Veganism consists of a plant-based diet which rules out all animal products including by-products of animals, such as eggs and dairy. When you first learn about what a Vegan diet is, it seems somewhat extreme so why are we seeing a huge vegan movement across the globe? Are the health benefits really worth making the change for and going Vegan, well here we explore Top 5 Health Reasons To Go Vegan!
‘Free From’ and ‘Vegan’ products seem to be sneaking into our shops at a steady, growing rate, and the word ‘Vegan’ is being heard of more than ever before. Vegan options are being added to restaurant menus, even Starbucks have coconut milk, almond milk and soy milk options for their vegan coffee drinking customers; and now we are seeing shops and restaurants that sell vegan foods only. Time to check out the stats and studies that follow…
1. Vegans have a 33% reduced risk of premature death
A plant based diet is high in fibre which decreases the risk of colorectal cancers. Vegans also tend to eat eight or more pieces of fruit and vegetables a day so they have a much better immune system and a body that is prepared to fight off any nasty viral invasion! That really is plant power.
2. Living on a plant based diet gives you a healthy heart
It lowers the chances of having a heart disease which causes 73,000 deaths in the UK alone each year, and it is estimated that 2.3 million people are currently living with an unhealthy heart in the UK; but we have good news too! Not only does being vegan reduce the risk of developing these problems, it has the power to actually reverse the symptoms if you already have them. Now, isn’t that something to get your heart racing about?
3. A vegan lifestyle means lower cholesterol
Many researches have proved this, but the most recent conducted was the EPIC-Oxford study and they found through firstly comparing vegetarians to actively healthy meat eaters. The findings confirmed that vegetarians have a significantly lower cholesterol level; they then moved on to find that vegan levels are even better! The authors of this particular study said that “vegans’ replacement of saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats and a higher fibre intake” contributes to this amazingly impressive result for vegans.
4. Eating a vegan diet keeps your blood pressure safe
Vegans tend to have a lower body mass index which explains most of the differences in blood pressure between the three diet groups (meat- eaters, vegetarian and vegan). After I looked over two studies by EPIC-Oxford and Adventist Health Study-2, it’s safe to say that the vegan diet came out on top once again! Don’t let this boil your blood though; turning vegan at any point can lower your blood pressure over time.
5. Consuming vegan food only, lowers your risk of cancer
Recently it has been made official public knowledge that processed and red meat is now classified as a Group 1 Carcinogen, that’s the same classification as smoking! This has now been followed up by many studies being drip fed to the public that explains just how meat causes cancer. The most talked about is bowel cancer. Plant based foods have no evidence of causing any diseases in humans at all, so it’s a good idea to start piling on those greens.
With just these five points alone, you can see why more and more people are turning to a healthy vegan diet. Other health benefits spoken of by happy plant eaters are; an increased energy level, younger looking skin, better sleep, happier moods, a better physique and an all-round feel good lifestyle. If this article has given you the motivation to #GoVegan tweet us at @keepfitkingdom and let us know your story and why you’ve joined the vegan movement!
