There are all sorts of assumptions that people have about vegans that are simply untrue. And today, we’re talking about one in particular. So let’s get started.
Welcome back to our questions for vegans series where we give the honest answers to questions that can sometimes perturb us vegans when asked in real life. These are the questions that we get over and over again, and people fail to understand why they lack insight or nuance. But as we know, sometimes ignorant questions (while frustrating) are the best gateway for discussion. So let’s talk about this idea.
Skinny Vegans, the concept
So I guess I’ll start by telling you this. Not all vegans are slender. Boom, post done. (Just kidding.) No, it’s just that a lot of people actually think this is true. Especially people who aren’t that familiar with vegans and veganism as a whole. And usually when it comes to the questions in this series, I try to set them up sufficiently before waffling around to an answer. But this one needs to be dealt with differently, I think.
Because this one is actually quite simple. Nope, not all vegans are skinny or even slim. Being vegan doesn’t mean that you’re all of a sudden going to lose weight. And if you’re looking to lose weight as a vegan you do still need to try, like anybody else.
How we got here
So you might be wondering, if something is just so blatantly untrue, how did we get this impression of vegans and veganism in the first place? And well, my main answer would be bad arguments.
A lot of times vegans will try to persuade nonvegans to go vegan, and one of the things that they say is that it’s healthier. In a lot of first world countries, we have a trend of people becoming more overweight and getting health complications due to it (like type 2 diabetes, for example). And I’ve seen a lot of vegans use this to their argumentative advantage. They’ll tell you about how much easier it is to lose weight as a vegan. Or how much more healthy you’ll feel.
And yes, eating more vegetables is a good and healthy practice, and vegetables are vegan. But that doesn’t mean that if you go vegan you’ll be eating healthier or that you’re going to be losing weight. If you choose to eat a whole foods plant based diet then you probably will lose weight. That’s due to the caloric density of many whole plant foods. But it’s not inherent, even if some really excited vegan may tell you otherwise.
Why it’s bad to convey that message
The problem with pushing this narrative that vegans are skinny is threefold, in my opinion. Firstly, it’s just simply untrue. If we’re trying to convince people that veganism is the way to go, especially long term, it’s not good to misrepresent it. If people try it assuming it will make them lose weight, what’s going to happen if they don’t? They’ll just abandon it when it stops being fun. Also, I don’t know about you, but if I’m talking to people about my veganism, it’s usually because I want them to understand me better. I want to represent myself in a way that’s congruent with my story. And the truth is, I’ve been overweight, underweight, and in the healthy weight category, all as a vegan. To try and convince people that that could never happen to them is just, frankly, irresponsible in my opinion.
The second issue is that it causes undue concern for people who know someone who is vegan. Or is considering going vegan themself, for that matter. If we give veganism this false pretense of “eating plants makes you skinny, lol”, that really doesn’t give it the proper gravity or lens for loved ones to be looking at it through. All of the nurturing figures in your life will be on edge if they hear you’re going vegan and think that’s an automatic weight loss. And my heart breaks to know that there are people who assume they can’t go vegan just because they don’t want to lose weight. Sure, telling people that going vegan is a great way to lose weight might convince and attract some people. But it also turns away others with a false idea, and I don’t think that’s worth it.
But thirdly, making veganism equivalent with thinness alienates those who do not fit the stereotype. People who are vegan and have some extra pounds on them often get told that they’re not a “real vegan”, and I think that’s just awful. Their vegan lifestyle is worth just as much as that of a skinny person’s. And if we truly espouse veganism, then we should all treat it as such. A philosophy, not a diet. We need more space for all different kinds of vegans in the community. Not just those who look a certain way. Because why would nonvegans feel welcome in the vegan community if we can’t even manage to accept our own? Skinny vegans are not the “real vegans”. They’re just another kind of vegan.
Are vegans more likely to be slender?
So, I admit, there is a grain of truth to this stereotype. There have been studies that have shown that vegans are more likely to be slender compared to others without dietary restrictions. In the US specifically, where the average adult is considered overweight (as far as BMI goes), the average vegan was shown to be in the “healthy bodyweight” category of BMI.
I have found that maintaining my weight is slightly easier as a vegan simply because when the rest of the table is eating chicken with their beans and rice, I’m not. (For example.) And even if we have the same amount of food, chicken is more calorically dense, so I’m eating “less”. Add in extra vegetables to that, and the difference becomes larger. That being said, you can both gain or lose weight while being a vegan and it definitely doesn’t ensure you’ll have a slender body. If you’re looking to gain weight on a vegan diet, I recommend you check out my post about that to find a starting point. (You can find that post here.)
I think more and more, we’re seeing the BMI of the average vegan rise to meet that of the average meat eater, and that trend will continue. (Which I don’t have many feelings about one way or another.) Back when I first went vegan in 2013, there weren’t nearly as many vegan junk foods or replacement products as there are now. So if you were vegan, you were more likely to be a whole foods kind of vegan by default. (Now there was great derision between the low fat vegans and others, as well as the raw vegans and others, but as far as processed foods went, there really weren’t too many options.) These faux meats (and such) are a lot more calorically dense than your average whole food plant based meal, and so the more that people eat of them, the more likely our waistlines are to expand as well.
But also remember, you can gain (or lose) weight eating any kind of food, including whole plant foods. Weight loss and gain is about how much energy you have, input vs output. Going vegan will not change that. The physiological systems don’t just suddenly start working differently if you decide to eat whole food plant based. So don’t think that I’m saying that eating this way will be your automatic ticket to being thin either.
The main point
But listen. Veganism just isn’t about how skinny you are (or are not). Veganism also isn’t about health. It is a movement to contribute to less suffering of animals through what we choose to consume. And for that reason, you will find vegans of all shapes and sizes. Some will try to watch what they eat for health reasons, and others won’t. And none of it is more or less vegan or valid than another.
I’m actually quite encouraged by the fact that we’re getting more and more products for people to try in order to quell their cravings and have vegan options for convenience food. In my opinion, this makes veganism more doable for different kinds of people. And that’s great news for the animals. Vegans who are into health and vegans who are not should be able to agree on that.
Thank you for reading my thoughts. If you have more questions for vegans, check out this post where I’ve compiled a list to peruse. Or you can leave your own question in the comments of this post! Assuming I haven’t made a post on the subject already, I wouldn’t mind answering your question. If you’re looking for more content about veganism, be sure to subscribe to the blog for email updates on new posts. And have a great day.