This is a fun conversation I like to have with people. As soon as people hear that I am vegan, they automatically assume that I am super healthy and eat nothing but home cooked meals and have not even looked at a bit of junk food for years. It is also one of the main arguments I see against veganism, in that many people seem to believe that in order to be vegan you can only ever cook lentils and vegetables and have fruit as a sweet treat. And I think if this blog has proved anything, it is that this is simply not true.
I want to start this conversation by saying that ‘healthy’ looks different for every person. The definition of ‘health’ is even somewhat subjective, in that everyone will have their own understanding of what ‘healthy’ means to them. For me, I define my health by how I feel – I eat to fuel my body and gauge how that food makes my body feel whilst I am on a run or when I’m in the gym. But at the same time, I also listen to my body and give it what it asks for. Now most days, it is asking for carbs, proteins and fats, which means my meals are largely home cooked stir-frys, or pasta dishes, or some sort of protein and vegetables variation. But there are also some days when my body is crying out for sugar, and grease, and on these days I will have some ice cream, or a doughnut, or a huge take away pizza.
As someone who really struggled with disordered eating growing up, I know that to try and completely eliminate as aspect of a food group can be problematic. No I do not eat meat, but I still get my protein levels from vegan alternatives. I may not consume milk or other dairy products, but I make sure to get my calcium intake from other vegan sources. It does take a little bit of thinking when you first move to eating a vegan diet, but again I hope this blog is helping people to find out what works and what doesn’t, or at least help point them in the right direction. I don’t ever said not to eat something because it is ‘unhealthy’, or even to only eat a certain product because it is ‘healthy’. For me, a healthy diet is one of balance and to go to either end of the scale as to what is deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ is where the issues start to begin in my opinion.
Taylor Talks Vegan 