Tell me what you think!

What are the pros and cons of being a Vegan?
What are the benefits of it?
Is it difficult to be consistent?
How will that effect your body in the beginning?
Will you lose too much muscle from lack of meat?

I do not have a problem with it I just would like to hear everyone's opinion so I can have a better understanding of it.

[Shrek]

Many benefit of it, bodily as well as mentally.
One problem is if you do it forcefully. I mean not happily, that will affect your mood in the long run.

[kkfern]

i think it is a waste of time and energy.

kk

[kris]

https://www.vegansociety.com/try-vegan/why-go-vegan

BTW, being vegan does not require anymore time or energy than not being one.

[nummi]

Originally Posted by MelanieJay

What are the pros and cons of being a Vegan?

Can be useful for some purposes short-term. Long-term very damaging to health in general, especially the brain and thus mind.
Only few people can mange well on it long-term.

What are the benefits of it?

None really... Everything total "animal product avoidance" might be able to do, can be done much better when including eggs and fish. Except people who can't eat egg whites (there are some).

Is it difficult to be consistent?

Not really, taking into consideration those who've been stuck with it long-term. Though it's not the positive kind of "being stuck with it". It is a very very very negative kind.
First you acquire the dogma of "veganism". Then you begin practicing it. Then you notice short-term positive effects. Then based on those short-term positive effects you make up your mind. Then you keep practicing. Then kick in severe vit B12, animal fat, animal protein deficiencies, all of which are essential for the proper functioning of the brain. Since brain cannot function right anymore, because those nutrients are essential for making new vital discoveries and learning new important lessons, you thus are unable to see yourself and the health and mind problems brought onto yourself.
In this also plays role body's self-defense mechanism. If there are severe deficiencies of something, but body also sees the need to learn new lessons, but when using those deficient nutrients would cause total failure, then the body won't initiate those learning processes, in order to protect itself from far worse. This is where, when trying to discuss the importance of meat with meat-avoiders, results the meat-avoiders ignoring and avoiding very relevant points you introduce into the discussion (because their body is protecting itself from far worse that would occur if they tried to consider the points; if they considered the points they would see reason, and then collapse or other bad symptoms from the learning); also resulting the meat-avoiders to become very angry and irritated (which is a reflection of their bodily nutritional stress put into words and expression, a kind of release of heavily suppressed negative energy they contain so much in them due to their practices).
This applies most and best to those who had not previous to the practicing developed the ability to see oneself as one truly is at any moment, or shortly after any moment. And when already practicing avoidance, cannot anymore acquire the ability easily, for the necessary quantities of the nutrients are missing and body will rather protect itself, than cause much worse harm than not learning.
There's more to it, obviously, but roughly so.

Once in it, then very probably stuck with it for a very long time.

How will that effect your body in the beginning?

If before trying was on a diet of a lot of garbage and toxins, then in the beginning it will effect well. But here on the answer to the previous question.

If first got rid of all the garbage and toxins and had practiced it for a while, kept eating like an omnivorous creature should, got ones body clean and well. And then removing animals from diet, this would result in a gradually worsening health.

Will you lose too much muscle from lack of meat?

If you are one who had been doing heavier and active physical exercises, then oh yes. You absolutely will.
If you intend to keep doing those exercises while avoiding meat... you simply can't. Or push yourself and collapse badly.

If you had never done much any physical exercise then muscle mass wise won't notice much change.

[Tobi]

nummi -check this out:
Committed vegan Scott Jurek broke the record for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. completing the hike in 46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes.

http://www.mfablog.org/wow-vegan-ult...ks-appalachian

You have to be pretty fit to do that trail at all, never mind complete it in 46 days! A pretty good indicator that a vegan diet IS healthy if done properly!

By the way, there is NO need for a vegan to become deficient in vitamin B12 as supplements are available which are suitable for vegans. I take one myself daily. It's necessary though to know about the nutrients we do need, and make sure we get them.

[nummi]

What I said, "If you are one who had been doing heavier and active physical exercises, then oh yes. You absolutely will."
What I meant with it was that by lifting weights and doing such type of active exercises, you will lose muscle mass and not gain any.
I did not mean with it doing "passive" exercises like running long distances.
Because both these exercise types, strength-stamina and endurance, require different working of the muscles.

