by Shannon Lisa

Created on: August 11, 2010

It is a common misconception that vegans are healthier than non-vegans. They can be, but such a general question deserves a general answer, and the general answer is: No, not necessarily. There are plenty of extremely unhealthy vegans in the world. There are plenty of overweight vegans in the world. There are plenty of underweight vegans in the world. There are plenty of unhealthy people following all kinds of diets that are labeled as healthy...but when done wrong can have very unhealthy effects on the body.

When it comes to being vegan, a lot of people assume it is an automatically healthy way of life. There are some who assume it is an automatically unhealthy way of life too though. Many people cite the fact that a lot of vegans eat more grains than they would if they were consuming animal proteins. This is true, a lot of vegans do accidentally replace their proteins with starches and grains....which is extremely unhealthy. If a person can balance their vegan diet with all the protein they need, they can be as healthy if not healthier than someone who has a perfectly balanced diet based in animal proteins.Though many grains contain protein, some do not (or they do not contain enough). It is an unhealthy assumption to think that the protein containing grains have the same amount as animal products as well. They do not. Meat is very high in protein and amino acids and anyone who doesn't eat it generally has to supplement their diet with the proper balance of the right types of grains and veggies...or with vitamin and mineral supplements along with an at least decent balance of protein rich grains and veggies.

For example, some people moving from an animal protein inclusive diet (such as those that include meat of any kind and vegetarians that consume dairy and/or eggs) realize that the main dish in their meal is suddenly no longer able to be the main dish at all. People often make the mistake of replacing their main dishes with foods that are not nutritionally comparable. No matter how hard you try....a baked potato will never compare to a steak in protein and amino acid values. A veggie kabob will probably not cut it either unless you include enough protein rich veggies and/or veggie and grain based fake meat products.

Though it is true that diets filled with fresh fruits and vegetables are generally considered healthy, they are only healthy with the right balance of fruits and vegetables. There is also the fact that if fruit and vegetables is ALL you eat,

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