People allover the world are gravitating toward vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, but withthis new lifestyle comes one major concern—health. To start, strict vegetariansand/or vegans are people who do not consume any product made from or by an animal.There are different types of vegetarianism in which people do consume certainanimal products like dairy and eggs. Now, some are hesitant about going vegbecause of health issues, which leads us to…

• Myth number one: “Vegetarians don’t getenough protein!”
  The truth is thatmore people are at risk for consuming too much protein than they are at riskfor having too little. According to PCRM.org, Americans eat about twice theamount of the daily recommended protein, which can lead to heart disease! Stillsome may wonder where exactly can vegans and vegetarians get their protein.Well protein is in just about everything. English teacher and known vegetarian Mrs.McQuillan recommends combining complimentary proteins together like Quinoa orrice with beans.

• Myth number two: “Every vegan orvegetarian is healthy!” 
  No matter what aperson’s diet is, if done incorrectly it can and will become unhealthy. Forexample, a vegetarian or vegan does not eat meat, but if instead they just eat bunchesof junk food like candy, pizza, and soda they are not healthy. This rule appliesfor all kinds of diets. Our principle, Mrs. Lambert, recommended following“G-bomb: Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds/nuts.” Shebelieves following this will lead to a healthier lifestyle, vegetarian or not.

• Myth number three: “Being vegetarian isexpensive!!”
  The money issue isyet another reason why people are hesitant about changing diets and lifestyles;however, being veg is actually cheaper than having a diet that includes eatingmeat—being an omnivore. The reason people assume this is because faux meatproducts like faux meat Chik’n patties and Veggie Dogs can be pricey but it’srecommended not to over eat those products anyway because of sodium. The idealveg diet includes mostly vegetables and proteins coming from grains and beans;so if done correctly, being veg is less expensive. “Meat accounts for 10percent of Americans food spending. Eating vegetables, grains and fruits inplace of the 200 pounds of beef, chicken and fish each non-vegetarian eatsannually would cut individual food bills by an average of $4,000 a year”,according to Vegetariantimes.com.

Withthese veg myths busted, going vegan or vegetarian may or may seem moreappealing. Just remember that no matter what a person’s diet is, incorporatingmore vegetables and less junk can lead to a healthy lifestyle overall.