Eating a different diet from the rest of the majority of the population is not easy. Vegetarians and vegans found themselves with many obstacles, a few years ago, to be able to carry out this style of eating without constantly being made unfounded nutritional judgments.
The lack of knowledge, little information and ignorance about nutrition for vegans was quite evident on the part of professionals in the health and sports sector. Who has not heard that "you will lack protein, calcium and iron«? Or that you were going to lose muscle mass if you only ate vegetables?
We tell you some of the myths that surround this world, although it is becoming more and more well-known.
vegans are thinner
Just as there are omnivorous people who are overweight or in top shape, with vegans and vegetarians for exactly the same. Although food is a very important factor, our habits will determine if we are more or less healthy.
Being vegan implies avoiding the suffering of an animal for consumption, but it does not exclude alcohol, tobacco, a sedentary lifestyle, eating ultra-processed vegan foods, etc. Anyone, whether they consume animal products or not, if they have a healthy lifestyle can be slim.
have iron deficiency
There is still no study or research that ensures that vegans are more likely to suffer from iron deficiency than non-vegans. Not only can we consume iron of animal origin, in this article We tell you many other foods that provide this micronutrient.
Fruit juices are super healthy
Vegan nutrition is based on the consumption of vegetables, vegetables and fruits. Many think that taking fruit in the form of juices is healthy, since after all it is fruit. The truth is that the interesting thing about its consumption is the fiber that the skin has, something that by staying only with the juice we are eliminating. Let's just say it's an unnatural way to eat fruit.
The juices, even if they are homemade and without added sugars, are a bomb of natural sugars and there are studies that relate them to the appearance of type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, eating the whole fruit prevents it.
In addition to fiber, eating them whole gives us satiety and nutrients such as protein or healthy fats.
Can you drink juices? Of course, but not as a substitute for eating fruit.
Vegans lose muscle mass
We have previously seen how protein can be found in different foods that are not of animal origin. The truth is that many vegans are not aware that it is necessary to know the different proteins in vegetables and include a wide variety to achieve "complete proteins".
It is advisable to consume between 1gr and 4gr of protein for each kg of body weight, in case you want to increase your muscle mass. In addition, you will have to consume more calories than you expend.
Finally, you will need to include foods high in saturated fat to increase testosterone levels and avoid stress.