Health Benefits of Vegan Diet [Explained with Infographic]

You’ve heard a lot of noises about “healthy diet,” “going vegan,” or “veganism” and finally decided to do a Google search to find out what’s this thing!

After all, what the heck is veganism, right?

Ok, but why is that everyone you know is either adopting it or talking about it?

If you’re in this “confuse-land” all by yourself, don’t worry, you’re not alone. And the reason I’m writing this guide is to let you know everything there’s to know about veganism.

From your health benefits to animal cruelty, we’ll cover everything here in this guide.

So… Embrace yourself! Knowledge is coming!

The Story of Matt Tullman

Don’t worry. I’m not going to bore you with a typical “lose 60 pounds in 30 days” story. This one is different.

But Matt wasn’t, in any way. He was a regular person like you and me, eating anything and everything he got in front of him. He was living on junk foods and caffeine.

But that didn’t last long. Something big happened and changed the way of his thinking.

And his journey started from there. He and his wife started to live on a fully plant-based diet. Over time they both fell in love with the lifestyle and the foods.

The best thing that happened was that Matt was feeling exceptionally better about his physical and mental health. His energy level was increasing; he was losing weight even without increasing exercise.

But that’s not all! His wife Adriana cured hypothyroidism over this period. This is just a small gain of being vegan.

I know what questions you have in mind now. No worries, I’ll answer them beforehand.

Is going vegan is easy especially in the beginning stage?

I’d say, No!

Is it worth it?

Heck Yeah!

Since Matt and his wife started this change, both of them lose 30 pounds in a very short span of time. Both of them are extremely healthy and happy couple, now parents of two, with no signs of hypothyroidism!

What is a Vegan Diet?

A vegan diet is a plant-based diet and is free from meat or any other dairy products. But if you think vegan foods are boring or punishment to your taste buds, you couldn’t be more wrong!

I know this because I used to think like that. Vegan foods can be a refreshment for both your mind and taste buds.

Ask your vegans friends about their favourite vegan food and try for yourself!

A vegan diet usually includes: 

• Nuts and seeds
  
• Legumes like peas, beans, and lentils
  
• Bread, rice, and pasta
  
• A dairy alternative such as soymilk, coconut milk, and almond milk

Are Vegans Healthy?

Generally speaking, a vegan diet is much healthier than a meat-based diet. But the key here is to maintain a proper diet.

This goes for any diet plan well. No matter what you decide to eat, you should maintain a proper diet.

A plant-based diet is a super healthy food habit for humans. But if you eat only onions and banana juice for 7 straight days, I don’t see why your body should perform well!

The best option is to consult a nutritionist for a diet plan according to your taste, daily routine, lifestyle, and more importantly, the digestion system.

What are the benefits of being a vegan?

A vegan lifestyle might be the best lifestyle for many people as it comes up with plenty of benefits such as improved health, natural & fats-free ingredients, and much more.

The plant-based diet must include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. As a vegan diet relies on these healthy staples, it is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre.

A healthy vegan diet is abundant with Vitamins B1, C, and E, folic acid, magnesium, and iron. The amount of cholesterol and saturated fats are meagre.

A vegan diet prevents diseases that you might get from a non-vegan diet, reducing the risk of mortality. The following are the diseases that can be avoided just by going vegan:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Hypertension
• Stroke
• Obesity
• Some cancers, including prostate and colon cancer

But that’s not all! If we talk about mental health and inner freshness, that’s not something you get from a non-veg diet. When you shift to it, you’ll feel less stress, illnesses and more energy from inside.

What Happens to Your Body When You go vegan?

Switching to all plant-based diets comes up with many benefits, but it also involves some factors that should be considered before changing the diet. This section will cover both good and bad impacts on your body when you go vegan.

Advantages:

• As you go, vegan, say for a month, you will observe improved digestion. It becomes easier for the stomach and intestine to process a vegan diet.
• Weight loss is a significant benefit given a little exercise.
• The risk of heart diseases becomes very low.
• You can avoid risks of certain types of cancers.
• You might feel energetic and sleep better.
• Your skin will improve a lot. Plenty of skin diseases comes from a non-vegan diet.

