A vegan or plant-based diet does not include any animal products, including meat, dairy products, and eggs. If people eat right, vegan diets can be very nutritious, reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote weight loss. What is the difference between being a vegetarian and vegan?
We all know that vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or chicken. In addition to being vegetarian, vegan people will not consume other animal meat, they also avoid the by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.
Vegan diets tend to include plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. Eating a variety of these foods will provide a wide range of important vitamins, minerals, healthful fats, and protein. People following this diet should, however, take care to get key nutrients that people usually consume in animal products. These nutrients include iron, protein, calcium, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D.
4 reasons why a vegan diet is good for you:
It introduces you to more fibre:
Nutritionists recommend that people consume 25 to 38 grams of fibre per day. Because fibre is only found in plant foods like fruits and vegetables, vegans tend to eat more fibre than people who eat diets high in meat and cheese. Dietary fibre is necessary for healthy and fast digestion. As a result, people on a vegan diet generally experience better digestion and better bowel movements. This is why this diet is a win-win in this department.
Weight loss:
Weight loss is something very hard to achieve. No matter what you may do, the numbers on our weighing scale, seem unshakable but this diet can help you in getting those numbers down. Due to dietary restrictions, many new vegans can lose pounds. This is good news for anyone interested in losing weight. Cutting meat and high-fat cheese mean reducing saturated fat and lower calorie foods like salads and fresh produce. This also means that traditional cakes and butter desserts (such as biscuits) have disappeared from your routine cravings. If your doctor recommends you lose weight, a vegan diet can be a good choice.
It helps enrich cognitive behaviour:
Research on specific foods suggests that a vegan diet can be beneficial for cognitive function and mental health. Ingestion of phytochemicals is higher in vegans, which has a positive effect on mental health. In contrast, inadequate vitamin B-12 intake, which is common among vegans, can have adverse effects on the nervous system and cognitive functions such as stroke, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
It is good for the animals
Preparation of Vegan foods will not directly kill or harm animals. This eliminates the need for mass slaughter and violation of animal welfare in factories and small farms. This alone is enough to convince many animal lovers that a vegan lifestyle is right for them.
Reasons why a vegan diet can be bad for you:
Nutritional Deficiencies
While the vegan diet is healthy, there are still some potential problems that need to be addressed. Researchers have found that vegans often lack calcium for bone formation, muscle contraction, and other important functions. Vitamin B-12 and protein is another nutrient that may be lacking, as it is mostly found in animal foods. Vitamin B-12 is essential for healthy nerve function and blood cell production and these deficiencies can lead to a disease called pernicious anemia.
Make you socially isolated:
Food selection can become the focus of scrutiny by friends, family, colleagues, and other acquaintances. Nowadays veganism has become more and more common and plant-based foods are more readily available, but you may still be asked or asked why you choose this lifestyle. Also, those who do not know how to adapt to the diet may exclude you from the parties and events. Even worse, they may invite you to eat non-vegetarian foods.
There aren’t many options available:
When going to restaurants, traveling, or visiting friends, finding vegan foods can be a hard thing to do. Many restaurants don't have a vegan main course, so you can get in trouble by eating rice and beans or ordering french fries. Similarly, many cultural events and holidays include meat, so it's hard to accept the idea of Thanksgiving without turkey or Independence Day without hamburgers. But perhaps more importantly, it can cause discomfort to your friends and family.
Difficult to cook for
Just because it is challenging to make things the vegan style, while you are on this diet, you will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen trying new things. A vegan diet can make things easier and also harder, so before making a decision, make sure you ask your doctor and also your mind – are you ready for a fun and bumpy ride?