Despite the ongoing debate about whether plant-based diet is healthy enough, vegetarianism and veganism are an ever-growing trend. Making such diet changes is everyone’s personal choice. However, there are things that need to be taken into account when you substitute animal based products like meat, fish and diary with the typical vegan products.
Not sure how to transit to a vegan lifestyle?Read this step by step guide on how to transit to a vegan lifestyle.
The Pluses and Minuses of Vegan Products
Here are the pros and cons of the most popular vegan products out there.
1.Soya products
Soya-based products are the first food category that vegan newcomers look into. Around 15% of your daily food must be protein, and soya-based foods may be your first choice. There are a lot of products that imitate the taste of meat, so you will not notice the switch so drastically. Additionally, soya milk is rich in vitamins like D and B12, as well as calcium. Tofu is another soya product that is rich in protein and does not need to be cooked.
However, the worst thing you can do is to eat too many soya-based foods during the day. Some scientific data suggest that it may be potentially dangerous for your health and even cancer-causing. Soya, if eaten in large quantities, also has a boosting effect on female hormones. So, while you do need soya as a basis of protein intake, it should not be consumed as the only protein source in your diet.
2. Nuts.
Nuts are an important source of protein for vegans. Nuts are also extremely rich in vitamins and nutrients like vitamin E, iron, selenium, B6, and omega 3 fatty acid. The latter is particularly important if you don’t eat fish. On the downside, all nuts are very high in calories, so you can’t eat more than 50 grams a day. You can relax and check out online slot machines real money no deposit while enjoying this type of snack.
3. Legumes.
Beans, peas, chickpeas are another important source of protein and vitamins. Humus, for instance, is rich in calcium, zinc and iron, which are crucial for the vegan diet. Overdoing the legumes, however, can result in some digestive problems like loose bowel, and the phytic acid they contain can be toxic in big quantities. Like all other foods, legumes must be consumed in moderate portions.
4. Bread.
One of those dangers that a vegan diet contains is gaining a lot of weight with increased bread and other carbs consumption. Choose whole grain bread and pasta in order not to gain weight and to keep the protein/carbs balance in your diet.
5. Food supplements.
Once you decide to fully eliminate animal-origin products from your diet, it will not hurt you to take B12 and iron supplements every half a year or so. Of course, vegan foods also contain them, but in much lower concentration than meat or fish. Consult with a dietician to know for sure which supplements will help you to stay healthy.
All in all, living on both meat-based and plant-based diets can be quite healthy if you pay attention to what you eat. By choosing products of high quality and balancing out proteins and micro-elements, you can live a long and healthy life being a vegan.
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17 comments
Interesting. My daughter’s a vegetarian, so I’ll have to pass this on to her. Thanks.
This has been informative.. I’m going to share this with my daughter! Thanks
Tried going vegan once but I never even got to finish a week. It really takes a lot of strength and determination, but I think it would be better if I would have done it with someone for the support.
These are great ideas for anyone thinking of going vegan. I occasionally like meatless dishes once in a while, but I love meat too much to give it up ever.
im not a vegan but i think to be healthy it is essentially having balance and i agree 100% on snacking with nuts (or sometimes peas) for my case
I tried being a vegan. It’s really challenging! It really helped me lost some weight.
I am not Vegan but it is important to know healthy vs not healthy. Great article.
I tried going vegan once; lasted 30 hours, lol!There are pros and cons with every diet though, you just have to work out what’s best for you.
This is a very topical post! I have a lot of vegan friends who I do not believe have educated themselves on the food they are now eating and it’s affects! I’m particulary against soy products as you said it affects hormone levels!! I can appreciate the save the environment, save the animals pro’s, however this post is brilliant so that people can educate themselves on what they’re consuming!
This is an amazing post for all the people looking ti embark on vegan journey!
This is really interesting information and it’s really good to know the possible negative effects of consuming some of these foods in large quantities.
Although I do like vegetarian foods, I don’t think I could weed out meats completely. No matter what the diet there is always a chance of not getting all the nutrients needed on a daily basis. This is great information though, I learned a little something today!
I have been a vegetarian for many years. I haven’t gone vegan though, simply because of cheese. These are great tips.
,I understand that no matter what you need to pay attention to what you eat. And for all those who are vegan, I definitely wish you well. And I respect and honor your choices. I just know that I have had problems with vegan diets before as well as some of my friends. They have had to go back because they weren’t getting enough vitamins even with the supplements.
I am planning of restricting myself to a healthier diet too. Organic foods are better option as well.
This is a great on pros and cons of vegan food. My son has chosen to eat only whole foods and said he has never felt better. Thanks for sharing the information.
I don’t really know much about being vegan.So I found your article to be very informative. Thanks.