We’ve been inspiring you to go vegan this whole time. Now it’s our responsibility to make you aware of certain things. Let’s see those:

Disadvantages:

• It raises the risk of certain nutrient deficiencies like B Vitamins and other minerals, which are necessary for health. Vitamin B12 and iron, which you get from meat, produce red blood cells that keep energy level stable.
• You may miss out on calcium, which helps keep bones and teeth healthy. It comes from various dairy products, but you should be looking for an alternative like soybeans as a vegan. It might not fill requirements, so we need to consider supplementation.
• You may feel tired or foggy at first (deficiency of nutrients like iodine and choline abundant in eggs).
• Foods may start to taste different as the ingredient zinc present in red meat, regulates your ability to taste. Eating less zinc, you may start noticing things smell and taste differently.

If we talk about the health benefits of going vegan, it becomes easy for you to decide.

Going vegan comes up with plenty of benefits not only for your health but also it has a positive impact on the environment, allows the usage of resources in a better and efficient way and much more.

What is the Difference between Vegan and Vegetarian?

Before we jump into more details, let’s discuss what the difference between vegan and vegetarian is.

The primary difference is that the vegetarians avoid meat only, while vegans avoid all animal-sourced products like eggs, honey, and many other dairy products.

Going vegan might be a hard nut to crack because he will have to leave several food items that most of us love to eat daily.

Should I go Vegan or Vegetarian?

As the difference is mentioned earlier in this article, going vegan or vegetarian depends on a lot of circumstances, which might be different for everyone.

A person to decide between two options depends highly on health consciousness, nutritionist’s advice, age, and considering the benefits of going vegan or the risk of diseases you might get from a non-vegan diet.

Many people are sensitive to animal-based products like milk, cheese, dairy products, and consuming meat itself. It is convenient for them to go for a vegan diet plan.

Contrary to this, people who love to eat meat and dairy products but have health issues make it difficult for them to go for an entirely plant-based diet.

They might avoid eating meat only and consume dairy products as much less as possible to avoid the risk of getting health-related problems. A vegetarian diet will prove to be the best for these.

Why the world needs more vegans like you?

As far as the health benefits are concerned, it is discussed in depth in the points mentioned above. Its impact on the environment is another significant benefit considering the future perspective of the World.

For centuries, humans breed animals and cattle not only for farming but for their food as well. Meat and dairy products are considered to be essential for survival.

With the exponential growth in the World’s population, how will we utilize our resources in the future? Animal slaughtering is not the option, that’s for sure.

As the population grows, we need to have more land for agriculture than animals and cattle to breed. A balance is required in human and animal species.

The best practice is to go vegan as early as possible. It will be easier for you to adopt this diet considering its health benefits. If there is a shortage of meat and milk in the market, you should enjoy a healthy meal in your room without facing any problem.

One thing you should consider that when we buy something from the supermarket or online, we’re not only buying the products. We’re also buying the brand and supporting the company’s value and mission.

If I order chicken nuggets from a fast food chain, I’m not only buying the nuggets, I’m supporting them for slaughtering numerous animal lives just to satisfy our taste buds.

Ironic, huh?

Veganism in the UK

Over the last few years, people, especially in Britain, are becoming more aware of a vegan diet’s health benefits and cutting down meals from their lifestyle.

According to The Vegan Society, in 2016, there were more than half a million vegans in the UK only!

Considering the whooping increase in the numbers in the past few years, it’s safe to say that by 2021, the number of vegans in the UK will be well over a million. Crazy, right?

See this Infographic for future references:

Conclusion

Consuming a vegan diet comes up with plenty of health benefits. It improves your overall health by reducing the risks of certain cancers, improving your heart health and much more. In addition to that, a vegan diet has a positive impact on the environment as well.

If you are confused regarding becoming a vegan person, then the best option is to go vegan for a month or two and observe its impacts on your body and mind. If you find it perfect for you, then go for it!