Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet

“I’ve heard that veganism is healthier, but also nutritionally lacking, and so unhealthier at the same time. I’m not sure which it is!”

To be honest, I didn’t even think about health or anything when going vegan. I saw the logic and then quickly checked about protein and making sure I could go gym without losing my massive gains. Then I just checked that it was possible and there were no health risks. It was all good! However a lot of people assume that I’m doing it for my health and that it is healthier.

Let’s check out if there’s actually a nice bonus from going vegan.

Fail to plan

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has the following to say:

“It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that, in adults, appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns can be nutritionally adequate and can offer long-term benefits such as improving several health outcomes associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Vegetarian dietary patterns exclude meat, poultry, and seafood, and vegan dietary patterns exclude all foods of animal origin.”

So potentially better but we can’t skip over the part about it needing to be “appropriately planned”! #harderbutnothard

My superpowers

So with a good diet (emphasis on “appropriately planned”!), the following health benefits could be for me [1] [2] [3]:

• protection against heart disease
• lower body weight
• lower cholesterol
• may improve gut bacteria and colon health
• may lower the risk of certain cancers
• may reduce inflammation

This is thanks to all the fruits, veggies, beans, and wholegrains that are staples in a vegan diet. Also I naturally avoid processed and red meats, which probably increase the risk of bowel cancer.

Food glorious food

Chips are vegan! Oreos are vegan too! A lot of crisps and snacks and dark chocolate are vegan as well.

Being plant-based doesn’t automatically make me healthy. Similar to any diet it actually takes a little bit of self control (which if you ask my wife, I don’t have when there’s a pack of oreos in the flat. humblest apologies to her). It all about a balanced whole-food diet with the occasional treats

The one thing every vegan does need to plan for is B12. I cover that in vitamins and minerals.

The bottom line

Unfortunately, since going vegan I feel exactly the same as before. If I felt worse I could go back to eating meat with a clear conscience. If I felt better, then I wouldn’t stop raving about it.

So health isn’t a reason not to go vegan. If anything, it’s a nice bonus on top of the reason that matters.