Benefits of a vegan lifestyle

0
503

For some people, the idea of giving up meat, eggs, dairy, honey, and other favorite snacks might sound tough. However, going vegan is often worth the struggle. There are all sorts of tasty and satisfying meal options, and you might be surprised to find just how much you enjoy being vegan. Here are some of the many great benefits you can expect when you follow the vegan lifestyle.

Source

Reduce Animal Cruelty

Of course the most obvious advantage of going vegan is helping out animals all over the world. Modern factory farming is notorious for its cruelty, with horrible issues present even in collecting milk or eggs. If you want to sleep easier at night and quit feeling like you’re compromising your ethics, eating vegan can take a huge load off your mind.

Lose Weight

As long as you’re not going vegan by eating nothing but french fries and Oreos, you might be surprised at how quickly the pounds fall off. Most plant based foods are high in fiber and low in calories, so you feel full without having to overeat. Being vegan also makes it harder to impulsively eat junk food like wings and pizza, so you are a little less likely to be tempted by unhealthy options. Just remember to supplement with an organic plant based protein powder if you’re trying to build muscle, since it can be hard to get extra-high levels of protein while eating vegan.

Protect Your Health

Eating vegan is linked to a whole host of health benefits. When you’re eating a lot of fruits and veggies, you get far greater levels of antioxidants. This can help protect you from damage on a cellular level, so it is linked to a reduced cancer risk and improved diabetes symptoms. The fact that you are not eating a lot of saturated fat from animal products also means you end up with lower cholesterol, which can mean lowered chances of dealing with heart attacks, strokes, and dementia.

Help the Planet

Did you know that the amount of water needed to produce a pound of beef is 1,799 gallons? Raising livestock and poultry is horribly inefficient because it requires people to grow plants and then feed those plants to animals, so switching to a vegan diet can help cut back on a lot of waste. Livestock is also responsible for up to 14 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions due to the gas they produce.

Get More Energy

Many vegans are surprised to find they feel far more energetic after switching to a vegan diet. It turns out this is not just in your head. Researchers have found that animal proteins take a lot more effort to process, sitting around in your stomach for hours before they start giving your body the fuel it needs. Meanwhile, plant based proteins start digesting immediately, and then the fiber in them keeps you digesting them for hours. This means you end up with a steady stream of energy instead of making you crash after a brief boost of energy.

Save Money

If you take a look at the average grocery bill, you may find that most of the money is spent on meat, seafood, dairy, and other animal products. Going vegan can save you a lot of money. However, you have to be willing to cook items yourself and shop for seasonal fruits and vegetables, since premade frozen vegan foods can be pricey.

As you can see, there are plenty of fantastic advantages to being vegan. Can you think of any others?