The benefits of a vegan diet

More and more people are making the step towards embracing a vegan diet and lifestyle. There are many wonderful benefits of this decision, just ask any vegan! I am currently vegetarian and have been for years but in recent months I've been hearing more and more about the benefits of healthy eating and a vegan lifestyle and I would love to make this change. 

So what benefits are there to a vegan diet? 

Health benefits

Eating a plant based diet is one of the healthiest ways to live. Eating a mix of whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes along with a mix of fruit and vegetables means you will get a wide mix of vitamins and minerals, fibre and phytochemicals. A plant based diet means that you have less risk of mortality from conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and obesity for example. Vegan diets can be healthy for individuals of any age but it's important to ensure you are eating the 'correct' foods to ensure you don't become deficient in any specific nutrients. Vegan tests are a great way to see if you're experiencing any unwanted side effects from a meat and dairy diet. This can help you to see the benefit of a vegan diet to your health and well-being. For those that are already following a vegan diet, these testing services can also determine whether your diet is unbalanced. For 15% off a test from HealthLabs.com just click here.

Animal welfare

It's easy to turn a blind eye to some of the practices that exist in food farming. For factory farming, the focus is on production and profit and this at the expense of the animals. Smaller companies attempting to practice fairer, more humane styles of farming are often unsuccessful because factory farming offers the most competitive prices. Reading about these industries can be distressing and one way to make a stand against this is to follow a vegan diet. We no longer need to rely on animals for our food and clothes so many will argue that it's unethical to put our desires for animal products above the well being of the animal. 

Benefits for the planet

Meat and dairy farms are harmful to the planet. Firstly, many of the crops grown are used to feed the animals. If everyone stopped eating meat then global farmland use would be significantly reduced. As the population grows, more and more farmland is needed resulting in deforestation. The use of farms contributes significantly to the air pollution and puts a strain on the earth's natural resources. What's more, it is estimated that 14% of the world's population is undernourished whilst a large proportion of land and crops are used to produce animal products and some see this as a waste. A vegan diet is certainly more eco-friendly.

Do you follow a vegan diet or is this something you would consider? I'd love to hear more in the comments below.

*Collaborative Post