Just how healthy is a vegan lifestyle? Experts say more and more people, including former President Bill Clinton, are shunning animal products in favor of a plant based diet -- that means no meat or dairy. It's not for everyone.
Sixty-two-year-old Rebecca Williams doesn't want to be on pills forever so so she's trying a different approach with a vegan diet.
"The very second day, I think I started feeling better, more energy," said Williams.
She was already a vegetarian, but being a vegan is more restrictive. No animal products period--including dairy and eggs.
"It is a little bit of a change and whole lot of people know that they want to do it because they know if they do it they can get rid of all the cholesterol, all of the animal fat and they can be slim and healthy," said Dr. Neal Barnard from the Physicians for Responsible Medicine.
Barnard says if former President Clinton can live the vegan life, anyone can.
"He looked terrific when Chelsea got married. He was 24, 26 pounds lighter, but the reason he did it was for a healthy heart. He didn't want to go back and and have heart surgery again. Diet can do the same thing," he said.
Dr. Barnard says a plant-based diet can help people lower their cholesterol, blood pressure, and lose weight. But it does require a lot of meal planning. Vegan convenience foods can help ease the transition, but dietitians say just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's healthy.
"If it comes in a package, it's still a processed food," said registered dietician Rececca Scritchfield.
All that food can still be packed with calories, sodium and sugar, so read labels carefully, she advised.
But the vegan diet is paying off for Rebecca Williams. She's gone from a size 18 to a size 10. Her daughter was so impressed. She's now a vegan too.
"Obviously, I lost weight, which was a good motivation. But that was five months ago and I'm still sticking with it and it just gets easier every day," said Williams.
Dietitians say vegan diets can be very healthy, but you do need make sure you're monitoring your vitamins and minerals. Vegans often have vitamin B12 and protein deficiencies.
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