Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Is it Healthy to be Vegan?
Gurleen Jammu
Mr. Koshman
2017-09-18
2
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 3
BACKGROUND and PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................... 3
BIG PICTURE ................................................................................................................................................ 4
RESEARCH ................................................................................................................................................... 5
EXPERIMENT ............................................................................................................................................... 6
PRESENTATION ........................................................................................................................................... 6
FINAL OUTCOME ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 8
Capstone Timeline ...................................................................................................................................... 9
3
INTRODUCTION
I have always had an interest in nutrition and health. My family regularly focuses on fresh
meals that include mostly plant based ingredients. Although, I wasnt raised as a vegetarian or
vegan, recently I have been following a vegan diet due to my curiousness about it. However, I
have seen many controversial theories that argue whether a vegan diet is healthy due to the lack
of nutrients, vitamins and other important components we should be getting from our meals.
After following the lifestyle for a couple of months and doing research for this project, I hope to
discover the answer to this question. Depending on what the outcome of this project is, it could
influence my lifestyle heavily. This assignment will only be the beginning, as l look forward to
continuing my passion for nutritional sciences, by studying the topic in post-secondary and one
I enjoy many areas of science, with a strong interest in nutritional sciences. My passion has
always been to know how the human body functions, so that I can have my body functioning at
its finest. I love to share the knowledge that I gain from my personal experience in nutritional
health with my friends and family as well. I want people to understand that there is a way that
they can enjoy being healthy. Therefore, as I stated above, this is the career path that I would like
to take. Its a topic that will always develop as time goes by, with new studies and information
being released every day. Thats why I know that I will never get bored of it, as there will always
From my personal experience of being vegan I have learned that following this diet can be
challenging in todays western society. However, having said that, Dr. Oz, who has a book
called, 21 Day Plant-Based Diet, stated that Veganism will be the single biggest movement in
2017, with an estimated 3.7 million Americans already living a strict vegan lifestyle. This
increase in interest is a result of motivation to help prevent disease, environmental issues, animal
suffering, and overall health. In my first week of being vegan I felt as if I could only eat
vegetables and fruits. However, now that I have practiced balancing my meals, and have
mastered the art of reading the ingredients on nearly everything, its much easier for me to eat a
wider range of foods. In my opinion, I have felt much healthier and happier since Ive been
vegan. The foods that I eat are lower in cholesterol and artificial ingredients, while also being
richer in fiber, potassium, and vitamin C and E. This lowers the chances of numerous diseases
like, cancers, diabetes, stroke, and many more. What I want to gain from my research while
doing this project is whether I can be a vegan for the rest of my life and still be consuming
enough vitamins, minerals, and fats, and other essential components that my body requires in
The topic of nutrition can be controversial, as everyone has a different approach and
knowledge of it. A diet that is working for someone elses body may not be suitable for another
person. Therefore, I understand that Veganism is not for everyone. With this project, I want to
learn how being vegan can be a different experience for each individual. I will make my project
relatable to both females and males, with a wide range of body types. I hope that the research I
complete will not only benefit me, but others who get the chance to view it as well.
BIG PICTURE
5
The research component of my project will take two months to complete, while the
experiment itself will take place for a week. There will be a blog that has daily posts about the
process of the program. After the vegan program is done, I will be putting all my information
together and creating a final blog post. On the side, just before the presentation, I will construct a
recipe book that will feature all the meals that I used within that week. This recipe book will be
available for my viewers to look at as I speak about my project during my presentation. It will
include ingredients, amounts, and some nutritional facts similar to what will be available on the
blog. The most difficult piece of my project is the research and planning, as that requires me to
teach myself new knowledge. Of course, I will use my passion for nutrition as a way to make the
RESEARCH
I will do research that will help me compose a one-week vegan meal plan for myself and my
non-vegan family. Before I can choose the meals for my vegan program I must insure that
theyre well planned out. The planning process will simply be me gaining more knowledge on
nutrition. This will then help me understand what each meal requires in order for it to be
considered healthy. I will have to make sure that my family and I are getting the correct amount
of calories and servings for each food group, depending on our age and gender. Also, there will
be a section that goes more into detail explaining facts like, whether we are receiving all the
protein, nutrients and vitamins that we are supposed to. In order to accomplish this, I will be
taking advantage of online sources, books, and other people who have experience in this field.
