In our last post we looked at the possible environmental benefits adopting a Vegan diet can have (make sure you check that out if you haven’t already). In this post we are going to look at the physical and mental incentives of Veganism.
Firstly, the main positive of turning Vegan is the overwhelming reduction in the risk of diseases. In comparison with a typical meat-eater, Vegans have a 30% lower risk of heart disease and significantly lower cancer rates. In addition, Vegans typically experience lower cholesterol, blood pressure and rates of type 2 diabetes. People sometimes accuse Vegan diets of lacking protein, in some cases this is true. However, the reduction in harmful ingredients within regular meats significantly outweighs a small drop in protein. Red meats have extremely high levels of unsaturated fats - which directly correlates to heart diseases and certain cancers. It has been scientifically proven that neither saturated fats, animal proteins and cholesterol are needed to sustain a long and healthy life. Therefore, if one strives towards a more plant based diet they are likely to become immediately fit and healthier for a much more prolonged period of time.
So the physical health benefits are clear - Veganism saves lives. However, sadly diseases of the body are not the only threats to human life. In the modern day, our mental health is just as, if not more, important than our physical health. As mentioned before, a Vegan diet can be criticized for its lack of certain nutrients. While a Vegan diet does not directly cause mental illnesses, nutritional deficiencies can give rise to mental health problems. Giving up meat is actually incredibly simple, however the problem most people have is substituting these products. Veganism offers the fantastic opportunity of replacing meat and dairy products with foods which are known to be beneficial for mental functioning (such as fruit and nuts). On the other hand, not everyone will directly switch to these positive foods. Turning Vegan is not enough, the change must include an adoption of a well balanced diet. Replacing meat and dairy with Vegan junk food will eliminate all the possible physical and mental health benefits and may even damage them further.
To conclude, every diet always seems to have physical benefits, otherwise why would these diets be promoted? Changing diet is all about finding what is right for you. This is even more vital in relation to mental health. The relationship to your diet must be positive - you must strive to eat healthy food which you enjoy!!
Thank you for reading!!
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