Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
Every year 1st November is acknowledged as World Vegan Day.
World Vegan Day helps to inspire and urge people to stop using animal products and stop killing animals for their own selfish means. Stopping the exploitation of animals is the primary goal of World Vegan Day.
The Vegan Society, which was founded on 1st November to advance veganism and a vegan lifestyle, is the promoter of World Vegan Day. World Vegan Day is important for several reasons, including helping people become and stay vegan, advocating and defending vegans’ rights, working with politicians on issues like climate change, and sustainable agriculture, and expanding the availability of vegan cuisine in public institutions, among others.
What is a Vegan Diet?
Veganism is portrayed as a way of life that makes an effort to avoid using animals in any manner, whether it be for food, clothing, or other uses.
For this reason, a vegan diet forgoes all animal products, such as meat, dairy, eggs and even honey.
Vegans consume only plant-based meals and abstain from all animal products, including dairy, eggs, honey, meat, chicken, fish, and shellfish. Many people also avoid purchasing things made from animals (e.g., leather and reptile skin). In general, veganism rejects any practice that involves the exploitation of animals, including using them for critical research or entertainment.
Veganism undoubtedly has both pros and cons. When you’re not getting all the necessary nutrients, being a vegan is sometimes ineffective. Living a vegan lifestyle demands careful preparation and awareness of your food intake.
Let us now read about the pros and cons of going vegan.
Pros and Cons of a Vegan Diet
Pros of a vegan diet:
- Helps in maintaining blood sugar levels
The most important advantage of choosing a vegan diet is that it keeps your blood sugar levels balanced.
Many health studies reflect that vegans benefit from balanced blood sugar levels, higher insulin sensitivity, and up to a 78% lower risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes than non-vegans.
- Supports weight loss
Eliminating meat, dairy, and other animal products can help you lose weight and decrease your cholesterol since they are higher sources of fat and calories than plant-based diets.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that vegans typically had lower body mass indexes and lower blood pressure.
A higher intake of dietary fibre, which can make you feel fuller, is the reason why vegans have a natural predisposition to consume fewer calories.
- Lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases
Veganism is associated with a lower risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, claims an American Dietetic Association position statement.
According to the report’s findings, vegans often have lower LDL levels and a lower prevalence of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes than non-vegetarians. So this is also a strong advantage of having a vegan diet.
- Increases consumption of antioxidants
Eating a vegan diet typically results in increased consumption of healthy foods including vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, and whole grains, providing a wonderful opportunity to obtain an abundance of antioxidants, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Reduced risk of getting specific cancers
Consuming too much meat, particularly processed meat (such as hot dogs and deli meat), may increase your risk of developing oesophageal and colon cancer, among other diseases. Vegan diets, which are popular for being high in fibre, can increase your chances of avoiding such problems.
Greater environmental benefits
Health experts believe it is healthier for the environment, which is why people prefer a vegan diet. Environmentalists are becoming more concerned about how cattle and livestock agricultural methods affect the planet. Being vegan is a healthy way to save the environment.
Cons of a vegan diet:
Loss of essential vitamins and minerals
A vegan diet does not contain vitamin B12, a necessary ingredient, according to studies. Vegans can receive vitamin B12 via fortified foods (certain brands of soy milk, faux meats, morning cereals, and nutritional yeast) and supplements. Despite the fact that there are vegan sources of calcium and vitamin D, vegan diets may be lacking in these minerals.
Tend to develop unrealistic expectations
An individual may think that being vegan will improve their health. There are no credible studies that demonstrate how adopting a vegan lifestyle alone can enhance one’s health. Diet, exercise, and a decent fitness regimen must all be balanced to have better health results.
Potential interference with pre-existing medical conditions
Before beginning and following a vegan eating plan, it is crucial to speak with your doctor and a qualified dietitian. This is because a vegan diet may interfere with your health if you have diabetes or osteoporosis.
Final thoughts
Veganism involves more than simply avoiding animal products, with a little knowledge and preparation, a well-balanced diet may improve your general health. Give the vegan diet a try after evaluating the advantages and disadvantages; you may end up either discovering that it is worthwhile for you or not by any means.
Did you know that 24% of the Indian population is vegan? India has the highest number of vegans in the world.
Veganism may be chosen by people for moral, ecological, and amazing health benefits.
The vegan diet may offer a number of health advantages and might be simple to follow, but it also has some cons which we have stated above to provide you with clarity on going the vegan way.
But like with any other diet, these advantages only appear if you stick to them and base your meals on nutrient-dense plant foods rather than highly processed ones.
Furthermore, with changing your lifestyle habits and diet to a vegan one, you must also go for timely health checkups to stay updated about your health status and get complete insight about your health.
