How Healthy is Your Diet, Really?

Photo by: R29

Vegan

What It Is
Nixing all animal products (including meat, dairy, and eggs), but also any and all animal-derived things entirely. And sometimes it's not as obvious as the aforementioned: White sugar, wine, beer, and even some hard alcohol are off limits. "This is due to either the refining or fermentation process, where animal parts are typically used in some way (such as gelatin or bone charcoal to purify)," says Brian St. ... more 

Photo by: R29

Vegan

What It Is
Nixing all animal products (including meat, dairy, and eggs), but also any and all animal-derived things entirely. And sometimes it's not as obvious as the aforementioned: White sugar, wine, beer, and even some hard alcohol are off limits. "This is due to either the refining or fermentation process, where animal parts are typically used in some way (such as gelatin or bone charcoal to purify)," says Brian St. Pierre, a nutrition coach at Precision Nutrition in Toronto.

Pros
Eating vegan can have cardiovascular benefits. Plus, you can eat a ton of whole grains - like quinoa and buckwheat - and go nuts with nuts, which will get you ample calcium, and cashew 'cheese' or almond milk. But you can also load up on the big C from green veggies like broccoli, kale, or beans such as lentils.

Cons
It's possible to be lacking vitamin B12, which is mostly found in animal by-products, like eggs. What you can do: take a multivitamin that has B12, or a separate supplement. But, Tricia Williams, a certified holistic nutritionist, chef, and founder of Food Matters NYC, says that's not the only way to get it: Try adding nutritional yeast to meals. This cheesy-tasting food supplement can be shaken over salads, grains, or popcorn; or laced into your favorite smoothie.
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