Reducing or removing meat from our diet has become much more popular over the last few years and its now estimated there are over 7 million vegetarians in the UK alone.
On top of this, statistics show that there are half a million (and growing!) vegans in the UK and that by 2025, vegans could make up about a quarter of the UK population.
What are the health benefits of being vegan?
Veganism offers multiple health and environmental benefits over other diets.
Let’s look at some major benefits to a vegan diet:
Better weight loss
In studies (including randomised control trial which are the gold standard level of research) vegan diet have been shown to provide greater weight loss when compared to other diets.
In one specific research study a vegan diet was shown to result in greater weight loss than a Mediterranean diet – this is due to a vegan diet naturally resulting in a lower calorie intake than other diets.
Reduced risk of certain chronic disease
According to a study published by the National Cancer Institute people on a vegan diet are less likely to develop chronic disease when compared to other dietary groups
A vegan diet is better at providing certain nutrients than other diets
Studies have shown a vegan diet can result in increased intake of vitamins A, C and E, potassium, folate, magnesium and fibre.
It’s better for the environment
It is now well known that meat farming has a huge impact on the environment.
Significantly more carbon dioxide is emitted in meat production in comparison to non-meat farming.
Some estimates suggest that 20 times as much CO2 is produced through meat farming versus the cultivation of vegetables.
A vegan diet can be cheaper than other diets
A vegan diet can cost up to 40% less than an omnivore diet.
It can also be quicker to prepare a vegan meal!
The variety is enormous!
People changing to a vegan diet soon discover many foods, including meat and dairy substitutes that they didn’t even know existed.
Part of the fun of cooking is trying new things, and new things in combination with old favourites.
Animal welfare
This is one of the most important reasons people cite for moving away from dairy and meat products.
For more articles like this, you can read our Weight Loss and Wellness Magazine Fresh Start. This article is from our latest issue, coming in January 2022, but you can take a look at our old issues, and our FREE weight loss support resources by clicking below!