Is there really no "Cons" to a Vegetable only diet?

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

I come from the perspective that all foods matter for all nutritions, and the idea of only eating one type food is usually wrong, I know that a Fruits only diet can have negetive effects such as blood becoming like acid due to the acidic liquids in certain Fruits? And the same can be said for other only 1 food type diets.

And yet I rarely hear any "Cons" to a Vegetable-only/Vegen diet? I am asking anyone if there is or not and if there is why is it not mentioned often?

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

It should be noted that a vegetarian, or vegan, diet isn't only vegetables. They include fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, roots, tubers, and berries too. The point of a vegetarian diet is to not eat meat, but often allows for some animal products, like eggs and milk. Some modify the diet to allow for fish, and/or poultry. One of the reasons for this is that meats, especially red meats and pork, are linked as contributing factors to some kinds of health issues. A vegan diet is one that forbids all meat and animal products, which means no milk, eggs, animal fats, and etc in their diets.

A strictly vegetable diet can potentially lead to malnutrition. This is due to the fact many vegetables not carrying enough fats, especially saturated fats which are necessary. Many types of vegetables also lack, or are low in essential vitamins and minerals. Most of all it's hard to get enough protein with vegetables alone. Which is why most vegan and vegetarian diets include fruits, grains, legumes, roots, tubers, nuts, and berries. As those help cover all of a person's dietary needs.

In all honesty there isn't conclusive evidence that these diets are actually better. One of the biggest contributing factors in obesity is actually people eating too many carbohydrates, which be tend to store as fat. Properly done however a vegan or vegetarian diet can be balanced not to have those problems.

The thing is that these sorts of diets are kind of a failure because they favor extremes. Which means they tend to be the antithesis of moderation and self control.

 

[Silvanus]

Well, a vegan diet doesn't necessarily mean vegetable-only. They'll be eating nuts, pulses, mycoprotein, stuff like that.

A vegetable-only diet would find it quite difficult to obtain the necessary protein, which vegetarians (and vegans) usually get from the above. Not saying it's not possible; it probably is (with good planning).

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Well, a vegan diet doesn't necessarily mean vegetable-only. They'll be eating nuts, pulses, mycoprotein, stuff like that.

A vegetable-only diet would find it quite difficult to obtain the necessary protein, which vegetarians (and vegans) usually get from the above. Not saying it's not possible; it probably is (with good planning).

Well if you include potatoes, and/or soy, there's a good source of a lot of the things vegetables tend to lack.

 

[Silvanus]

Well if you include potatoes, and/or soy, there's a good source of a lot of the things vegetables tend to lack.

Potatoes will give you your carbohydrates (they're pretty much my sole source of them), and soy can give you protein, but it's not a great source. I think most vegans rely more on nuts & pulses, but I honestly don't know. I get most of mine from eggs (I eat next-to-no meat).

 

[Lacedaemonius]

I don't believe that you could reasonably survive on a vegetable only diet. Silvanus already got to this, but you need to add essential amino acids from some source, and plant sources that do exist are minuscule and require our body to work to get at it. Once you realize how many of the things you think are "Vegetables" are some other category of food like nuts, drupes, seeds, mushrooms, and so on, it's tough. The only reason that you can possibly manage with that, is that sea vegetables tend to be much richer in essential nutrients than their terrestrial counterparts. I'm not sure if you could manage to get enough calories though, before you started to poison yourself with salts, and trace elements.

If you just mean "Vegan" as in "No animal products", then that's a different story as some others have said. It's not that there are no cons, it's just that there are no cons for your health if you do it right. It should be noted that many many people do not do it right.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Vegetable only? The downside to that is that it's a colossal pain in the ass. You can get everything you need from vegetables, but it requires a fair bit of know how and planning. And because it's so restrictive, thing's can get... boring.

A full vegetarian/vegan diet is a lot more reasonable. Your diet is still restricted, and thus more boring, but the inclusion of nuts and fruit sorts out a lot of the problems.

In short - The cons are that, if you do it right, it's a pain, and if you do it wrong, you get sick and die.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

A life without bacon and cheeseburgers?!

That's a pretty damn big con!

 

[HybridChangeling]

We are very flexible omnivores, being able to sustain ourselves with vegetables and protein from legumes and nuts, but there's a complexity to it. Notice I said omnivores, and that is because a big part of our diet is protein, amino acids, and even fat. Not taking it from meat means we have to compensate with quite an amount of nuts, whey, or other less protein filled meals. With doing that, you are basically having to reroute not only a dietary instinct, but you have to do it right. Misuse of a vegetarian/vegan diet is dangerous, as a low amount of any of our vital nutrients will cause negative effects and even health problems. It is best to see what you take in for protein now, and look at what would sustain you.

And if that sounded tricky, a vegan diet is basically Hardcore mode, taking away the easy avenues a vegetarian could use in favor of even less variety, which as humans we also need to sustain our complex system. That is a commitment, you can't just bounce from diet to diet when you eat primarily vegan.

Perhaps even speak to a doctor or a dietitian about the risks and benefits first. After all we just people on the internet, and we are not all knowing. (At least I think we aren't...)

 

[DrownedAmmet]

We are very flexible omnivores, being able to sustain ourselves with vegetables and protein from legumes and nuts, but there's a complexity to it. Notice I said omnivores, and that is because a big part of our diet is protein, amino acids, and even fat. Not taking it from meat means we have to compensate with quite an amount of nuts, whey, or other less protein filled meals. With doing that, you are basically having to reroute not only a dietary instinct, but you have to do it right. Misuse of a vegetarian/vegan diet is dangerous, as a low amount of any of our vital nutrients will cause negative effects and even health problems. It is best to see what you take in for protein now, and look at what would sustain you.

