Vegans live for moral and ethical reasons

Vegan nutrition is not just a private matter

09/19/2014

Vegan diet is in vogue. Nevertheless, it is often discussed controversially. She is healthy and fit, some say, while others speak of vegans with pale complexions and malnutrition. The blogger and runner Karin Schäfer, who nourishes herself vegan, spoke with "achim-achilles.de" about prejudices and the benefits of veganism. The interview was up „Mirror online“ released.

To live vegan means to abstain from all animal food
Veganism refers to the vegan diet and lifestyle that excludes the consumption of all animal foods. Vegans therefore not only abstain from meat and fish like vegetarians, but also from milk, eggs and honey and all products containing ingredients of animal origin. Ethically motivated vegans often reject all products related to the use of animals. Then leather bags, shoes made of leather, clothing made of wool or silk, cosmetics that contains animal substances or has been tested in animal experiments, as well as wine that was made with Lab, a product of calf stomach, taboo. Veganism is thus not a pure form of nutrition, but rather a way of life that is dedicated to the protection and rights of animals.

Karin Schäfer is a convinced vegan. On the question of the Internet portal, if she does not have to pay much attention to the fact that she gets all the important nutrients in this diet, the hobby runner answers: „Yeah, but you have to do that with every diet. Whether you eat meat or vegan, you can always eat healthy or unhealthy food. There should also be vegans who eat almost only cakes and ready meals. Just because you eat vegan, you do not automatically live healthy.“ You can live vegan but very healthy, that's the key. You eat a lot of vegetables - especially green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and kale - fruits, legumes and whole grain cereals. It is important to eat a varied diet. Therefore, she always try new foods with different nutrients, vitamins and trace elements. „With vegan diet you do not take vitamin B12. I supplement that, just like vitamin D in the winter months. Vitamin D is produced by the body when sunbeams fall on the skin. In Germany, the sun is very low between October and March. Even when you are out there, the body does not produce enough Vitamin D.“, reports the blogger. But that also affects meat-eaters.

Many athletes and nutrition experts advocate a balanced vegan diet
Even among top athletes, the vegan diet is becoming increasingly popular. Contrary to the often-mentioned prejudice that vegans are pale, limp and without energy, abstinence from animal foods does not seem to go hand in hand with a reduction in physical performance. Schäfer also trains regularly. For the runner, the ethical aspect was always crucial, but „that my athletic performance improved, was a nice side effect“. As she further reports, she qualified for the Boston Marathon last year. „For that I had to run for a time under 3:35 hours, which is not bad for a hobby sportswoman. So vegan diet is definitely not malnutrition, as many think.“

In the meantime, the vegan diet has also found favor among renowned nutrition experts such as Professor Johannes Wechsler, President of the Federal Association of German Nutritionists. He points to the news agency „dpa“ then that nothing against a vegan diet with a balanced nutrient intake is objected. Then veganism is also healthy. People who ate vegan, for example, were less likely to be overweight and, because of their low fat and cholesterol-free diet, had a lower risk of lifestyle diseases than mixed dieters, explains Wechsler.

Also, study shows that the vegan lifestyle is often very healthy. For example, Patricia Dyett from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago and colleagues researched the health-related behaviors and attitudes of vegans in the United States. It showed that vegan people show a particularly health-conscious behavior. Most of the study participants regularly exercised, abstained from nicotine, consumed little alcohol and often ate vegetables, cereals and nuts. Overall, they suffered less from chronic diseases compared to the non-vegan control group.

Diet has implications for others
However, people who like to eat meat often feel attacked by vegans when they do not use animal products for ethical and moral reasons. According to Schäfer, that's because you question the habits of that one. „People shy away from such profound changes and then adopt a defensive attitude“, so the convinced vegan. „If anyone asks me why I'm vegan, I'm just saying my opinion. The problem is, as soon as I tell a non-vegan that I'm vegan for ecological and ethical reasons, he feels I want to teach him“, explain it further. „But the fact is that our lifestyle has an impact on others. If I want to eat meat, then an animal has to die for it. To clarify this is, in my opinion, more important than consideration of personal sensitivities.“

Veganism is a way of life
Vegan living is much more than a diet. It is also about the protection and the rights of animals to climate and environmental protection. „If I just try the vegan diet because it's promised to be a panacea to my overweight or bad skin, I might be disappointed. And then I'm just trying out the next diet trend. But when people question the ethical and environmental implications of their diet and go vegan for these reasons, it's usually a permanent choice“, reports Schäfer. „But of course it takes a bit to get used to life without animal products. This is not going to be the same for many people overnight, but that's fine too.“ Gradually you can integrate more and more vegan products into your own diet. „It works much better than just thinking about what foods you can cut out of your diet. The attitude will come naturally. I do not know a vegan who wants to go back to his former way of life.“ (Ag)

Picture: Jörg Brinckheger