All over the world, people are adopting avegandiet, but there is still a great deal of confusion about what it entails, what restrictions are involved, and whether it is ultimately a healthy choice for your body or not.
What is a Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet is avegetarian dietthat goes a few steps further, to eliminate any products that are derived from animals.As withvegetarians, vegans abstain from eating肉,fish, or poultry, but they also eliminateeggs,honey, and dairy products from their diet. As alifestylechoice, vegans also avoid products like leather, wool, fur, silk, and any other products (cosmetic, commercial, etc.) that may have been tested on animals. Some people adopt veganism for a short period of time for health or moral reasons, while others make it a lifelong choice. Its popularity has been rising steadily for the past 20 years.
Vegan food can be appetizing. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Vegan Nutrition
When it comes to nutrition in a vegan diet, dietaryfiber,sugars, calories, andcarbohydratesare usually consumed in appropriate amounts, but fat andproteincan be more difficult to acquire. Protein sources are perhaps the most important thing for vegans but can easily be acquired through beans,tempeh, miso, whole grains, and other popular vegan items. Even so, some people do take additionalprotein supplementswhen first starting a vegan diet, as protein is found in much higher levels in meat.
There are also certain vitamins and minerals that are only found inhigh concentrationsin animal sources, such asvitamin B12andvitamin D. These keynutrientscan be acquired through vitamin supplements. The majority of other essential minerals and vitamins can be found in common plant-based sources. Ensuring that there is variety in your vegan diet will help to ensure that you are getting a balancednutritionalload on a daily basis.
Things to Know Before Going Vegan
If you are thinking about adopting a vegan diet, it is important to fully understand what it entails and what may help you be more successful in your transition to this rather strict diet.
Social Life:Although there are many vegan restaurants in the world, there are plenty of times when getting vegan food may be difficult, particularly in another country or a new neighborhood. It can be difficult to remain vegan if you are used to regularly going out with friends for meals or traveling extensively.
Gradual Change:这是不明智的简直成了素食主义者过夜。渐渐地消除了你的饮食的部分将达到一个更健康，更简单的方法long-term goalof being a vegan. If you cut out all of your non-vegan food at the same time, it can be a frustrating and unpleasant way to begin a new lifestyle chapter.
Guilty Pleasures:有很多方法to enjoy food while on a vegan diet like tortilla chips andsalsadips, which are completely vegan. Most vegan diets are predominantly healthy, so don’t deny yourself the occasional guilty pleasure food.
Weight Loss:While most people experience some amount ofweight losson a vegan diet, it isn’t guaranteed, and if you are taking in the right amount of calories, you couldeasily maintain同样的重量。此外，在纯素食减肥过度，可能意味着你正在做的事情是错误的。
营养素补充剂：Many vegans take nutrient or protein supplements in order to ensure they get their daily recommended intake every day. When you first begin a vegan diet, it is often recommended to use these supplements as your body adjusts.
Pay Attention to Your Body:A drastic change like a vegan diet can take a toll on your body, causing sleep issues, hunger, weak immune function, and other不需要side effects. Pay attention to your body’s signals in the early days of a vegan diet and take these types of issues to your doctor.
Fake Meat is Fine:It is natural to miss some of the old foods you used to enjoy, but remember that meat-replacement options are only gettingbetter and more delicious，所以喜欢你的假baconand pseudo-steakwhenever you want.
Do Your Research:Being informed about the food you are eating, the additives in certain products, and the availability of vegan grocery stores/restaurants is critical if you want to successfully switch to veganism and avoid becoming frustrating and giving up/cheating on the diet.
Find Support:There are countless resources, both online and in the real world, for people who have questions about the diet, or are looking for creative ideas to still pursue their love of food.
Reasons Why People Decide to Eat Vegan
There are many reasons why people switch to a vegan diet, but most can be categorized as the desire for better health, environmental sustainability, and moral issues.
Health:有些人看implicithealth benefits of a vegan diet, as explained below, and choose to eliminate that excessive amount of protein and fat from their diet, knowing that it will increase theirvegetable, fiber, fruit,antioxidantand mineral intake.
Environment:提高对环境的影响chickens, cows, pigs, and other forms oflivestockis incredible, and is a significant factor incarbon levels在环境中。此外，在耕地，饮用水和基本资源的影响喂饱饥饿的世界是足以让许多人选择生活的素食主义者的方式。
Morality:许多人认为，杀害众生是不道德的行为，尤其是当这么多的动物被关在不人道的条件。这个moral oppositionis one of the strongest factors behind veganism, and most people who choose this diet for these reasons also oppose the use or support of products/companies who rely on animal-derived ingredients or animal testing.
Health Benefits of Being Vegan
According to a paper published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the health benefits ofliving on avegan diet include reduced allergic sensitivity, improved immune function, betterhearthealth, lowerrisk of cancer, stronger bones, less toxicity, and regular bowel movements.
These benefits are largely due to the reduction in processed foods and more properly balanced protein, fiber, and fat levels. By increasing antioxidant intake from fruits and vegetables, as well as healthy fats fromnuts, beans, and grains, the positive health effects of a vegan diet are undeniable.
Types of Vegan Diet
In terms of variety within a vegan diet, the most popular strategies are the 80/10/10 method, The Starch Solution, the WholeWheat/Plant-Based Diet, the Raw Approach, and the Junk Food diet.
80/10/10
这个fruit-intensive dietincludesacquiring nearly 80% of your daily calories fromcarbohydrates, as well as 10% from protein and 10% from fat. Basically, you eat as many whole, raw, ripe and organic fruits, and vegetables as you can.
Starch Solution
Similar to the diet above, approximately 80% of calories areacquired fromstarches, such aspotatoes,corn, andrice，而不是水果。它还建议的热量来自脂肪10％来自蛋白质10％。
Raw Diet
这个diet includes eating almostall of your food raw或在非常低的水平加热。在这种饮食最常见的食物是生蔬菜，坚果牛油, fruits, and crackers.
全麦/植物
People on this diet avoid处理foods and prefer whole grains, beans, legumes, fruit, vegetables, and nuts. This is largely considered one of the healthiest and most well-rounded vegan diet methods.
Junk Food Diet
然而，很多人不知道的是，有很多素食主义者的食物是不是特别“对你有好处”，这意味着它们可能具有高sodiumor sugar contents, but as long as none of the food is derived from animals of any kind, people are happy to eat it. Thistype ofveganism isn’t intended to boost health but is instead chosen for moral or environmental reasons.
Foods that Vegans Avoid
When choosing a vegan diet, people actively avoid foods derived from animals, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs,cheese,yogurt,milk, honey, and明胶. However, there are other products and ingredients that are derived from animals that serious vegans will also avoid, such as omega-3 supplements,vitamin D3supplements, certain candies,beers, wines, and bread products (using poultry feathers), as well as anything that has been fried in animal fat, includes animal-derived enzymes or containsanchoviesand egg white albumen.
Paying attention to every ingredient and learning what certain additives are derived from is essential if you want to transition fully into a vegan diet and lifestyle.
Foods that Vegans Eat
Some of the most popular vegan foods aretofu, tempeh, guacamole, falafel, fresh vegetables and fruit,藜麦,brown rice, legumes, nuts,扁豆, potatoes, andmushrooms, among many others. Increasingly, companies are releasing vegan products in grocery stores, so the range of potential food items on a vegan diet is steadily growing. Many vegans choose to make the majority of their own meals, particularly in areas with low levels of veganism, so carefully studying your dietary options and accumulating simple recipes is critical.
