Based on recent studies about 3% of Americans identify themselves as being vegan. And that number is expected to rise. We have all heard the reasons why most people would stop eating animal products. It ranges from cruelty to animals, health, and environmental concerns to just simply wanting to have a more sustainable lifestyle. In the era of expensive organic food, it is not far-fetched that most people would start turning to veganism and vegetarianism.

Does being vegan make you more healthy? Is it going to prolong your life and save people from obesity, diabetes, and heart disease? I believe that the people’s number one motive for becoming a vegan would be just that. People turn to plant-based diets because of all the processed animal-based foods that have been proven bad for overall health and chronic disease. But there is a new trend happening even with veganism and this is something I want to dig deeper into.

What is actually veganism?

As human beings, we like to label things. And there are so many levels of labeling people based on what category of food they eat. We have vegetarianism, raw food diets, ketogenic diets, UN diets, flexitarian, pescatarian, lacto-vegetarian. It would take me at least 50 pages to explain all the restrictions and foods that they normally eat. So I want to focus on veganism as the most modern and popular food culture at the moment.

Vegan diets are made up of only plant-based foods. This type of diet includes fruits, vegetables, soy, legumes, nuts and nut butter, plant-based dairy alternatives, sprouted or fermented plant foods, and whole grains. Vegan diets don’t include animal foods like eggs, dairy, meat, poultry, or seafood. They also are devoid of animal byproducts such as honey (made by bees) and lesser-known animal-based ingredients like whey, casein, lactose, egg white albumen, gelatin, carmine, shellac, animal-derived vitamin D3, and fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids.

As you can see there are plenty of restrictions as to what you can and can not eat if you are a true vegan. But we are not going to be handing a manual to all the people who call themselves vegans. So what if they occasionally have a spoonful of honey or enjoy an egg sandwich. That one thing does not disqualify them at all. Veganism is something that is considered in the long term. So short-term nutrition mistakes or cravings are really not that important. I mean nobody is going to say that you are not a real nutritionist if from time to time you enjoy a pizza or a burger. So what vegan people do in their personal lives is not really important.

How does one become vegan?

I strongly believe this is not something that happens overnight. It’s not like you wake up in the morning and become a vegan. Like with all important decisions in life, it’s probably a process. Based on your own lifestyle choices, beliefs, experiences, and knowledge. Maybe little by little as you become older and wiser you decide to step by step cut all animal products that you have issues with. The end result of this journey is that at some point in time, there are no more animal products that you are comfortable with consuming.

In this age, we are so concerned with sustainability, climate change, environmental influence, processed foods, and other ailments of our planet. Becoming vegan is a tough but worthy decision to make. And it’s the correct one for adult people who can make their own decisions in life. So why is it that now being vegan is becoming less and less healthy? Why is it that the vegan food choices in your local grocery store and supermarkets are becoming more and more unhealthy?

Well, it has to do with our habits. You see for a person to become vegan it was long believed that you have to give up all your favorite foods. Especially the processed ones. Foods like chips, frozen meals, dips, yogurts, milk, fast food. They were all based on animal products in the past. So what is a vegan person going to do when they get a craving for their favorite ice cream or a burger? Well of course now we have vegan variations of such foods. We have vegan burgers, spreads, chips, yogurts, and milk. So everything that you enjoyed eating before becoming vegan is now also available but in vegan form. So being vegan is easier and does not ask for too many sacrifices in your eating patterns. That would be good news, right? Well, maybe not.

The Food Industry

Our beloved corporate food industry is very involved in following the newest food trends. Starting from providing us with an endless supply of avocadoes, chia seeds, goji berries, plant-based milk, slow-pressed juices, cold brewed coffee, dry fruits, tofu, kale, and numerous other things. They are all present in our grocery stores. After all, they need to make money.

So what is a better way to make money than to start processing foods for that 3% of people and rising that are vegan? I mean it’s an opportunity they can’t refuse. If you are too busy to make a meal from scratch we will freeze some for you. Too tired to cut up your veggies for salad and make a fresh dip just buy our ready vegan dip that tastes almost the same as the animal-based one. In case you are craving some milk with your coffee just buy our oat milk, almond milk, soya milk, and rice milk. For any milk out there we will make it for you with a long expiration date so you don’t have to worry it will go bad in your fridge.

To be completely honest the food industry doesn’t have your best interest at heart. They are offering and marketing products that they believe will suit a vegan lifestyle. They are aiming at a whole new group of consumers to buy the food that is processed. So what is the point of being vegan if your number one motive is to be more healthy? Are processed vegan meals still healthy? How can anything coming from the industry that lives on putting cheap and unhealthy ingredients in such a way that they lose all and any nutritional value still be called healthy? They are doing to the vegan community what they have been doing to the animal-based community for the last century. Selling ultra-processed foods at cheap prices that are convenient and easy to prepare. Not to save us time and effort. But to tell us that you can still have that burger or ice cream. We made it especially for you. Yes, it’s processed, but it’s vegan. So it must be healthy.

Ultra processed vegan food

If you have ever tried to read more about veganism you would know it’s more than just eating fruits and vegetables. Some techniques and recipes would blow your mind with how simple, delicious, and healthy they can be. But cooking from scratch every day takes time that most of us don’t really have. I’m not saying that all vegan people eat processed foods. That would not be true. But I am worried about this trend that has been happening in the last year or so. You see, the food industry is not going to change the habits of people that have been vegan for 10 or 15 years. These people already have their habits and they make their own foods.

What the food industry is doing is they are actually promoting veganism as the ultimate food choice to the younger audience. And at the same time, they claim that you don’t have to make a lot of sacrifices to do the right thing and become vegan. We will supply you with all your favorite things. You’re not going to miss anything. So the young people who care about our planet and their own health fall prey to such marketing strategies and switch from ultra-processed foods to ultra-processed vegan foods.

How to recognize ultra processed vegan foods?

1) A long list of ingredients, usually at least 5

2) High fat, sugar and salt content is common

3) Ingredients you do not recognize and would not use in home cooking

4) The product is aggressively marketed and branded.

The most common examples of ultra-processed vegan foods that are on the market are energy bars, premade fruit smoothies, processed milk substitutes. sweetened plant-based milk and fruit yogurts, vegan butter or margarine, dried fruits, cereals, vegan meat, and sausages. Most of them would be unhealthy because of the high sugar, salt, and saturated fats and oils. Not to mention all the food additives, colorings, and preservatives to make them taste nice and have a longer shelf life.

All in all, I think we can conclude that all ultra-processed foods no matter if they are animal or plant-based are not really healthy if consumed daily. They should be considered as an occasional treat and not a daily habit. The food industry may market it as healthy and vegan but that doesn’t make it so. For all the people who are starting on their journey to becoming vegan, unfortunately, you will have the same battles you had on animal-based diets. You will still end up reading the labels and comparing the content of unhealthy ingredients. I wish you well on your journey and hope that you will not fall into the food trap of the industry that is always looking for new ways to sell us the same processed meals.