Beyond Vegan

Many of us are committed vegans because of our commitment to animals and/or to the environment. People who practice a vegan lifestyle are usually deeply committed to the planet and all life on it. However, if our commitment is to our health, we should consider that there is more we can do to enjoy our best state of health and well-being. 

Going beyond vegan, we might also avoid processed foods as well as ingredients and chemicals that have an effect on us. Not all vegan foods are healthy—I often point out that potato chips and Coca Cola may be considered vegan but certainly contribute to health deficits. We have learned that ultra-processed foods have a significant impact on our society’s health, and vegan processed foods are no exception. Furthermore, many of our most common health disorders are a direct result of our dietary choices. 

Linda and I recently spent two weeks at True North Health Center where we met several people who arrived with type 2 diabetes. Invariably these people were able to stop their diabetes medications after a few days of eating only the foods served on site, which included plant-based whole unprocessed foods without added salt, oil, or sugar. We also saw that fasting had tremendous healing benefits and that living with this type of diet enabled us to continue our improved states of health after the fast was over.   

But wait, there’s more: I also learned that my prescription medications had serious side effects! Often additional drugs are prescribed to offset those side effects. The total impact of these drugs can affect us in ways we cannot perceive. There are also chemicals we apply on our bodies. At True North, we were advised to abstain from using perfumes, body lotions, and deodorants during our visit to give our bodies the best chance to heal. If we feed ourselves in a truly healthy way and avoid drugs and chemicals, we might find that many of our health disorders will simply cease to exist.

Also, there is the perception that for each disorder there is a single drug or cure, as if adding turmeric to our diet or avoiding a particular food will fix what ails us. I believe well-being is more wholistic than that—perhaps foods, drugs, chemicals, stress, and other environmental factors combine to cause ill-health. Perhaps a beyond vegan lifestyle could be the most effective way to resolve many of our health issues.

I am not advocating that everyone needs to follow such a strict diet and other restrictions. It’s great if your health is good and you don’t need treatment for diet-related disorders. However, there is something beyond vegan that can establish our ultimate state of health and well-being.