All of this research will then be put into a formal paper and submitted.
6
EXPERIMENT
The experiment will take place for one week, with my non-vegan family. My family is
composed of four people, including my ten-year-old sister, my mom and dad, and myself. It is a
challenge to cook a normal meal that all of us will enjoy as we have different food preferences.
Therefore, planning vegan meals for a week that are healthy and balanced, that everyone in my
family will accept will be an obstacle of its own. The meals will consist of breakfast, lunch,
dinner and snacks. I will create an online blog where I can post my day to day results from this
experiment, as well as include the research and recipes onto. However, the research on the blog
will only consist of some nutritional facts, like calories. The more detailed information will be
showcased on a separate research paper, as stated earlier. During the week, I will ask my family
how they think the meals taste and if they are able to replace their regular meals. Also, I'll post
how they felt at the end of the day, and overall how the program is working for them with their
lifestyle. In the end, I hope to figure out if a diverse family, with a busy lifestyle, can be healthy
and vegan.
PRESENTATION
My presentation will essentially be composed of three parts, which include my blog, recipe
book, and what I will be saying out loud. When I first get a viewer, I will explain to them about
my vegan program. For example, I will state to them why I chose this topic for my project and
what importance it has to me. After this, I will share the blog with them, so they can further
understand how the process unfolded. Then I will talk to them about how I was able to balance
the meals and what research it took me in order to successfully do this. As I speak about nutrition
7
facts of each of the recipes, the viewer will be looking at my recipe book, so that they can get a
visual representation of what the food looked like once it was prepared. To conclude my
presentation, I will give the them some insight as to what the pros and cons are of a healthy
vegan diet. Of course, I will let them end the presentation with questions and comments. Overall,
I aim to provide the viewer with enough information and details about a vegan diet that they
FINAL OUTCOME
My goal is to successfully prove that a vegan diet is healthy and doable. I want to show
people that they dont have to shy away from being vegan just because someone told them that
they wouldnt be able to receive all the nutrients that they were supposed to. Veganism is an
efficient way to have a healthier lifestyle, as the option to eat most junk food is simply
eliminated. As a bonus, I will do my best to choose meals that are appetizing. This can hopefully
convey the message that a vegan diet can be a way for someone to give back to the environment
Bibliography
Von Alt , S. (2015, January 15). Veganism: Taking the World by Storm. Retrieved September
13, 2017, from https://www.mercyforanimals.org/veganism-taking-the-world-by-storm
Vegan Diet Increasing In Canada: 1 in 3 Canadians Eating Less Meat! (2017, June 03). Retrieved
September 13, 2017, from http://www.canfitness.com/vegetarianvegan-diet-increasing-in-canada-1-in-3-
canadians-eating-less-meat/
Duncan, E. (n.d.). Topic: Vegan and Vegetarian Diet Trends in Canada. Retrieved September 13, 2017,
from https://www.statista.com/topics/3262/vegan-vegetarian-diets-in-canada/
Microbiome. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2017, from https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/microbiome/
Marcus , E. (n.d.). The Ultimate Vegan Guide: Compassionate Living Without Sacrifice. Retrieved
September 13, 2017, from https://www.vegan.com/ultimate-vegan-guide
Try This Tasty Two-Week Vegan Meal Plan From PETA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2017, from
https://www.peta.org/living/food/two-week-vegan-meal-plan/
6 Science-Based Health Benefits of Eating Vegan. (2016, September 23). Retrieved September 13, 2017,
from http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-benefits#section3
9
Capstone Timeline
Expected Completion Date Project or Assignment Date Completed