Have you ever considered adopting a vegan lifestyle? Maybe you’re just wanting to see if eliminating animal products from your diet will offer any benefits. In fact, when you begin to cut down on animal-sourced foods and slowly switch to foods considered vegan essentials, you’ll be taking control of your health in a positive way. Vegan essentials like tofu, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables and grains are the centerpiece of long-term health for people who follow a vegan lifestyle. After checking out a few advantages to adopting this new lifestyle, it may be a no-brainer to switch over.
Better Overall Nutrition
Your body will get a more balanced supply of all the major nutrients when you consume a diet that consists of vegan essentials. These foods contain less fat, healthier protein sources, less sugar and more vitamins and iron than the traditional Western, animal-based diet. One of the biggest advantages of consuming a plant-based diet is better health. Many animal products contain growth hormones and other dangerous chemical additives that typically are not found in plant foods. Research has shown that people enjoy dozens of major health benefits just by eliminating animal-sourced foods from their daily regimen.
A Healthier Heart
Studies have shown that animal meats are bad for the human heart, especially with long-term usage. People who avoid eating all kinds of meat, fish and dairy products tend to have a much lower frequency of heart attacks, heart palpitations and other cardiac-related maladies. Some research has even demonstrated that plant-based foods can help heal a damaged heart, something that meat does not have the power to do.
Lower Risk of Some Forms of Cancer
Though much research still needs to be done, it appears that a plant-based diet can work to reduce the incidence of several types of cancer. This is particularly true in adults who maintain a vegan diet for more than a decade and include healthy habits in their routine, like regular exercise and avoiding tobacco products. It’s unclear whether the meat-cancer connection is a result of the food itself or the common additives, like growth hormones, that many manufacturers add during processing.
Improved Kidney Function
For improved kidney function, non-animal foods are clearly a better way of eating. In addition to the high fat content of most meats, beef and pork contain chemicals that slow down the entire process of kidney function. People who stop eating meat usually show marked improvement in their body’s ability to move fluids through the kidneys.
Helps You Drop Excess Weight
Some research has pointed to a common side-effect of going vegan: moderate weight loss. Though no one knows for sure exactly why this happens, the common belief is that meat contains more fat and generally more calories than plant-based sources of protein. It’s probably not a good idea to opt for a new way of eating just because you’ll lose a few excess pounds, but for those who are already considering the removal of animal-sourced foods from their diets, it’s a nice benefit to look forward to.
