Editorial

How a Vegan Diet Helps You Live Longer

Going vegan is a really big commitment which will have effects on your whole life. Vegans are people who exclude meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients from

  • PublishedAugust 31, 2018

Going vegan is a really big commitment which will have effects on your whole life. Vegans are people who exclude meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients from their meals. Most people begin this journey only to exit early due to the lure of sweet-tasting meat.

However, focusing on a plant-based diet has great health effects which can enable a vegan to live longer. Vegans have an impressive list of disease that they are less prone to due to their plant-based diet. These include lower blood pressure, lower risk of diabetes, low incidence of heart disease and a healthy gut.

Vegans are more protected from such health issues than other people due to the following reasons:

Vegans eat healthy food

Since vegans do not eat meat, they have to trade those calories with extra fruits, pulses, nuts, seeds, beans and vegetables. Eating such kind of meals ensures vegans steer away from junk food and thus end up having a high consumption of whole plant-foods and nutritious meals.

Fruits and vegetables help them maintain a healthy weight since they comprise protective bioactive compounds such as vitamins, fibre and minerals. These compounds help to lessen antioxidant stress

Vegans also have lessened risks of cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease. They get this from high nut consumption and seeds pack. The nuts help to lower LDL cholesterol and lower total cholesterol.

Vegans do not eat meat

The World Health Organisation has classified processed meat as class-1 cancer causing food and red meat (goat, beef, pork, goat) as class-2. Vegans do not consume meat and are thus less likely to have cancer.

White meat (fish) and all other types of meat comprise of high levels of cholesterol and saturated fats, this is also similar in dairy and eggs. By avoiding these, vegans have low chances of cardiovascular risks.

Therefore, vegans improve their health in a way that enables them to live longer just by shunning meat and instead consuming whole plant foods.

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