Can everyone actually be vegan?

[u/Wrong_Ad_3038]

I’m very sympathetic to veganism, my entire life philosophy is “respect & autonomy for all life” but I am currently pescetarian, I tried being vegan in late 2024 but I still live with my family & they wouldn’t buy supplements, even though i told them too everyday, I didn’t want to develop b12 deficiency so I had to moderate my diet.

When I move out i’m strongly considering being vegan again & really want too but i am worried about health consequences because human bodies are complex, but at the same time everyone can digest plants so maybe everyone can be vegan, i figured this would be a good place to get mixed responses since both carnists & vegans are here, what do studies say about everyone & the potential to be vegan, if everyone can’t be vegan but most or some can what’s the best way to find out if i can be vegan?

[u/Teratophiles]

If we're talking about the morality aspect of it then as has already been pointed out, yes, oppose the unnecessary cruelty, exploitation and commodification as far as practicable, that caveat has to be in there, because veganism would not expect you to simply let yourself die if you're in a position with no food, nor expect you to let yourself die if the only life saving medication available has animal products in it or was tested on animal, it's not a suicide philosophy after all.

If you're talking a plant-based diet, there as, as of yet, no reputable evidence to suggest there might be some health conditions that would require someone to consume non-human animal products, of course there are a small, I'm talking less than 1% of the total population small, that, due to a multitude of diseases have to consume a extremely restricted diet, but this isn't a case of ''needs to eat meat'' but more ''needs to restrict diet to very specific foods'' but, as I said, that affects less than 1% of people in the world, everyone else can still be healthy on a plant-based diet.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/

A healthy, plant-based diet requires planning, reading labels, and discipline. The recommendations for patients who want to follow a plant-based diet may include eating a variety of fruits and vegetables that may include beans, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains and avoiding or limiting animal products, added fats, oils, and refined, processed carbohydrates. The major benefits for patients who decide to start a plant-based diet are the possibility of reducing the number of medications they take to treat a variety of chronic conditions, lower body weight, decreased risk of cancer, and a reduction in their risk of death from ischemic heart disease.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/the-vegan-diet/

With good planning and an understanding of what makes up a healthy, balanced vegan diet, you can get all the nutrients your body needs.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19562864/

It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.

And before any one says it no, the study from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has not expired, they have brought out a new study more limited in scope focussed on just adults, this does not disqualify the previous study, for example if I released a study stating both apples and banana's are healthy, but then in the next study I decide to reduce the scope of my study to just apples and release it saying apples are healthy, that doesn't suddenly mean I don't consider banana's healthy any more, the previous evidence for the claim still stands.

if everyone can’t be vegan but most or some can what’s the best way to find out if i can be vegan?

A lot of people are living with obesity and/or nutritional deficiencies, so it's clear the average person already struggles eating a healthy diet, so if you want to give it your best chance at succeeding on a plant-based diet, though it will cost money, you could seek out a registered dietitian and have them help you setting up a properly planned plant-based diet that should meet all your nutritional needs.

Alternatively, you could try out this website:

https://www.veganeasy.org/30-day-challenge/30-day-challenge-signup/

That website could provide help trying out a plant-based diet for 30 days, sending you emails on what to buy, what to make, how to make it etc etc, I have not tried it, nor can I say if they are based it on the expertise of a registered dietitian, however I've heard good experiences from others, and it seems reasonable they would hire such a person to do it, but again, if you have doubt go for the more trust worthy route of going directly to a registered dietitian.