Going Vegan and Vegetarian, Practicing Meditation: A Spiritual Journey (2024)

FAQs

What happens spiritually when you go vegan? ›

Vegan Spirituality is generally described as compassion, empathy, and regard for all living beings. The vegetarian universe is occupied by spiritually enlighted individuals.

A vegetarian lifestyle extends and enables spiritual connections. Spiritual practices deepen the rhythms and rituals of a vegetarian life. Veganism can deepen our spiritual practice in so many ways.

There are no strict dietary rules for spiritual practitioners or those who have attained self-realization. For instance, Swami Vivekananda was known to consume non-vegetarian food. It is also mentioned that Ramakrishna Paramhansa, despite being a Brahmin, occasionally indulged in non-vegetarian meals.

Making the switch to a vegan lifestyle can have a transformative impact on both your brain and body. From enhanced brain function and improved heart health to increased energy and reduced risk of chronic diseases, the benefits of going vegan are truly remarkable.

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food." In the second chapter of Genesis (2:16-17) vegetarianism is re-affirmed as people's spiritually proper diet.

At the start of a change to a vegan diet, you could experience a variety of differences to your body. These may include being hungrier, getting gassier, a change in your skin or body odor, weight loss or gain, better or worse sleep, headaches, tiredness, or having more energy.

There's no sin in being a vegetarian for health or religious reasons. The Bible does not directly address vegetarianism as a dietary preference for health reasons. The Bible does, however, indicate that eating meat is acceptable. In fact, the Levitical priests had to eat sacrificial animals under the Sinai Covenant.

Vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat-eaters, and to have lower cancer rates. “Evidence also suggests that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from certain heart diseases, and that those who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have lower LDL [“bad”] cholesterol levels,” says Engel.

Genesis 9:3,4 “Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for you. Just as I gave you the green vegetation, I give them all to you. 4 Only flesh with its life—its blood—you must not eat.” The Bible said what meat we can eat and what is not.

A meta-analysis on vegetarian diets and mental health identified only 13 eligible studies and concluded that vegan or vegetarian diets were associated with a higher risk of depression (odds ratio: 2.142; 95% CI: 1.105–4.148) and lower anxiety scores (mean difference: −0.847; 95% CI, −1.677–[−0.018]) in the whole sample ...

Do vegetarians have better mental health than non vegetarians? ›

The third available meta-analysis included thirteen studies with a total of 17,809 participants and concluded that there was no statistically significant difference between vegetarian or vegan diets and omnivores regarding the incidence of continuous measures of depression, stress, and well-being.

On average, vegans had a childhood IQ score that was nearly 10 points lower than other vegetarians: mean (SD) IQ score 95.1 (14.8) in vegans compared with 104.8 (14.1) in other vegetarians (P=0.04), although this estimate must be viewed with caution as only nine participants were vegan.

Dr. Pam Benito, another dermatologist, told Bustle: “Breakouts and skin changes aren't uncommon for people transitioning to a vegan diet … if you do get acne after cutting animal products out of your diet, give your body a few weeks to adjust to your new eating style and you might see it clear up on its own.”

Once vegan face has taken hold of your complexion, can you fight it? “The effects of veganism are reversible,” Theron reassures, “if you fuel your body with rich, plant-based protein, fermented plant and pre- and pro-skin biotics and look at collagen supplements.

When transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, it's not uncommon to go through a natural adjustment period where your body adapts to the absence of animal products. This period can come with detox side effects as your body eliminates toxins accumulated from consuming animal-based foods.

If we all gave up meat, around eight million fewer people would die each year, as a result of lower levels of heart disease, strokes and cancer. But most crops have lower levels of micronutrients per calorie than meat – especially vitamins A, B12 and D, and some essential fatty acids.

More Energy

It's possible you'll feel a boost in your energy when switching to a plant-focused, vegan way of eating. "I noticed an increase in my energy level immediately," said Mimkha.

Some Buddhists avoid meat consumption because of the first precept in Buddhism: "I undertake the precept to refrain from taking life". Other Buddhists disagree with this conclusion. Many Buddhist vegetarians also oppose meat-eating based on scriptural injunctions against flesh-eating recorded in Mahayana sutras.