The Journal of American Medicine reported in a 2012 survey that 78.6 million adults in the United States are obese, about a third of the population.<\/p>\n
With fast food and obesity on the rise, many diets have become popular over the years like tapeworm, Atkins and paleo.<\/p>\n
For Katie Lambeth, these diets aren\u2019t even on her radar. She\u2019s a vegan. She\u2019s been one for three years and was a vegetarian for three years before that.<\/p>\n
If you ask Lambeth, being a vegan isn\u2019t about dieting or trying to lose weight. It\u2019s a lifestyle choice, a way to be healthy while also standing up for her beliefs.<\/p>\n
Lambeth, 24, became a vegetarian during her freshman year at the University of Richmond. With her brother, Michael Lambeth, she watched the film \u201cFood Inc.\u201d, a documentary about the meat industry in the United States and the growing popularity of fast food chains.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a bunch of research on the meat industry and we decided we really didn\u2019t agree with what they were doing,\u201d Lambeth said. \u201cAt that point, we decided that we are going to be done eating meat. As our New Year\u2019s resolution, we stopped eating meat.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was in 2010. Lambeth joined an environmental activism group called Green You Are at college. The group wasn\u2019t radical in Lambeth\u2019s opinion, but rather watched documentaries and sponsored events informing people on the meat industry.<\/p>\n
The switch from vegetarian to vegan wasn\u2019t an easy decision Lambeth said, but a switch made more out of necessity for her own health.<\/p>\n
During her junior year, Lambeth decided to go on a six-month study abroad trip to Kenya. She stayed in the cities of Nairobi and Kismu, but decided to take a trip to Mombasa where she got E.Coli.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in the hospital for three days,\u201d Lambeth said. \u201cI got a whole bunch of drugs in my system that basically killed all of the bacteria in my body that could digest things.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a result of the medication and no access to dairy products, Lambeth said the enzymes in her body didn\u2019t grow back, so eating dairy constantly made her ill. Lambeth began to cut out dairy products like milk, cheese and eggs.<\/p>\n
Janet Macon, a professor at Winona State and a registered dietician for 12 years, agreed with Lambeth and said a switch to veganism isn\u2019t about a diet, but rather a lifestyle change.<\/p>\n
Macon said most people, she has noticed, that have become vegan have made a change from an omnivorous diet because they want to move away from saturated fats and other fatty foods. Aside from the dietary needs, vegans also look to make an ecological impact.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Holden, a registered dietician at HyVee in Winona for the past two years, said she can assist people looking to become a vegetarian or vegan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they were looking to make a change to a vegetarian or vegan that\u2019s a huge step,\u201d Holden said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s good to have a registered dietitian to help them so they don\u2019t miss out on any key nutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holden said the biggest nutrients people could miss, if they switched to a vegan diet, would be amino acids and B12 nutrients.<\/p>\n
Holden said she recommends quinoa or edamame to help with those nutrients.<\/p>\n
Lambeth said she is aware of nutrients that could potentially be lost, but it only takes a B12 supplement to replace the nutrients. Those that don\u2019t want to take a pill, can eat nutritional yeast instead.<\/p>\n
Holden said she thinks people in the Winona community are aware of what they\u2019re putting into their body, with most people coming to her by choice, rather than a recommendation by their doctors.<\/p>\n
Lambeth said she usually spends around $100 dollars on groceries every week or week-and-a-half. She said it all depends on where she goes, whether it\u2019s Trader Joe\u2019s or the Herbivorous Butcher Shop in Minneapolis where she lives.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Holden said she sees the diet as costly and a company like HyVee can\u2019t keep vegan designated items on the shelves before they become expired.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt tends to be more expensive items up front,\u201d Holden said. \u201cWhen it comes to the quinoa and the edamame those are filling foods. It\u2019s a balancing beam between you\u2019re paying more but you don\u2019t have to eat as much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veganism isn\u2019t seen as a fad diet according to Lambeth, but rather something that is relatively new in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the U.S. is meat, potatoes, and scrambled eggs for breakfast,\u201d Lambeth said. \u201cThat\u2019s just what everyone is used to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Macon said doesn\u2019t believe veganism is a cultural fad but said for college-aged students are willing to try something different like becoming a vegan or vegetarian.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do see rates of vegetarianism climb in late adolescence to their peak of about 15 percent of all college students aged 18-22,\u201d Macon said. \u201cRates decline further into adulthood to about 10 percent, which is the national average.\u201d<\/p>\n
Macon also said it\u2019s not \u201cfeasible\u201d in a smaller market like Winona to constantly supply vegan based foods.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe larger your market, the more you\u2019ll have to support those types of markets,\u201d Macon said. \u201cKeep in mind, vegans living in a relatively small market can still meet their dietary needs with very basic products.\u201d<\/p>\n
Macon said she recommends fresh fruits, nuts, vegetables and whole grains, something that big chains like WalMart and Target will always carry.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s a fad, hippy movement, or anything in between, Lambeth said she is happy and healthy and the flexibility of the lifestyle is important. Lambeth said she\u2019s heard of 17 different kinds of vegetarian diets and has heard of extreme vegan diets like people who dumpster dive for their food.<\/p>\n
Lambeth doesn\u2019t have a problem with hunters either. She said the only thing she doesn\u2019t want to see is \u201cits head up on a wall for fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that hunting is totally fine, if you are, I don\u2019t support hunting for sport,\u201d Lambeth said. \u201cI support it if it\u2019s used for meat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, Holden is skeptical of the validity and safety of the vegan diet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a registered dietitian, I don\u2019t recommend it,\u201d Holden said. \u201cVegetarian can be done safely, but you really need to be aware of what you\u2019re eating. You have to complement those areas that you miss.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Macon, it\u2019s not always as simple as following the food pyramid.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep in mind, people who are adopting this lifestyle are doing it for reasons beyond their own biological health,\u201d Macon said. \u201cIt may be more about sending a message to the food industry or the environment. It\u2019s not just about sticking to the food pyramid, it\u2019s about supporting sustainable cultural change.\u201d<\/p>\n
If someone asked Lambeth how to become a vegan she would have one word for them: slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo slowly and do your research,\u201d Lambeth said. \u201cDoing the personal research really helps finding out what your body needs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Journal of American Medicine reported in a 2012 survey that 78.6 million adults in the United States are obese, about a third of the population. With fast food and obesity on the rise, many diets have become popular over the years like tapeworm, Atkins and paleo. For Katie Lambeth, these diets aren\u2019t even on … Continue reading Vegan’s Delight<\/span>