Following a vegan diet is becoming much more popular these days, with all sorts of celebrities and athletes promoting the lifestyle too. If you’re not sure of the details, being vegan means that you don’t consume any animal products at all – in other words, no meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and so on. There are many different compelling reasons to go vegan, including health benefits, environmental benefits, and of course, helping animals. Here’s a quick overview to show you a few of the arguments in favor of making the change.
For your health
Research shows that people who follow a vegan diet have a lower risk of developing health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and many others. Eating this way can also lead to improvements in sports performance by boosting stamina and recovery. It’s more than possible to get all of the different vitamins and minerals that you need from a plant-based diet while still enjoying delicious and innovative meals. Don’t worry, you can indulge in the occasional treat too! These days there are plenty of vegan chocolate options and plant-based desserts to choose from. The good news is that vegan choices are also now widely available on restaurant menus, so you don’t need to worry about not being able to go out to eat with your friends. In addition, supermarkets have an ever-increasing range of vegan foods on offer to help ensure that switching to this diet is as easy as possible.
For the environment
It has been said that following a vegan diet is one of the most effective steps you can take to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. That’s because animal farming causes a huge amount of damage through pollution, water use, deforestation, and other harmful activities. Growing plants is much more efficient than livestock farming because it uses far less land and water. Converting from animal farming to growing crops would also enable us to feed more people, meaning that transitioning to a vegan diet could even help to solve the problem of world hunger. You’ll also be pleased to know that it doesn’t have to cost you more money because common vegan ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, pulses, and legumes are all cheap in price. That makes it a real win-win situation.
For animals
One of the most obvious benefits of switching to a vegan diet is that you’ll be saving the lives of animals. Suffering and death are an inevitable part of animal farming – including free-range and organic farming – so by eating a plant-based diet instead, you’ll be removing yourself from those unethical practices. This can also have benefits for the human population too. For example, the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming is contributing to the rise of bugs that are resistant to antibiotics and, therefore, harder to treat. We’ve also seen a number of infectious diseases such as bird flu and swine flu emerge as a result of factory farming. All of which means that going vegan can help you to enjoy your food with a clear conscience!
