I mean, isn’t the fact you’ll live longer a good enough reason? Charlotte Cliffe discusses why we should be shifting the question on everyone’s lips from “why are you vegan?”, to “why aren’t you vegan?” with these 6 reasons everyone should follow a plant-based diet.
Vegan on Female First
For your waistline
Feeling a bit porky round the edges recently? I’d consider ditching the dairy, and waving bye bye to the meat as research shows this could work wonders on your weight loss regime. One review, carried out by The American Dietetic Association[1], found that advocates of the vegan diet had a lower BMI, on average, than meat eaters. Another found weight loss to be significantly greater for those following the vegan diet, when compared with the vegetarian or meat-eater diet[2].
For your health
Ever heard the saying let thy food be thy medicine? Well, recent research is proving just that. Following a plant based diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease by 40%[3], protect against high blood pressure[4], help lower raised cholesterol and even halve the risk of diabetes[5]. But watch out, there are a few vitamins you need to be careful you don’t fall short of, these include vitamin D and B12. I’d recommend taking a plant-based superfood blend such a Vivo Life’s THRIVE, which is packed full of antioxidant-loaded green superfoods, probiotics and herbal extracts. It also contains a blend of multivitamins including 1250% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin D and 100% of your B12!
For your energy levels
When adopting the vegan lifestyle, the single most common noted change is in energy levels. It’s not surprising, loading up on nutrient-dense veggies, protein-packed beans, and fibre-filled grains is only going to leave you feeling AMAZING. If you’re worried you’ll fall short of protein, I recommend you find yourself a premium quality protein powder, such as Vivo Life’s PERFORM. This 100% plant-based protein powder contains a complete amino acid profile, plus digestive enzymes (for quicker absorption), superfoods (for an antioxidant kick & energy boost) and turmeric powder (to reduce inflammation). I highly recommend the Salted Caramel Maca flavour, it’s delicious.
For the animals
Cows, pigs, chickens, lambs are all living beings, they all have the ability to feel happiness, love, sadness and even pain in the same way that humans do. No matter how you like to look at it, eating meat is still killing animals. In fact, each year, more than 8 billion animals[6] are killed by the meat industry in the UK alone. Just you, yourself going vegan for could save 100 animals every year.
For the environment
Being responsible for 18% of all greenhouse gases[7], animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change. Producing just one calorie of animal protein takes 9 times more fossil fuels than a calorie of plant-based protein. Go green for just ONE day and you could save 5,000 litres of water, 20kg of grain, 30 sq ft of forest land and 20lbs CO2! It’s a no brainer.
Because it’s actually really easy
Contrary to popular belief, following a plant-based diet is actually pretty simple. Yes, you will need to make a few compromises, and it will require a little thought to start out with but there are so many great products out there now to support you. I would recommend finding a good plant-based protein powder and superfood blend to start off with. Do some research, take tips from the experts, experiment, be creative, and enjoy it! If you want more information about following a plant-based diet, check out this article.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864
[2]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25592014
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28792455
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27886704
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19386029
[6]https://www.viva.org.uk/what-we-do/slaughter/slaughter-farmed-animals-uk
[7] http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
Tagged in Vegan Plant Based