The concept of “veganism” or a vegan diet has gained a huge amount of popularity and buzz over the past one decade.
Vegan diet or veganism is a lifestyle where one does not consume any kind or type of animal bases produced, when it comes to their food choices or lifestyle choices. One totally avoids all types of products derived from animals. So, one even can’t consume milk cheese, milk curd, milk, and any other product derived from them,in fact a true vegan will not consume honey also.
Every November, World Vegan Month is celebrated around the world as a time to shine a light on the vegan movement and the very 1st day is marked as World Vegan Day.
Veganism is an extension of being vegetarian. In a way all sorts of practices that cause cruelty or suffering to animals are discouraged by vegans. The concept has gained popularity not only because of emotional appeal in it but also for health benefits as
Reduce your cholesterol levels
Vegan diet is heart-friendly too, as your heart health is one of the most essential aspects of your health, and since a vegan diet is low in saturated fats and bad fats that lead to the blockage of arteries in your body and which might lead to poor heart health in future, also vegan diet is something that has adequate amount fiber that allows your body to maintain a healthy balance of LDL (Bad cholesterol) and HDL (Good Cholesterol), that ensures the healthy functioning heart.
Also, a vegan diet is rich in many micronutrients which are shown to improve the blood flow in your body, which further improves heart health. Since your heart health depends upon factors like the balance of cholesterol levels, the number of triglycerides, and previous parental history and adding plant-based foods or following a vegan diet has shown tremendous effects on one’s heart health.
Better Digestion
Digestion is one factor that is one of the most important elements for good health, if your digestion is messed up there wouldn’t be any point in eating good quality food, now since the foods that you eat in a vegan lifestyle (healthy ones obviously) are rich in fiber, which improves your body ability to process digestion better and give you a healthy stool.
as you tend to focus more on veggies, fruits, nuts, and plant-based milk, it creates an optimal environment in your body that helps to reduce the number of androgens in your body, giving you that glowing and ageless skin.
Weight loss
one of the many reasons why people switch to a vegan lifestyle is the favorite benefit of all times, weight loss, now we are not saying that the moment you switch to a vegan lifestyle you will end up losing tons of weight but choosing a vegan lifestyle can surely help you in your weight loss ho as you get a variety of foods to choose by in vegan lifestyle that are satiating and yet low in calories, for instance, plant-based milk like almond and oats milk is quarter to that of cow’s milk in terms of calories.
and to active weight loss, one has to create some set of calories deficit in their daily diet, and adding plant-based foods or opting for a vegan lifestyle can definitely help one to achieve so.
Great for your skin as well
This is might not be true for everyone but for many people consuming animal products like milk can cause a rapid increase of androgens in their body which may lead to acne breakout or oily skin,
Opting for or adding some plant-based foods, plant-basedprotein like fruits, veggies, and plant-based milk can help you to reduce inflammation in your body and give you good glowing skin. Trust us no cream can do the magic that a healthy lifestyle and diet can do.
In a nutshell, on a vegan diet, you can eat foods made from plants, including:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
- Breads, rice, and pasta
- Dairy alternatives such as soymilk, coconut milk, and almond milk
- Vegetable oils
Studies show that vegans have better heart health and lower odds of having certain diseases. Those who skip meat have less of a chance of becoming obese or getting heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Vegans are also less likely to get diabetes and some kinds of cancer, especially cancers of the GI tract and the breast, ovaries, and uterus in women.
But every coin has two faces, Team Nutrishilp suggests you to understand the drawbacks of Vegan, so that you your decision to dietary shift will be more informed.
Those who are into extreme dieting tend to take supplements for the nutrients they get deficient of. Vegan food cannot provide a high amount of energy for exercise purposes.
Dangers of being Vegan
LEGUME PROTEIN AND LEAKY GUT
Avegan can not include any kind of animal protein, thus legumes become a major plant-based protein source.
Proteins present in legumes also contain certain anti nutrients. These anti nutrients have the property to inhibit the absorption of important macronutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Leaky gut is a condition of an intestine which is also known as intestinal permeability. In this, the lining of the small intestine gets damaged by accumulation of anti-nutrient. This lets the undigested food particles, toxic waste products and bacteria to leak through the intestine and reach to the bloodstream.
