who think that just because they consume no meat that they can drink whatever they desire. It’s true you can drink whatever you desire but there will be back lash. These artificial drinks are potentially the biggest causes of diabetes and obesity related issues known to man. Drinking soda pop is ridiculous for several reasons. The two most important are the damage to the kidneys and cells as well as the amount of sugar you ingest during consumption. When you introduce sugar into the body you promote the production of insulin and you drain water from the body’s major organs in an effort to effectively breakdown the sugar. That’s why people get sleepy after sugary meals (read article on Why People Get Sleepy After Meals). It’s takes so much effort for the body to break this stuff down.
No Water Consumption. Nothing worse than a person that lives on terrible vegan food but has bad skin because they don’t drink enough water. You’d think that a vegan would have flawless skin (most do) as the skin is a manifestation of the diet. Whether you’re vegan or not you can never be derelict in procuring the proper amount of water for your body. The body is 70% water and therefore needs an adequate amount daily. At the very worst the water will help push out some of the garbage that is eaten!
These are just a few things that come to mind as to why a person who consumes vegan food would be overweight or look sickly. Remember being vegan is not enough. It’s about using discretion and carrying discipline within the diet to give you the results that you want.
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