My daughter, who is a vegan, might disagree but I know that one of the issues with becoming a vegan is that they may not get enough protein in their diet. As my daughter has pointed out there are other ways of introducing protein into your diet, even if you do not eat meat. There are some vegan high protein meal options that can give you the best of both worlds; you can be a vegan and greatly reduce the fat and calories you take in, all while still getting enough lean protein into your system so you can keep your lean muscle mass.

While it certainly is not impossible to get enough protein, zinc and B12 into your diet if you cut out all animal by products such as meat, eggs, cheese and milk, it will be a little more challenging to do so. As long as you are aware of the need to keep vegan high protein alternatives around and introduce them into your daily diet, it should all work out just fine.

Of course, one easy way to get these vitamins and minerals into your daily diet is to take a full spectrum multi vitamin. There are many on the market and some are better than others. In a lot of cases, so I have been told, the liquid nutritional supplements are better than the pills because they are absorbed more easily. I don't know if that is true, talk to your doctor to make sure. Either way, introducing a quality multi vitamin into your daily diet can't be a bad thing.

There are more and more vegetarian and vegan products on the market all the time. I live in a very small town, population around 4,000, and even we have an organic store that has a full line of vegan and vegetarian foods. Just go look around your nearest organic store and you will be amazed at your options.

Along with some of the brands of organic and vegan processed foods you can get at your local organic store, you also have a wide variety of raw foods from which to choose. A great source of protein are beans. All kinds of beans but especially kidney beans. Black beans are also loaded with protein and they can make a wild chile!

Many kinds of nuts can really pack a lot of protein into a small size. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios and cashews are a great high protein snack. And since you can eat them raw, they are easy and quick too.

As I hope I have illustrated, even though you do need to keep a close eye on your nutritional needs if you are a vegan or vegetarian, there are many ways to ensure that you get all the vegan high protein into your diet that you need. Whether you opt for a supplement or you choose to add some nuts to your daily snacks, or both, you can keep your lean muscle mass while still lowering your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol.

Vegan diet research has a long way to go. It's simply very difficult to quantify the results of what people eat and what effect, if any, it has on their overall health. There are just too many variables that can effect the outcome and alter the findings. Having said that though, there does seem to be some evidence that a vegan, or vegetarian diet can help reduce or eliminate high cholesterol and maybe even some heart disease.

Not everyone who decides to become a vegan or vegetarian does it for health reasons. There are many people who think that eating meat is wrong. They may think it's wrong because of the deplorable conditions the animals are raised in, or the inhumane way they are slaughtered. They may have a problem with the chemicals that are injected into the livestock and chickens to help them grow bigger.

Still others have a problem with what they see as the sheer waste of land and resources that go into caring for and raising some of these animals. Take cattle, for example, they require enormous amounts of land to graze on. They also are feed grains that must be grown on thousands of acres of land. Then there is the amount of water needed not only for the animals but to help grow the grain too. It's a lot of resources going into a relatively small amount of food.

And than there are those who choose to become a vegan or vegetarian due primarily for health reasons. They still may care about one or both of the above issues, but for many of them the driving force are their health concerns.

They might want to lose weight more quickly, or they might need to lower their cholesterol levels. Vegan diet research has shown that both of those things are possible with a vegan diet lifestyle. Some research has shown that vegans were less likely to develop heart disease, almost 50% less likely as a matter of fact.

Other studies have concluded that people who avoid a meat and dairy based diet are much less likely to become obese. Since meat tends to be higher in saturated fat and cholesterol, these findings are hardly unexpected. Some recent studies seem to suggest that kids who do eat their vegetables on a regular basis will actually have higher IQ scores and might even be taller! Guess mom was right, eating your veggies is a good idea.

While I am not a doctor and I cannot vouch for the validity of any of this vegan diet research to me it just seems like common sense. If you eat foods with less saturated fat and cholesterol you are just less likely to have heart related diseases and high cholesterol. I personally don't see much harm in eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. At the minimum you may be cutting some fat and calories from your diet, what is the worst that will happen… you might even lose some weight!

