.jpg) |
| Chicken Ceasar Salad without chicken and cheese in the future? |
Vegans don't eat or use animal products. It is a lifestyle that is becoming increasingly popular. However there are mixed opinions on it, some claim it is super healthy, others say it can lead to health problems because you miss out on important nutrients.
As a result I decided to look it up myself and find out to the best of my ability the pros and cons of veganism.
So let's tackle the problem of Vegans missing out on nutrients. This is partly true, as animal products are the main source of many of our essential nutrients, but they are repaceable!
Vitamin A is mainly found in animal products. Vegan's can only get it by eating beta carotene which is found in oranges and green vegetables, and they need to eat a lot of it to equal the amount in animal products as the body has to convert the beta carotene into Vitamin A.
You also miss out on Protein in meat and fish, however this is easily replaced by beans, quinoa and tofu.
There are more nutrients mainly found it animal products but fact is, they can all be replaced in a varied vegan diet. All nutrients can be gained by plant based food, so on nutritional basis a vegan diet can get you your nutrients just as well as a normal diet. Find more information on what vegan foods you need to eat to gain which nutrient
here.
The question whether a vegan diet is healthy, can consequently only be answered by saying that it depends on what you eat, as with every diet. It can be harder to get all the nutrients but it is possible. There are potential benefits to a vegan diet, it is often higher in vitamin C and fibre, and lower in saturated fat.
If you look at all the pros and cons , a plant based diet is probably not better nor worse than a normal one. However research shows that vegan people often live a healthier lifestyle. How come?
The answer is actually quite simple. If you eat vegan you really have to know your food, know what is plant based and what will get you the essential nutrients. This means that you know the nutritional value of different foods, so you will probably know which foods are good for you. All in all this will lead to you eating foods that are better for you. It's all about knowledge ;)
I am not a Vegan but I am seriously contemplating including it into my diet. However I do like milk and Nandos too much to completely leave them out, so I really want to try out eating vegan 2-3 days of the week. Always being vegan can be difficult, especially when you have a busy schedule, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the benefits of it (did you know that vegans have a lower average BMI than non-vegans?). A plant based diet is great if you want to become fitter and detox your body, as well as eat healthier. Just as I said, you don't have to do it permanently or every single day. Just try it out and if it's not for you, you can always eat 'normally' again. There's no harm in trying, right?
So knowing all this, would you choose to become vegan? Or are you like me and would only want to do it partly? Or maybe you don't want to try it at all for whatever reason? I would love to hear your opinion on this topic, so do leave me a comment.
Love you lots.
Disclaimer: I am in no means a nutritional expert, all my information are from health websites such as http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/vegan-diet-healthy/ or http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm#why. I cannot promise you that everything I wrote about is to 100% correct, although I really tried my best to provide you correct information about this important topic. Let me know immediately if any information is incorrect or incomplete.
Stay connected:
