There are all sorts of lifestyle changes you can make for the sake of your health and wellbeing. Where possible, you should implement them – after all, at the end of the day, your health and wellbeing should be a priority. It allows you to live your life as you want to and can reduce your chances of experiencing illness or chronic health conditions. One major change you can make to your lifestyle that could have hugely positive health benefits is adopting a vegan diet. Here’s some information that can help you to give it a try!
What is Veganism?
Let’s start by outlining what veganism is. This will help you to understand the changes that you would need to make to your lifestyle in order to become vegan. Veganism is when you exclude all animal products from your lifestyle. There are dietary vegans who do not consume animal products and there are all-round vegans who do not use any animal products in general (including using animals for clothing, beauty products, furniture, or anything else). If you decide to adopt a vegan diet, you will need to cut out:
- Meat, fish, and seafood
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Bee products (such as honey or bee pollen)
- Gelatin
- Cochineal and carmine
- Animal-derived food additives
Check ingredient lists on products you buy. This may feel long and drawn out at first, but you will eventually find that you grow to know which products you can have and which products contain animal products.
The Health Benefits
So, let’s take a look at some of the health benefits you can reap when you adopt a vegan diet. Here are just a few to look forward to:
Boosting Your Fruit and Vegetable Intake
When you eat a vegan diet, chances are that you will naturally see your fruit and vegetable intake increase. After all, you will be replacing many animal-derived products with fruit and veg instead! More fruit and vegetables will mean you are consuming more antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, folate, vitamins, etc. Of course, your whole diet won’t be fruit and vegetables. You can still enjoy foods like vegan pizza. But where possible, choose vegetable toppings or sides for these meals too!
Healthier Skin
Many dermatologists claim that dairy consumption can cause all sorts of common skin issues. When you remove dairy from your diet, you may find that you have clearer skin and noticeable improvements with conditions such as acne. It’s thought that the natural antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can also help to give your skin a healthier appearance.
Lower Blood Sugar Levels
It has been found that many vegans tend to have lower blood sugar levels and higher sensitivity to insulin. Studies have found that vegans have a roughly 50-78% lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
Lower Risk of Heart Disease
All sorts of studies have linked red meat consumption to high blood pressure and increased risk of a heart attack. Since vegans and vegetarians don’t consume red meat, it has been found that they have up to a 75% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure. Studies have also found that vegans can have a 42% lower risk of dying from a heart attack too!
As you can see, there are some significant perks that come hand in hand with going vegan or adopting a plant-based diet. So, why not give it a go? Even if you don’t go all out, there are many smaller changes you can make to increase your health and overall well-being!
Confused about where to begin? I have many health plans to make it as easy as possible on you – so contact me today and ask HOW!
