More people are embracing a vegan, or plant-based, diet daily. According to a 2019 Economist article, 25% of 25- to 34-year-old Americans identify as vegans or vegetarians. According to Chef’s Pencil’s food-focused website, interest in veganism will reach an all-time high in 2020.
For some, avoiding dairy, meat, and other animal products may appear to be a great sacrifice. Others see the personal and social benefits of a vegan diet as a no-brainer. For example, many people are genuinely concerned about animal welfare. Many people are motivated to make the switch because of the potential health benefits.
What is Veganism?
Veganism is an ideology that opposes animal cruelty, exploitation, and suffering. It is a way of life that excludes animals’ use in food, clothing, entertainment, or products tested on animals.
Why Is Going Vegan Important?
You may have noticed that we are in a crisis. Humanity is constantly depleting the planet’s limited resources. The climate is experiencing dramatic, unnecessary, and unexpected changes. And people are suffering from many illnesses which are related to their diets. You can’t solve everything by going vegan, but you can be a part of the solution.
People tend to follow those they admire. If you decide that veganism is for you, your classmates, family members, and colleagues may follow your example. Besides, when you stop eating meat, dairy, and eggs, you are waging war with your wallet. Companies that sell meat and animal byproducts do so purely for money. When their earnings start to dry up, they will consider alternative business strategies.
Why you should go vegan?
Here are the top five reasons why going vegan is important:
1. It is the most effective way to help animals
Did you know that each vegan saves approximately 200 animals per year? There is no better way to help animals and prevent suffering than consume plant-based foods instead of meat, eggs, and dairy products.
2. Slim Down and Become Energized
Is losing a few pounds at the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions? Vegans are up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters on average. Moreover, unlike unhealthy fad diets that leave you tired (and usually don’t keep the pounds off for long), going vegan helps you keep the excess fat off for a good while also having plenty of energy.
3. Improve Your Health and Happiness
Going vegan is extremely beneficial to your health! Vegans are less likely than meat-eaters to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
4. Meat is gross
Feces, blood, and other bodily fluids are present in animal flesh. All of this makes animal-derived foods the leading cause of food poisoning in the US. The flesh of supermarket chickens was found to be contaminated with campylobacter. According to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, this toxic bacterium causes 2.4 million cases of food poisoning each year. This results in diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever.
5. Help Feed the World
Eating meat not only hurts animals but also harms humans. Raising farmed animals requires a massive amount of crops and water. 1 pound of animal flesh requires up to 13 pounds of grain!
The usage of all of that plant food could be much more effective if people ate it. The more vegans there are, the more we will be able to feed the hungry.
How can it improve your health?
Vegan diets are known to aid in weight loss. However, they also provide a variety of other health benefits.
Here are six science-based advantages of going vegan:
1. A Vegan Diet Provides More Nutrients
If you switch from a typical Western diet to a vegan diet, you must eliminate meat and animal products. This would eventually lead to a higher dependency on other foods. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are used as replacements in a whole-foods vegan diet.
For example, Several studies have found that vegan diets contain more fiber, antioxidants, and useful plant compounds. They tend to be higher in potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E.
However, not all diets are the same. For example, Poorly scheduled vegan diets may be deficient in essential fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, sodium, iodine, or zinc.
Certain nutrients are more abundant in whole-food vegan diets. However, make sure that you are getting all of the nutrients your body requires.
2. It Can Help You Lose Excess Weight
To lose weight, an increasing number of people are turning to plant-based diets. This could be for a good reason.
Many observational studies have found that vegans are thinner and have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than non-vegans.
Furthermore, several clinical studies — the gold standard in scientific research — show that these diets are more effective for weight loss. A vegan diet helped people lose 9.3 lbs (4.2 kg) more than a control diet over the course of an 18-week trial.
Vegan diets naturally lower your calorie intake. As a result, they successfully promote weight loss without the need to focus on calorie reduction actively.
3. It Appears to Lower Blood Sugar Levels and Improves Kidney Function
Going vegan may also help with type 2 diabetes and decreasing kidney function.
Vegans have lower blood sugar levels, greater insulin sensitivity, and a 50–78% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
According to a study, vegan diets lower blood sugar levels in diabetics.
In one study, 43 percent of vegan diet participants decreased their blood-sugar-lowering drug dosage, compared to only 26 percent of ADA-recommended diet participants.
Vegan diets lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They are also especially effective at lowering blood sugar levels and may help reduce the risk of future health issues.
4. A Vegan Diet May Help Prevent Certain Cancers
According to the World Health Organization, we can prevent one-third of all cancers through diet changes. For example, consuming legumes regularly may decrease your risk of colorectal cancer by 9–18%.
According to research, eating at least seven portions of fresh fruits and vegetables per day may reduce your risk of dying from cancer by up to 15%. Certain elements of the vegan diet may protect against prostate, breast, and colon cancer.
5. It is associated with a lower risk of heart disease
Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and fiber has been linked to a lower heart disease risk. All of these are commonly consumed in large quantities in well-planned vegan diets.
Observational analyses comparing vegans to the general population show that vegans may have a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure.
The Bottom Line
Vegan diets are becoming more popular. A vegan diet can provide many health benefits, such as improved heart health, weight loss, and a lower risk of chronic diseases. Vegan diets may also be healthier for the environment, according to research.
People who choose to follow a vegan diet must carefully plan their meals to ensure that they receive enough key nutrients to avoid deficiencies.