SOY PROTEIN AND HORMONE DISRUPTION
The fact that a vegan cannot have a stable protein source, they need to find certain food products which are rich in proteins. Soya bean is such plant-based food which is rich in protein source and provides many other macronutrients.
Soya beans also consist of phytoestrogens which increases the estrogen levels in the body. Phytoestrogen is given as a supplement to the women during their menopause for the smooth procedure. This elevation of estrogen levels can create imbalance in the body.
LACK OF HEMOGLOBIN
The major source of hemoglobin has always been red meat. For vegans, there are very less heme options, even if there are then those are non heme iron. Non heme iron has a drawback that they do not get absorbed by the body that readily.
In India, iron deficient anemia is the most common form of anemia and also nutritional deficiency. Both vegan and vegetarian diets are at high risk of anemia.
REDUCTION IN OMEGA 3 FATTY ACID
Omega 3 fatty acid is the major component of fish and fish oils. Although the increased amount of it can be unhealthy for the body but if there is excessively decreased amount of the same then it can affect the body in worsened forms.
For fully vegans, omega 3 fatty acid doesn’t have any vegan food substitute which can take the place of fish completely.
TOO MUCH CARBOHYDRATE
As it was mentioned above, it is a true fact that vegan meals do not have much protein source which also contains certain anti nutrient properties. There are also reports that fully vegan tend to have an increased amount of carbohydrate content.
Vegan diets do not have many options thus they tend to include carbohydrates to reach a satiety level. The vegan food such as legumes also contains carbohydrates. Overconsumption of carbohydrates can lead to imbalance of body metabolism. It can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver, blood sugar deregulation. It is very important to have a balanced diet with the adequate amount of every macronutrient. This fails to happen in vegan diets.
DISORDERED EATING
Disordered eating condition here is referred to the over fixation on the food items you consume. This condition is also called orthorexia. Orthorexia is the obsession for healthy food. It can lead to over restricting yourself for a certain kind of food, obsession or any other eating disorders.
Orthorexia is majorly noticed in vegans because of obsessive need for a healthy and plant-based diet plan. It is true that being a vegan has its own benefits but you must definitely consider the dangers of turning into one.
Vitamin B12 –
One nutrient that’s impossible to get from plant sources alone is vitamin B12, which your body uses to make red blood cells and DNA. You’ll only find B12 in animal products. If you go vegan, you may need a supplement to make up for what you don’t get from your diet.
INHIBITS ZINC ABSORPTION
Just like vitamin B12, zinc is also hard to get for vegans. There are many food products which are vegan and contain zinc are legumes, nuts and seeds.
Plant based food products also contain phytic acid which prevents the ability to absorb zinc. Phytic acid is one of the anti-nutrients which damage the lining of the small intestine. It basically harms the body by mineral deficiencies.
Keep in mind that a vegan diet is only as healthy as you make it. Products like “vegan” ice cream, cookies, and candy are tempting, but you don’t want to overdo. If you eat high-fat and processed foods and supersize your portions, you’ll gain weight and might end up with many of the same health problems you’d have on a meat-based diet.
How to Go Vegan
Does the idea of a vegan diet interest you, but you’re not sure how to start? If you want, you could plunge right in and cut out all poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy at once. Or, take a more gradual approach and increase the number of fruits and vegetables you eat at each meal.
Team Nutrishilp can help you choose the right food as you start a vegan diet. It’s very important to get help from an expert if you have a long-term condition or you’re pregnant, to make sure you get the right mix of nutrients in your new eating plan.
Feel free to connect @ 7581921000 or leave your query at contact@nutrishilp.com
“Being vegan for a certain period of time may prove to be healthy for your metabolic system but considering the nutrient deficiencies. If you consider being a vegan permanently then you must prepare your vegan diet plan properly and with certain supplements so that it benefits you”
-Shilpi Goel, Dietitian, Nutritionist and Founder, Nutrishilp.
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