Happy New Year, welcome to 2020, the start of the new decade and the month of self improvement.
If you have any interest in health, or a Netflix subscription, you will have heard of Game Changers. The Netflix show that discusses the benefits of a vegan diet for athletes, it was designed to showcase the benefits of Veganism for health, especially if you exercise regularly.
So… is Veganism good for you?
Game Changers
I should point out in the spirit of being open and honest that I am a meat eater, I have also tried a plant based Vegan diet for four months in 2018. Some of my clients are vegan, some are meat eaters and I try my best to have no bias in peoples dietary choices.
That said, moving on…
This show had the potential to educate people on the pros of veganism and how it can be used effectively with an active lifestyle however there are many inaccuracies and some information was represented in the wrong context.
My post today is not designed to highlight the inaccuracies within the show (I have links to two excellent sources at the end for that). My purpose for this is for you to ask yourself whether being Vegan is a good idea for you.
“My diet is the best”
Unfortunately if the last decade did anything for nutrition it was to turn it into a topic as volatile as religion or politics. We became defined by our diets and we became fiercely defensive of them.
The keto crowd became the extreme low carbers and this was a badass rebellious thing to do and anyone who wanted to lose weight must “stop eating carbs or be fat forever.”
The cross fitters started Paleo and it was all about how hardcore they were for giving up sugar and grains and this was how caveman ate and its the only way to eat, “yes it is and don’t argue.”
Vegans are being ethical by not eating meat and anyone who eats meat is a terrible person who is poorly educated and “doesn’t care about animals, their health or the environment.”
(I do appreciate this is not the case for everyone who eats this way)
But here is the thing…
The issue isn’t the content of your diet, its *your* reaction to it.
In all honesty, I don’t actually give a f**k if someone eats meat or not. And really, neither should you.
What someone else wants to eat is their business. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a civil conversation about the benefits you’ve experienced since you went vegan, or paleo, or keto but it does mean that making them feel guilty is just rude.
Just because your approach works for you, doesn’t mean it will work for someone else in the same way.
So, should you be Vegan?
Well, now would be the perfect month to find out. January, henceforth known as “Veganuary” is the perfect time for you to get some support via the hundreds of other people online who are also trying it this month and see whether it works for you.
Is it practical with your lifestyle – i.e can you put a bit of extra time into getting the right proteins?
Does it make you feel better? Whatever measurements you want to use here are up to you but important ones are
- Sleep
- Digestion
- Skin health
- Energy in the gym and during the day
- Recovery from exercise
- Mood
- Hunger and appetite
- Healthy weight loss (if this is a goal – note: being vegan is not essential for weight loss)
If you try a vegan diet and these markers improve – fantastic! It may well work for you. Do remember to check in with this consistently, sometimes diets work for a while and then they don’t.
Everyone on any particular dietary approach should always ask themselves if they still feel their best.
If you don’t wanna try it then don’t. Simple as.
In summary
Try things and find what works for you.
Don’t lecture other people on their choices
And don’t take every tv show or blog post at face value – gather data, do research and find out if the information you are reading is accurate.
After all – this is your health.
Ainzlie
p.s – if you are looking for an approach that helps you to find what works for you and leads to healthy sustainable weight loss, read more on my nutrition coaching – open now.
p.p.s – If you are interested in getting another perspective on the Game Changers show, in the interest of gathering data on both sides:
Check out Ben Coombers podcast The Game Changers (Movie) – Accurate or Propaganda?
also this blog post by Meredith Root Game Changers – A scientific review with full citations
