A vegan, or plant-based diet, means no animal-based products, and that includes dairy. Though dairy milk is considered vegetarian in some cultures, it is still an animal-based product and is not vegan.
(This article is available as a YouTube video. You may watch the video here or continue reading.)
In this article, I will share the top 10 reasons to switch to a vegan diet. But a bit of caution first! Though a vegan diet is great for us, a 100% vegan diet may result in the deficiency of some essential nutrients such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc, omega-3 fats, and calcium.
If you are taking a 100% vegan diet, you may need to take supplements for these vital nutrients. I will cover this aspect of a 100% vegan diet in more detail in another article.
So, why is a vegan diet good for us? Let us see!
Top 10 Reasons To Switch To A Vegan Diet
Number 10: It helps you lose weight
When you go vegan, you will replace high-fat foods such as meat and dairy, with healthier foods. You will be consuming more fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, plant-based milk, high-protein meat alternatives, and other healthy vegan products.
A low-calorie diet that is high in proteins and fiber will help you stay fuller longer. As a result, you lose weight. Isn’t it great?
Number 9: Get your hormones in balance
Hormones are chemical agents that control and regulate the activity of certain cells and organs in our body.
There are many types of hormones, such as stress hormones that help the body respond to stress, hormones that control sleep cycles, peptide hormones such as insulin that regulates blood sugar, and testosterone responsible for bones & muscles, and sexual health in men. There are many more.
But when there is too much or too little of a particular hormone in the body, we get hormonal imbalance. Because hormones play such a vital role in the body, even a small hormonal imbalance can have side effects.
Consuming meat and dairy products can actually give you a hormonal imbalance. This is because animals raised for meat and dairy are fed large amounts of antibiotics and growth hormones to grow faster and bigger and produce more milk.
The meat we eat, and the milk we drink, bring those growth hormones into our body and cause a hormonal imbalance. This hormonal imbalance may lead to health problems such as inflammation, skin diseases, and even diabetes.
Well then, if you want to keep your hormonal balance, better stick to a vegan diet!
Number 8: Improve athletic performance
A vegan diet makes you agile, improves muscle strength and endurance, improves mood, and gives a boost to your energy level, thus helping you perform better on the field. So, how does it all happen?
With a vegan diet, you are consuming healthier and balanced food that improves the quality of your nutrition, thereby giving you a leg up in sports.
Number 7: Reduce inflammation in the body
An injury or an autoimmune condition can cause inflammation in the body. But certain foods can cause or increase inflammation too. For example, full-fat dairy, red meat, and all processed meats are known to worsen inflammation.
A balanced vegan diet keeps you away from inflammation-causing foods. The best foods that help fight inflammation are cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli, berries, nuts, and seeds.
Number 6: Improve brain health
A study showed that test subjects eating processed meat and cheese were more likely to have depression than those who consume a plant-based diet. Antioxidant-rich foods such as blueberries and strawberries, broccoli, kale, plums, and tomatoes help prevent brain damage.
There’s more. Complex carbs found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains keep sugar levels stabilized for longer periods of time, thereby helping in maintaining a person’s positive mood.
It’s simple! Eat vegan, and stay happy!
Number 5: Boost Metabolism
A low-fat plant-based diet can boost the body’s metabolism and help burn fat. This was the conclusion of a clinical study published in 2020. The study was conducted by the researchers of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington DC.
In addition to the metabolism boost, the study found that a vegan diet can reduce the risk of heart disease and other health problems.
Number 4: Reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes
A diet low in animal-based foods and high in plant-based foods can reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. However, when it comes to diabetes, merely avoiding animal-based foods is not going to be enough.
One needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle and consume a high-quality vegan diet. A high-quality vegan diet includes whole grains, fruits, and vegetables but does not include refined grains, potatoes, and sugary drinks.
Number 3: Get a healthy heart
By avoiding animal-based products such as dairy and meat, one can reduce the risk of heart disease. A low-fat vegan diet coupled with a healthy lifestyle will result in lesser weight, lower blood pressure, and a lower level of bad cholesterol.
Naturally, all these mean a healthier heart. However, a vegan diet must include some vital nutrients such as omega-3 fats and others. I have mentioned this earlier.
Number 2: Fight climate change
A document prepared in 2019 by 107 scientists for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that high consumption of dairy and meat in the Western countries was fueling global warming.
Remilk, a lab-engineered milk producer in Israel (video link), claims that it takes 1000 liters of water to produce one liter of dairy milk.
It is obvious that meat and dairy are not sustainable foods. We need to switch to a plant-based diet.
Number 1: Have mercy on animals
Human consumption of dairy, meat and other animal-based products usually results in the poor animals enduring unimaginable cruelty. Farm animals are fed an unnatural diet, are subjected to abuse and torture, and are finally slaughtered in an unethical manner.
Even dairy animals are not spared. Once they stop giving milk, they get shipped off to a slaughterhouse.
We have a responsibility here. By switching to a plant-based diet, we can bring kindness and compassion into our world.
Watch A Video
Watch this TofuChops official Youtube video: Top 10 Reasons To Switch To A Vegan Diet
It’s Getting Easier To Be Vegan
It is becoming easier every day to switch to a plant-based diet because of the availability of meat alternatives, and other healthy vegan products. Let us give it a try.
Thank you for reading.