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Your diet can have a big impact on your life. While the idea that your diet can affect your health is not a new one, it seems that veganism is a diet trend that has been growing in popularity in recent years.
While there can be many health benefits to going vegan, it can feel like a big lifestyle change. However, taking charge of your health and trying a vegan diet does not have to be a daunting task. Here are a few things to consider if you are thinking about becoming vegan.
What Does It Mean to Go Vegan?
A vegan diet is one where you eat no animal products. This means that you would not eat red meat, poultry, or fish. Vegans also do not eat products that come from animals such as dairy, eggs or honey.
There are also byproducts, such as gelatin, that are to be avoided on a vegan diet as well. Many vegans take this lifestyle beyond food to their fashion choices, opting not to wear leather, fur, or anything else that is derived from an animal.
Increased Nutrients
One potential benefit of a vegan lifestyle is that you can increase the amount of many of the nutrients in your diet. A well balanced vegan grocery list would incorporate a wide range of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and grains.
Because you don’t eat meat, dairy, or other animal products, this automatically cuts out many kinds of unhealthy and overly processed foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. Cutting these foods out can make it easier for you to focus your meals around fruits and vegetables, which will lead to you consuming more nutrients overall.
Increased Weight Loss
There are many ways in which a vegan diet can potentially help you lose weight. With it, there are many unhealthy by-products that you will no longer be eating. Also, many animal products tend to be more calorie dense as well as high in fat than those that you would eat as a vegan.
Many who try this diet are able to lose weight without much hassle, and there is even some evidence that those who follow a vegan diet might be able to lose more weight than those following a traditional calorie restricted diet.
Improvement in Overall Health
If you go vegan, there is potential to lower your risk of many diseases. There is some evidence that it can improve both high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes, as well as certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer.
Heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure can also potentially be improved or reduced with the help of a vegan diet. Not only can it help with larger health issues, but it may also aide in smaller health issues such as skin rashes and breakouts, insomnia and poor digestion as well.
It’s Great for the Environment
Switching to a vegan lifestyle can have some far reaching benefits beyond your health. With this diet, you avoid using animal products which contribute to pollution and other environmental problems.
The production of meat and other animal products can put a heavy burden on the environment, because it takes much more resources to feed and process animals than it does to grow fruits and vegetables. By opting for a vegan lifestyle you will be helping to reduce this burden.
Going Vegan: The Bottom Line
While going vegan can seem like a big lifestyle change at first, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Many do not go full vegan overnight, but instead take some time to transition into the diet gradually. Also, there are many resources that can help you along the way, from books, to online meal plans to online communities, there are places you can go for guidance on your journey.
When it comes down to it, there are many potential benefits to a vegan diet. From weight loss to improving your overall health to doing good for the environment, there are many reasons this diet could be just the change that you need in your life.
Kevin Gardner graduated with a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from UCLA. He works as a business consultant for InnovateBTS where he helps companies integrate technology to improve performance. He shares his knowledge and expertise not only with his clients but with his fellow bloggers and readers.