Numerous people are becoming vegan by excluding animal products for ethical, health, and environmental reasons. A plant-based or vegan diet includes foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, legumes, nuts, soy, and grains, except for animal products like dairy, meat, and eggs.
A vegan diet is highly nutritious with low saturated fats. Studies reveal that this type of diet helps improve health, reduce the chances of getting type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.
However, people following a vegan diet have to be cautious about obtaining numerous nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin 12 that usually are obtainable from products that are not vegan.
Below we are going to discuss the vegan diet, including its pros & cons, so let's jump into it!
What do vegans eat?
A vegan diet contains only plant foods. This means such a diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, and soy products like tofu. A vegan diet can fulfill the nutrients required by an average person if planned well. It can be a tough job to make sure all the protein sources are added in a person’s vegan diet so the body can be provided with all the necessary amino acids.
You must be wondering how breakfast, lunch, and dinner look for vegans without eggs, meat, and other edibles.
As an example, here’s what a person following a vegan diet may consume in a day:
• Breakfast: A vegan can eat Chia Pudding, Avocado (or nut butter) spread on toast, overnight oats mixed with vegan milk, or sweet potato.
• Lunch: Options for a vegan include a classic and simple jelly or peanut butter sandwich. They can also eat a chickpea or vegetable salad with a bowl of noodles.
• Snacks: Yes, just like everyone else, vegans also love to munch on snacks to satisfy their taste buds. Vegan snacks can be hummus, carrots, oat balls, kale chips, or roasted spicy chickpeas. There are many vegan snacks for you to choose from.
• Dinner: Who doesn’t love mac and cheese for dinner? Even vegans can eat their version of mac and cheese as long as non-vegan edibles aren’t in it. Other options for dinner include a veggie burger, stir fry tofu, roasted sweet potatoes with rice, and several sauces to choose from.
• Dessert: To satisfy the sweet tooth, vegans can eat banana ice cream, chocolate cookies, and much more.
Pros and Cons of Following a Vegan Diet
Now that you have the necessary knowledge about the vegan diet and what vegans eat, it’s time to discuss the pros and cons of adopting a vegan diet.
Pros
• Health Benefits: Many people on regular diets do not consume healthier foods like grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. But that’s not the case with a vegan diet. Many studies reveal that a vegan diet is nutritious if appropriately consumed. A vegan diet is high in vitamin C, fiber, iron, magnesium, and low in saturated fats & calories.
• Protections from Diseases: The nutrients present in a vegan diet are essential to protect from many diseases. Certain research data has shown that vegans and vegetarians are at low risk of developing specific types of cancer. Vegans also enjoy reduced chances of obesity, type-2 diabetes, and hypertension.
• Heart Health: Vegans have better heart health as compared to those who consume saturated fats. Research shows that higher consumption of a plant-based diet results in a lower risk of heart diseases. Animal-based diets consisting of meat, butter, and cheese are the primary source of saturated fats. Consuming such fats increases cholesterol, which results in stroke and heart attacks. The high fiber present in a vegan diet is excellent for heart health.
Cons
• Lack of Certain Nutrients: Needless to say, the vegan diet is deficient in some nutrients such as B12, iron, calcium, and fatty acids. All these nutrients are more than enough in an animal-based diet. That’s why vegans need to take such nutrients through supplemental pills, etc.
• Strict to Follow: There’s no doubt that studies show following a vegan diet helps with losing weight rapidly when compared to non-vegan people. However, since the vegan diet is restrictive, many new vegans can find it tough to stay away from processed carbs, fatty acids, and sugary drinks, especially when they have lost some weight.
Wrapping It Up
A vegan diet can be a healthy option for people if it's followed correctly. However, it would be best if you always talked to your health provider before switching to a vegan diet.
A vegan diet can be a healthy option for people if it's followed correctly. However, it would be best if you always talked to your health provider before switching to a vegan diet.