Those who run ultramarathons and longer distances. They train for. Over long periods of training one and the same way the body becomes so adapted to those movements it barely needs to use much energy for it, when compared to those who haven't trained long the same way.
Muscles adapt to keep up better and better and with muscle mass and lower energy-nutrient need. Muscles-cells also become stronger against the micro damage that is caused by muscles working. Running also doesn't require anywhere near as much muscle mass as compared to lifting heavy weights. The longer you're at it, the more efficient muscles become, they keep the potency of work or increase it, while lowering the need for size and energy and nutrients.

Losing muscle mass from increase in efficiency, and losing muscle mass due to deficiencies are two different things.

**************
Is a supplement eating "vegan" really a "vegan"? The dogma goes: eating meat is bad and meat is bad, eating plants is the right way. But supplements are not plants. So those "vegans" who eat supplements aren't really "vegans"...?

From what are those vitamins produced? Some can be produced from plants, some from animals, and then some are synthetic-artificial. Producing B12 from plants would be very expensive. So are "vegans" also about eating synthetic-artificial products when they seem to be, as they claim, about closeness to nature and wholeness? Producing synthetic vitamins means industrial waste as a byproduct - pollution - thus harming nature.
Since they claim eating meat is bad and harmful to nature... But the same does not apply to synthetic-artificial vitamins that with their line of production harm nature badly?

Personally, I don't label myself... I just give my body what it needs, preferably through whole foods. Some things I do eat that aren't in some sense "whole foods", but they could be labeled more as rocks as their structure in solid form is crystalline; different mineral salts, especially magnesium.

[knightofalbion]

World record holing vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian
http://www.greatveganathletes.com/ve...egan-strongman

[knightofalbion]

Originally Posted by MelanieJay

What are the pros and cons of being a Vegan?
What are the benefits of it?
Is it difficult to be consistent?
How will that effect your body in the beginning?
Will you lose too much muscle from lack of meat?

I do not have a problem with it I just would like to hear everyone's opinion so I can have a better understanding of it.

There are various reasons people go vegan - moral, spiritual or health.
An increasing number of people are embracing the diet - ex- US President Bill Clinton, boxer Mike Tyson and Chaka Khan being, probably, the most well known.

Mostly I would say vegans are animal lovers who are prepared to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk ...

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by nummi

**************
Is a supplement eating "vegan" really a "vegan"? The dogma goes: eating meat is bad and meat is bad, eating plants is the right way. But supplements are not plants. So those "vegans" who eat supplements aren't really "vegans"...?

From what are those vitamins produced? Some can be produced from plants, some from animals, and then some are synthetic-artificial. Producing B12 from plants would be very expensive. So are "vegans" also about eating synthetic-artificial products when they seem to be, as they claim, about closeness to nature and wholeness? Producing synthetic vitamins means industrial waste as a byproduct - pollution - thus harming nature.
Since they claim eating meat is bad and harmful to nature... But the same does not apply to synthetic-artificial vitamins that with their line of production harm nature badly?

Personally, I don't label myself... I just give my body what it needs, preferably through whole foods. Some things I do eat that aren't in some sense "whole foods", but they could be labeled more as rocks as their structure in solid form is crystalline; different mineral salts, especially magnesium.

Vegan vitamin B12 supplements are made from bacteria cultures. They are not 'unnatural' or containing any synthetic products or unnecessary chemicals:

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansources

Vegans usually don't live on pills. They eat lovely and very tasty food! But it's wise to make sure things like Vitamin B12 and Omega 3 is taken in sufficient quantity, so a supplement is sensible as well as the tasty food! Most vegans will make sure their supplements are good ones, and not some artificial chemical gunk.
And the cost of those supplements isn't a problem. An Omega-3 supplement, when the expense is broken down into weekly cost, works out at the same price as three cans of Mackerel or Salmon per week!

Yes Magnesium is very important. There are many foods which contain Magnesium, and many of them are suitable for vegans.