5 Long-Term Benefits of Being Vegan
Veganism may have been around for quite some time, but there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the lifestyle. One Green Planet reveals that while 30 percent of Americans now refrain from eating meat, only 6 percent of the population have transitioned to a vegan lifestyle. This is despite the fact that there was a 90 percent spike in the number of searches for “vegan” in 2020 via Google.
The terms vegetarian and vegan are almost always interchanged, but as SweetsBaker explained in a past article, the two have many differences. For a quick memory refresher, take a look at the infographic below.
As we also discussed in ’Three Steps Toward Becoming Vegan’, the lifestyles of the majority of people follow unwritten rules contrary to the principles of veganism. This is one reason for the low number of vegans. Many people claim that they cannot live this way of life even without attempting to try in the first place. However, taking the first step will allow you to experience several benefits of veganism, some of which are listed below.
A vegan lifestyle promotes good health
A study originally published by Nutrients and made available on the US National Library of Medicine says that shifting to a vegan diet can reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases and certain kinds of cancers. Besides this benefit, adhering to a vegan diet provides additional protection against hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Other studies have also shown that the lifestyle can also make a person less susceptible to migraines.
In addition to being less prone to a variety of illnesses, shifting to veganism can also improve energy levels. Vegans, including athletes, have reported having higher energy levels and better physical performance ever since they applied the change.
A vegan lifestyle can make you feel better
Researchers have discovered that a person’s food choices have a large impact on their mood. In particular, red meat can affect hormone levels, which in turn can affect how that individual is feeling. A vegan lifestyle has been shown to help improve mood. And as a by-product, stress and anxiety can be reduced.
A vegan lifestyle makes you look better
Being vegan does not only make you feel better, it can also make you look better as well. Aside from aiding in weight loss, Cosmopolitan says that lifestyle change can actually do wonders for your skin. The magazine cited a study on the Kitavan Islanders of Papua New Guinea. Researchers discovered that not one of them experienced acne problems, which they attributed to their low-fat, unprocessed, plant-based diet.
A vegan lifestyle is cost-efficient
Many naysayers claim that veganism is actually an expensive lifestyle, given the fact that fruits and vegetables, especially organic produce, can be expensive. However, this lifestyle means more savings in the long run. Some studies have even shown that going vegan can mean fewer trips to the doctor, which results in less medical expenses. Additionally, Health IQ explains how vegans can be eligible for lesser premiums on health insurance primarily because they have lower mortality rates compared to meat eaters.
What many vegans also tend to do to save on their grocery bills is grow their own produce, too. There are now many ways to cultivate plants indoors, which means you can grow herbs and edible plants even if you don’t have an actual garden.
A vegan lifestyle is more sustainable for the environment
I Love Vegan shares a UN report which recommended shifting away from animal products to help protect the environment. According to the document, a meat-based diet has a major negative impact on nature specifically, breeding and raising animals for food as it uses a lot of natural resources. As the global population grows, more land is needed in order to feed not just people, but also animals for food production. This results in deforestation, which has a major impact on the environment. In other words, more people shifting to a plant-based diet means increased sustainability for the environment.
There are a number of awesome benefits to choosing vegan as a lifestyle or eating more plant-based foods. Either choice is beneficial to you, your family, the animals and our planet.
