CAN VEGAN DIET BE HEALTHY?

OVERVIEW

Veganism is a way of living in which animal products are excluded from daily use from diet, clothing or any other purpose. Vegan diet has become very popular now-a-days. People are getting aware about the environmental concerns due to numerous animal deaths. So they are adopting vegan diet for environmental, health and ethical concerns. The diet includes plant-based foods and no animal products like meat, eggs or dairy products. If taken properly, it can lead to various health benefits like controlling blood sugar, preventing chronic diseases, maintaining heart health and losing weight.

However, it is said that complete plant-based diet causes nutrient deficiency as there are various types of nutrients that usually come from omnivorous diet. But persons who go for vegan diet are need to be more aware of their nutrient intake.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VEGAN DIET AND VEGETARIANISM?

In vegan diet, people do not consume meat like chicken, pork, fish, etc, eggs and dairy products. But in vegetarianism, people do not eat meat only. They consume dairy products, eggs or both. So the vegan diet is more restrictive and people will need to think more about their nutrients requirements.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEGAN DIET?

The vegan diet is of different types depending on the type of food involved:

• Raw food vegan diet
• Whole food vegan diet
• Starch solution diet
• 80/10/10 diet
• Raw till 4
• Thrive diet
• Junk food vegan diet

WHAT ARE THE FOODS WHICH CAN BE EATEN IN VEGAN DIET?

On a vegan diet, a person can eat the following foods which are obtained from plants:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes like peas, lentils, beans, etc
• Rice and breads
• Soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk
• Vegetable oils
• Tofu, tempeh
• Flaxseeds, chia seeds and hemp
• Calcium-fortified yogurt and milk
• Algae
• Cereals and pseudocereals
• Fermented plant foods

FOODS WHICH ARE TO BE AVOIDED IN VEGAN DIET

Following are the foods which are not to be taken in vegan diet:

• Meat such as lamb, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc
• Seafood like crabs, mussels, squid, lobsters, shrimp, etc
• All types of fishes
• Eggs
• Dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, etc
• Bee products like honey, royal jelly, bee pollen, etc
• Mayoneisse
• Whey, casein, lactose, etc.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF VEGAN DIET?

There are various benefits of vegan diet, if taken regularly and properly. Following are the health benefits:

• Helps in losing weight
• Maintains a good heart health
• Reduces symptoms of arthritis like pain, swelling and stiffness in joints
• Helps in lowering sugar levels in blood, thereby preventing diabetes
• Helps in detoxifying body, thus keeps kidney healthy
• Reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
• Prevents various types of cancers like uterine, cervical, mouth cancers, etc