Veganism continues to grow in popularity and in the past decade the UK has seen a surge in people following the vegan way life. Here nutritionist, Elizabeth Wall, explains what’s involved in following a vegan diet and offers advice on supercharging a vegan diet with flaxseed.
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WHAT IS VEGANISM?
Veganism is a dietary lifestyle choice. Those that follow a vegan diet avoid all animal based food and clothing products including meat, dairy, eggs and leather goods as well as products tested on animals. Following this type of diet has been associated with a number of health benefits including lower blood pressure and weight control.
DOES FOLLOWING A VEGAN DIET PUT YOU AT RISK OF VITAMIN DEFICIENCY?
Anyone can be at risk of vitamin deficiency but vegans are one of the groups most at risk because they miss out on not only vital nutrients such as adequate protein and vitamin B12 but also essential fats found in meat, oily fish and eggs such as Omega-3. This is an essential fatty acid that is not naturally produced in the body and so must be sourced from food.
WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO REDUCE THE RISK OF OMEGA-3 DEFICIENCY?
In the last decade veganism has become an increasingly popular lifestyle choice and today there is over 500,000 vegans in the UK[i]. As a result, food producers are increasingly catering to this audience and today’s vegans can access a varied, flavoursome diet that enables them to meet their body’s nutritional needs. Incorporating supercharge ingredients, like flaxseed, into a vegan diet will help to ensure that you can meet the body’s Omega-3 requirements without compromising your vegan diet.
WHAT INGREDIENTS CAN HELP YOU TO SUPERCHARGE A VEGAN DIET?
One of the best ingredients for supercharging a vegan diet is Flaxseed. Flaxseed is a natural source of Omega-3 that is rich in fibre, protein and nutrients including vitamin B1 and copper. It is also a good source of the minerals magnesium, phosphorus and selenium, Milled varieties have their tough, indigestible outer layer removed before being ground into a powder. This makes them very versatile. They can be added to breakfast cereals and porridge, to puddings, or even added at the end of cooking to stir-fries, soups and stews.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN HEALTH BENEFITS OF SUPERCHARGING YOUR VEGAN DIET WITH FLAXSEED?
Just 30g of Linwood’s Flaxseed (available from Holland & Barrett stores nationwide) can contain 7.2g of Omega-3 and this easily satisfies the body’s daily requirements for Omega-3 fatty acids. The Omega-3 contained in flaxseed contributes to normal vision, brain and heart functions but the benefits of flaxseed go far beyond this and include:
EFFICIENT ENERGY RELEASE: Flaxseed is a protein powerhouse that can help both balance blood sugar levels and revive flagging energy levels. It provides an extra surge of energy that can help to fuel the day ahead and also helps prevent you feeling sluggish and tired all the time.
DIGESTIVE SUPPORT: Flaxseed is a good source of fibre so helps to maintain healthy digestive function and can also help to prevent constipation, a common condition that makes it difficult to pass stools.
IMMUNITY SUPPORT: Flaxseed is a good source of copper which contributes to the normal function of the immune system. It also contains Selenium which both boosts the immune system and helps prevent the formation of free radicals that can damage the body.
[i] https://www.vegansociety.com/whats-new/news/find-out-how-many-vegans-are-great-britain