And if that sounded tricky, a vegan diet is basically Hardcore mode, taking away the easy aovenues a vegetarian could use in favor of even less variety, which as humans we also need to sustain our complex system. That is a commitment, you can't just bounce from diet to diet when you eat primarily vegan.

Perhaps even speak to a doctor or a dietitian about the risks and benefits first. After all we just people on the internet, and we are not all knowing. (At least I think we aren't...)

It's pretty easy to stay healthy on a vegetarian diet if you eat dairy, cheese, and eggs. You can get by mostly on common sense. I didn't have to learn about amino acids or protein supplements or even count calories until I wanted to get my weight up
But going full vegan is like three different levels of hardcore. How do you survive in America without eating pizza?

 

[Albino Boo]

You will need to take vitamin b12 to keep your red blood cells production and brain working. Depending on the latitude that you are in and your skin tone you may need to take vitamin D or risk devolving rickets.

 

[BrawlMan]

All I have to say is that you better know what vegetables, fruits ,or vitamins have the proper protein.

 

[Recusant]

Not to mention- people who adopt vegetarianism or veganism gradually lose the ability to handle eating meat. If they try to eat it, they'll throw up. It can be regained, but that's neither a quick nor an easy process. In a first-world country with wide and easy food availability, that's very unlikely to be a problem, but our adaptability is probably the single biggest reason that it's me typing this and not a Neanderthal or some other branch of the family. Even in the unlikely event of a catastrophic environmental blow that radically changes food availability, a slow-build calorie-intensive livestock solution being the best course isn't particularly probable, but stranger things have happened- and even if you're a vegan, you're not a ruminant. You jeopardize your adaptability at your own peril.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Very limited booze selection. Booze is a food group, right?

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

-Delete please-

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

Very limited booze selection. Booze is a food group, right?

No... But I wish it was... After what I just put myself through, I really wish booze was a food group.

 

[Mechamorph]

A full vegan/vegetarian diet will require selective supplementation as certain essential amino acids are absent from plant life. Some fatty acid supplements may also be required as the plant matter that could supply them are unhealthy if consumed in the required amounts unless you can afford or have access to some rather uncommon vegetables. Removal of all animal products from a person's diet (eggs, fish oil and diary products) will basically make something like 30% of your nutrition necessarily be consumed as pills. Overall its not particularly healthy but modern science makes it perfectly viable with only minor side effects. Laxative, diuretic and unfortunately flatulence effects are common to people who start such diets; normalization takes somewhere between 6-18 months for most people. Anemics, diabetics and pregnant women might consider eating artificial foods to compensate for their condition.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

No... But I wish it was... After what I just put myself through, I really wish booze was a food group.

Awww. I wish I was there to help. Does sound like you need an Irish bandaid.

 

[irishda]

Humans are not biologically engineered to deal with an all vegetarian/vegan diet. For starters, there are specific enzymes and proteins that are only found in animal products which are absolutely necessary for the function of neurons. So if you aren't using supplements, (as you will need supplements for so many other things too) you're gonna have a bad time.

Secondly, our digestive tracts are not built for such a diet. It's extremely difficult for animals to extract nutrients from plant matter. The sheer amount you need to consume just to hit acceptable levels of caloric intake is huge, which is why herbivores often spend large amounts of time grazing. Their tracts are also equipped with multiple stomachs or are just longer in general in order to maximize nutrient extraction. Conversely, animal products surrender their nutrients very easily, which is why carnivores/omnivores can go longer without food and spend shorter time eating.

The plus side is, you'll likely lose a lot of weight on a vegan/vegetarian diet. The bad news is you'll also have some major nutritional issues that you have to make sure you address everyday.

 

[Wrex Brogan]

...uhhhh, it depends? I rarely recommend any kind of diet - vegan and vegetarian included - since they can have such varying effects on people and it's often best to consult with trained and qualified medical professionals before you change your drastically change your diet.

Like, there's so many variations to Vegan and Vegetarian diets that 'no cons' is such a wild thing to say. Which diet in particular? What was the person's diet beforehand? Do they have any pre-existing health conditions/nutrient deficiencies? All of that can cause problems regardless of what diet you're changing to/from.

Diets: They're serious business.

Uh, no. There are negatives.

For starters, it'll hurting using the bathroom. This can last from a few weeks to over a year. Yeah. If it persists that long you should really consult a doctor about it. Not a "nutritionist", a doctor. I've seen far too many nutritionists who don't know shit about the human body or how their diets might negatively impact somebody. Anywho, those bathroom problems can induce a lot of issues, like hemmorhoids, so quite literally prepare your anus. Its also a metaphorical pain in the ass as well because you have to know how to supplement your diet. Then there's the fact that in some areas its just not a feasible diet. You can do it in New York City but it'll be more difficult to pull off in some hick town in the middle of nowhere that has difficulty keeping food stocked. Supplementing your diet and getting enough veggies to sustain you can be much more expensive than a more traditional diet as well.

If you meant vegetarian or even vegan the diet is easier to maintain, though even those require some work. Vegetable-only is probably a huge pain in the ass. Granted, not as bad as, say, a raw foods only diet, but its still not entirely healthy without being rather difficult to maintain.

...the big problem there is that 'nutritionist' aren't legally protected terms, so anyone can call themselves as such. Nutritionists can be quite informative in regards to advice when you are switching diets for whatever reason, but it's critically important that you do your research on who you're consulting and if they're coming from a credited association (typically having an actual University degree in Nutrition at minimum). Dietitian is (at least in most countries) a legally protected term and thus requires actual qualification to be labeled it.

That said, it's always a good idea to double check dietitians as well. Just because they're qualified doesn't mean they're good.

(apologies for the sort-of-hijack of your post, I just like to clarify the whole Nutritionist thing whenever I see people talk about them, 'cause that shit's important).