By Shawrna Sen
Before we get into the advantages of a vegan diet. Let’s understand what a vegan diet is. A vegan diet excludes milk, meat, and or any animal-related products as food sources. It is a completely plant-based diet. A vegan lifestyle offers plenty of benefits and the choice is yours.
Environmental
First and foremost a vegan diet is a cruelty-free way of obtaining food. It doesn’t harm any animals in the process. For every 16 pounds of vegetation fed to livestock, only one pound of meat is obtained. As you may realize, this is an economic loss. The input is 16 times more than the output. Additionally, it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce one proud of meat, while it takes only 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat. Do the math. 2,500 divided by 25 is 100. So using the equivalent amount of water that is used to feed livestock, you can produce 100 pounds of wheat. 100 pounds versus one pound. This is a major issue because we want to conserve clean water, a critical resource for humanity. Moreover, environmental pollution is another problem relating to producing meat-based foods. Commercial livestock produces large amounts of methane and other gases that are polluting our atmosphere. According to PETA, producing one hamburger uses as much fossil fuel as driving a car 20 miles. Also, 80 percent of corn and 95 percent of oats grown on farms are used to feed livestock. Just think about it. So many people are dying every second due to hunger and here we are feeding food animals. Adopting a vegan diet cuts a person’s carbon footprint as much as 50%.
Health
A vegan lifestyle is not only environmentally friendly, it’s also great for your health. Vegans have a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and cholesterol. A vegan diet is rich in vitamins and minerals. They also live longer due to having lower risks for degenerative or fatal diseases. It may also aid in weight loss and reduce your BMI, or body mass index. A vegan diet is loaded with antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Furthermore, it can reduce blood sugar levels and improve kidney functions. It may even reduce pain from arthritis. If any of these benefits happen to be what you are looking for, a vegan diet may be a natural way to achieve them.
Now the question might be: What can I eat as part of a vegan diet?
The answer is limitless.
Foods Rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C
- Carrots
- Butternut squash
- Spinach
- Kale
- Apricots
- Melon
- Tomatoes
- Oranges
- Bell pepper
- Kale
- Dragon fruit
- kiwi
Foods Rich in Vitamin D
- Fortified orange juice
- Fortified cereals
- Fortified soy milk
- Fortified almond milk
- Vegan cheese/butter
Foods Rich in Vitamin E
- Almonds
- Peanuts
- Hazelnuts
- Sunflower seed
- Broccoli
- Avocado
- Coconut milk
Other foods to consider might be cauliflower, basil, potatoes, beans, peas, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, apples, peaches, mangoes, passion fruit, and much more!