There are Vegan diet pros and cons you must consider before you start. The difference you need to understand between veganism and being a vegetarian is that vegetarians can eat other animal by products,they just don't eat meat. A vegan won't eat any animal by products at all. That means no meat, no dairy, nothing. It's an extreme lifestyle choices and it does have many advantages. If you can be dedicated you can get a lot of benefit from this type of diet.

Some people choose to become a vegan for environmental reason, raising beef, for example, takes a lot of resources. Lots of land, water and food for the animals. Others don't believe that animals should be mistreated on their way to becoming "food" so they stop eating any animal by products. And still others convert to veganism for a healthier lifestyle.

Whatever your reasons are, you should only do it if you've made an informed decision and you fully understand the Vegan diet pros and cons:

Pros

1. Most meats and animal by products have a lot of fat and cholesterol. If you are suffering form many diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, eating a meal with less fat and cholesterol may be able to help you lower your cholesterol levels. Of course, everyone is different, you need to talk to your doctor first. This is especially true if you already suffer from some health issues.

Never change your diet until you speak with your doctor.

2. You can help the planet and the creatures in it by not promoting cruel treatment of animals. There are some that say that one person can't make a difference, but there are others who say that it all starts with just one. If you feel strongly about this, do it your way.

3. The fewer people that eat meat and animals, the fewer that will need to be raised for food and that will lessen the impact on the planet.

Cons

1. The biggest "potential" con is that you must make sure you add plenty of zinc, protein and vitamin B-12 to your diet form other forms. If you aren't eating any meat, which is a big source of protein, you need to add soy products and other non animal products that are high in protein such as legumes.

While this isn't an insurmountable obstacle, it is important to be aware of the fact that you may need to take a supplement or add other types of food to your diet to balance out what you are no longer getting in your diet.

As with all things there are Vegan diet pros and cons. It's more of a lifestyle change and it will be up to you to decide if it works best for you. There may be some drawbacks, but they can be overcome if that's what you want to do. Again, make sure you talk to your doctor before you do anything drastic so you know it's ok for you to do.

Finding good vegan diet menus can be a little challenging since you don't eat any animal by products at all. That means no meat, fish, poultry, and no dairy products. With so many restrictions it can be a little challenging to get variety as well as all the nutrients you need to get into your diet every day.

But for many, coming up with vegan diet menus is a small price to pay for to become what they believe is more ethically and environmental responsible. If you have any underlying health concerns, make sure you talk to your doctor before you change your diet in such a drastic way. cutting out the fat and cholesterol that is in a normal diet can do a lot of improve your health in many ways. Lowering cholesterol is just one of many possible health related benefits so it might be a good idea to try, after you have discussed it with your doctor.

Here are some ideas of menu ideas:

1. For breakfast you can have a bowl of whole grain oat cereal, with soy milk of course. you can add various fruits to your cereal to get more flavor and some fruit into your diet. You can have toast, but no butter. Pancakes, just check the ingredients and make sure that they don't have anything in it that you shouldn't have. Of course, just having some fruit will work too. Or, you can combine one or more of these things and mix and match to get some variety.

2. For lunch you can have salad or non meat, non cream soups. Use only vinegar and oil for dressing (since you can't have any cream or dairy based products, stay away from creamy dressings). Make a tomato sandwich. Some people hate them, but I like them. It's simple, just cut up a fresh tomato and put the slices between two pieces of toast.

3. For your snack, you can have soy yogurt, with or without fruit, or some fruit. If you want a fruit cup make sure you get the type with no sugar added. That will cut the calories that you are taking in by a lot.

4. Dinner can be a combination of rice dishes and vegetables. Or, you can get a veggie burger and cook it on the grill. There are a whole line of soy based products that mimic the flavor, and texture in some cases, of hamburgers, hotdogs, sausages, etc. Adding these to your diet can allow you more variety.

It's important to check the labels when you try new types of processed foods. It can be sometimes difficult to figure out what all is in your processed foods. Once you have a menu set up, things will get easier. You will learn what you can and can't have. It's also a good idea to get one or more vegan cookbooks for some ideas and inspiration.

Planning your vegan diet menus may take more time than your current menu planning, but once you get the hang of it it will become second nature. With the help of some good cookbooks, and possibly your doctor or dietician, you will be cooking meals that have no animal by products, and enjoying all the health benefits, in no time.