A vegan diet is the next step up from a vegetarian diet. Whilst vegetarians still eat animal products such as milk, butter and cheese, a vegan eliminates all animal products from their diet, and in some cases, even leather goods. But if you have always been an avid carnivore, what are
the pros and cons of veganism and is it a healthy diet?
Although a vegan diet is considered to be healthy, those who have not tried following the vegan diet before are often concerned about the limitations and possible health risks involved. Conversely, those who are advocates of a vegan diet say such a diet promotes a much better quality of life and vegans are infinitely healthier, so who is right and what are the pros and cons of veganism?
What are the pros of a vegan diet?
1. If followed correctly, a vegan diet contains no unhealthy animal fats. As a result, following a vegan diet considerably reduces your consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol, which in turn will lower your risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and strokes.
2. A vegan diet is naturally very high in dietary fiber, which is great for your digestive tract and leaves you feeling full for longer so you are less inclined to eat too much and put on unnecessary weight.
3. Removing animal products from the diet eliminates your exposure to the potentially harmful hormones that are commonly found in mass-produced intensively farmed meat.
4. A vegan diet means no animals are harmed to produce the food that you eat.
5. Vegans tend to be slimmer and enjoy lower blood pressure and lower levels of LDL cholesterol than non-vegans.
6. A vegan diet is great for the environment as far less land is needed to grow vegetables than farm animals.
What are the cons of a vegan diet?
1. A vegan diet is only healthy if you eat the correct levels of nutrients.
Many vegans do not consume enough calcium and vitamin D in their diet, which can lead to an increased chance of fractures.
2. Vitamin B12 is not readily available in a vegan diet, so it is very important that vegans consume foods containing vitamin B12 as an inadequate consumption of B12 can lead to an increased risk of dementia in later life.
3. Long chained Omega 3 fatty acids are also not normally found in a plant based diet, but vegans can obtain them from microalgae supplements.
4. A vegan diet is not suitable for babies and young children as they need dairy products in their diet.
5. Vegans are at risk of becoming iron deficient, although this is a problem that is almost universal and not necessarily confined to vegans.
6. Becoming a vegan is not an easy life choice. Everything will have to be cooked from scratch and trips to the nearest fast food place when you cannot be bothered to cook dinner will no longer be an option.
7. Animal products are often found in the most unlikely of sources, for example toothpaste, so be prepared to become obsessive about checking the labels on everything you buy.
Sources
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/vegan-diets-pros-cons.php