Shivam Hingorani, Founder, Ace Blend (Natural Protein & Superfoods Nourisher)
‘Veganism’ a trend that’s been spoken a lot in the recent past. Dieticians, family & friends might have suggested this form of eating for a number of different reasons like improving overall health, reducing damage caused to the environment & reducing animal cruelty.
Before you decide to go ahead with this form of eating, it is important that you understand what a vegan plan entails. People who follow a vegan diet exclude animal based products like fish, meat, dairy, eggs and honey from their daily diet, while consuming plant based products.
The aim is to balance your overall nutrients without sacrifice.
Here are a few benefits of the Vegan diet:
Easier/ Faster digestion
Animal based food is simply hardest for your body to break down into smaller nutrients. With a Vegan diet, the energy spent by your body is lesser for digestion, making you feel lighter and faster. Diets higher in fiber are associated with faster passage and bulkier stools. The Canadian Society of Intestinal Research says that vegetarians tend to have faster bowel transit times and more frequent bowel movements than omnivores and the difference in transit times can be attributed to the amount of fiber in the diet.
Lesser consumption of antibiotics and hormones
Hormones and antibiotics are fed to cattle to increase their milk production2and are injected in livestock to increase their weight.3 When you consume animal based products like milk and meat, these hormones and antibiotics might enter your body and adversely affect your health, as these substances are said to be linked with a higher risk of unnecessary health complications. 4
Reduced overall caloric intake
Collective reports show that vegans have a 4.7% lower BMI as compared to omnivores, even when they consume the same amount of calories. 5 To reduce your caloric intake you need to include satiating, well-balanced nutrients. A verified and certified plant based protein that includes holistic superfoods is a perfect way to get in your nutrients without compromise.
Cleaner gut health
The food you eat impacts the bacteria thriving in your gut, with research from the US National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine showing that animal protein is linked with a higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease, while studies in the European Heart Journal show that red meat is linked with a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. 6
On the other hand,studies in Science Direct show that plant basedfoods are linked with higher levels of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that positively impact metabolism.7 Consuming well-fermented foods like kombucha tea, sauerkraut and kimchi, along with natural and fibre-rich food, will encourage a positive environment in your gut and will have multiple health benefits like regulating weight and boosting immunity.
However, there is one thing you must keep in mind before you opt for vegan eating – balance. It is vital that you balance your meals by including the correct amount of proteins, minerals, vitamins, fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals in your diet, while staying away from unhealthy alternatives like vegan chips and desserts. It is only when you make these smart choices will you be able to enjoy the multitude of benefits associated with veganism.
