Last week, we discussed veganism and highlighted some of the dangers that may arise when adopting this dietary pattern. This week, we are going to be shedding light on the benefits of the vegan diet.
Enough with the small talk though, let’s begin!
VEGANS HAVE HEALTHIER HEARTS?!
Vegan Diets are usually much higher in fibre than the common diet. This can be largely attributed to the increased intake of fibrous fruits, vegetables, breads and cereals.
The increase in fibre can improve bowel health, but also lowers the concentrations of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol (the bad stuff). Those with high LDL levels are more at risk to heart problems, therefore the vegan diet has been linked to a decrease in heart attacks and strokes.
VEGANS HAVE LOWER RISK OF CANCER?!
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet can reduce the risk of almost one third of all cancers. Since vegans typically eat more fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods than non-vegans, they may have a lesser risk of developing cancer.
For example, research has shown that eating at least seven serves of fruits and vegetables per day can lower your risk of cancer mortality by up to 15%!
Moreover, eating legumes has ALSO been linked to lowering the risk of cancer by 9-18%!
But what about specific cancers?
Another study found that bladder cancer risk may be reduced by eating broccoli and cabbage!
VEGAN DIET BENEFICIAL FOR WEIGHT-LOSS!
More and more people are turning to plant-based diets with the aim of cutting off some kilos. Maybe they’re onto something…
Many observational studies show that vegans tend to be leaner and have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than those on standard, westernised diets.
Furthermore, a number of randomised controlled studies — an advanced method of scientific research — report that vegan diets resulted in higher weight loss than other diets in the studies.
VEGANS HAVE LOWER RISK OF DEVELOPING DIABETES?!
According to recent studies, vegan diets may provide protection against type 2 diabetes.
In fact, vegans generally have lower blood sugar levels than those following standard, westernised diets. Additionally, vegans typically possess a higher sensitivity to insulin, granting them a 50 – 78% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes!
What’s more, one particular study saw nearly half of the people following a vegan diet, lowering their dosage of blood-sugar-reducing medication. On the other hand, only 26% of people attempting to follow an ADA diet (American Diabetes Association) saw the same results.
If you feel like the benefits of the vegan diet will improve your health and you want advice on how to tackle it properly, come and see us!
thanks. It’s a good thing I always eat these food. I am turning vegan now and its awesome