10 Oct 4 Importance of Veganism
New Year resolution for many is losing weight, switching to better food, getting healthier, do something good for the world, save animals, and accomplish other similar goals. To that end, what else can cover up all these better than going vegan? And those of you think that it’s a sacrifice, you are mistaken. Vegan diet also involves delicious, satisfying meals like other food cultures.
What is veganism?
Veganism is a food culture or a way of living that avoids all animal products in their food and life. It also includes avoiding by product from animals that excludes a wide variety of items including milk and leather. And at the table, a vegan diet involves food items completely derived from plant and plant products. Meaning, no meat, egg, milk, butter, or cheese in what you eat. Most vegans also avoid eating honey or honey products besides saying no even clothes, soaps, and other products that use or contain animal product. It’s a dual-tone approach to life, one being a dietary choice and the other being a choice of lifestyle. Apart from that, some people adapt this way of living mainly for the benefits it offers to the well being of our environment.
What does the vegan list of foods contain?
Vegan diet relies on a plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, cereals, and seeds that will provide a wide range of crucial vitamins, minerals, proteins, and a range of healthful fats. Vegans should additionally include food sources which provide iron, calcium, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D. A vegan lifestyle also means no voting for the use of products tested on animals and an effective move against the cruelty, exploitation, and suffering of animals.
Is veganism a sacrifice?
Not at all. It’s just the matter of choice. How long can a non vegetarian food help you enjoy its taste? It’s hardly a few minutes during the eating process. What follow is hours of stoned stomach or a drastic rise in the internal heat or stored fat in the body. So what’s actually happening is sacrificing the inherent goodness in us just for taste. On the nutritional side, vegan food is not very far behind to non-vegan food. Once decided, the journey to completely adopting to the vegan lifestyle is short and fast. The reward is huge in return in the form of improved health, sharper mind, cost effective, and more peaceful conscience.
Veganism promotes better health
Out of all the best benefits, vegan diet significantly improves health by providing all the nutrients that a human body needs. Besides, it effectively eliminates some of the most concerning risks of consuming animal foods and other harmful animal fats. Let’s see some of the health benefits of vegan food.
Better heart-health
Food products derived from animals include meat, cheese, animal fat oil, butter, etc. which drastically raises cholesterol levels. High cholesterol level always pose challenges to seamless heart functioning. It increases the risk of various heart disease and stroke.
Lower cancer risks
There are several studies that show the unfavorable effect of red meat and processed meat which are carcinogenic. Many researches had linked it primarily to colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Unlike animal meat, plant foods have high fiber content, vitamins, and photo chemicals, and other biologically active compounds that protect human body against cancers.
Maintain ideal body weight
A vegan diet is stuffed with low calorie plant-based foods that help people maintain an ideal body mass index besides keeping off unhealthy fat deposits. It is said that vegan people have an average of almost 10 Kilograms lesser body weight than the meat eaters.
Diabetes control
Following a vegan diet, which is completely plant-based food items, drastically reduces the risk of type 2 Diabetes. Vegetable and fruits help significantly control blood sugar and make your body more responsive to insulin. This in turn helps reducing dependency on medication and further avoiding complication related to Diabetes.
Apart from the above crucial benefits, it’s the best way to save the animal community as it’s estimated that each vegan saves nearly 200 animals per year. There is no better way to help animals and prevent their suffering that is handed over through generations than by choosing completely plant-based foods.
Veganism saves the planet and feeds it too
Raising animals solely for meat and other animal products consume tons of crops and water. It is calculated the too much kilos of grain is required to effectively get it converted to just a little meat. That plant food could be used much more efficiently and productively if consumed directly by the people.
Here’s more to it!!
Meat is not environmentally friendly and its production is wasteful besides being an active contributor to enormous amounts of pollution. And this industry is also amongst the major causes of climate change. Avoiding it can hugely make the world a better place.
As like in any of the healthy diets, a vegan diet also falls behind when it comes to offering certain vitamins and minerals. For that, vegans should plan their meals wisely to avoid any kind of nutritional deficiencies.
Let’s see some of the main nutrients that are comparatively low in a vegan diet:
Vitamin B-12: It’s main source for humans are from animal products/foods. You cannot go easy on it as Vitamin B-12 plays a crucial role in protecting the nerves and the red blood cells. To boost its availability, include more fortified cereals and plant milks, nutritional yeast, and yeast spreads in your diet. That helps.
Iron: What’s blood-health without iron? It’s among the major components that ensure the overall well-being of the blood. Include more beans and dark green leafy vegetable that gives an extra supply of iron.
Calcium: We all know that meat and other animal products like the milk, egg, paneer, and curd caters to that much-needed calcium requirement. Food items like green leafy vegetables, tahini, tofu, etc, will help meet the calcium needs of the body.
Vitamin D: Vitamin D effectively protects your body from cancer and certain chronic health conditions. Further, it helps strengthen the bones and teeth. The best source is to getting exposed to sunlight, especially the morning sun. However, you can also meet the requirement by including vitamin D-fortified foods in your everyday diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids: It is at the forefront of boosting heart-health, besides improving eye, and brain function. Eating walnuts, flaxseeds, seaweeds, and algae supply appropriate amounts of all three types of omega-3 fatty acids namely EPA, DHA, and ALA.
Zinc: Zinc is our immune system’s best ally. Above all, the repair of DNA damage is well supported by Zinc. Stuff your everyday diet with beans, nutritional yeast, nuts, and oats for zinc-rich vegan foods.
Iodine: Iodine is important for thyroid function and its healthy functioning. Plant-based sources of iodine include seaweeds and other fortified foods.
The bottom line
Veganism is among the best ways to not only save our cute, loving animals, but also to improve human life to a whole new level. It’s growing in popularity today than ever before for its unmatched capabilities in offering a plethora of benefits unlike the cliché belief that only animal food can make you stronger.
Sure, you might find it a bit challenging to give up on all your favorite menus. But, what’s waiting is a clean, healthy, and peaceful life in the long run. Go for it..!!