Plant-based diets have been a huge trend in these past few years. Anyone adopting the diets known as vegan diets, is required to consume all plant-based foods including, fruits, vegetables and nuts, and avoid all animal products including beef, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs. It may sounds like vegetarian diets, which firstly became popular. But the two types of diets are different, as some vegetarians can still consume animal-based foods like fish, dairy products and eggs.
Despite all the restrictions in veganism, many people in England are actually interested in practicing the lifestyle. According to Google Trends, the number of people trying to go vegan in 2019 was four times higher than in 2014. One of the reasons behind the surge, is the good impact veganism has on the health.
The Importance of Vegan Diet
A study published by Nutrients (2019) shows that plant-based diets play an important role in keeping the cardiovascular health by reducing cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, preventing obesity, and controlling blood sugar levels. The study also mentions that vegan diets actually contribute to an athlete’s improved perfomance and recovery.
And that isn’t all. Vegan diet is proven to be able to help control body weight because once someone goes vegan, they’ll consume much less calorie. Plus, plant-based foods are rich in dietary fiber, so they can increase gut bacterial diversity that is good to keep the digestion to work properly and in turn, further lower risks of colon cancer and increase immune system.
Reference:
Barnard, N.D., Goldman, D.M., Loomis, J.F., Kahleova, H., Levin, S.M., Neabore, S., Batts, T.C. 2019. Plant-Based Diets for Cardiovascular Safety and Performance in Endurance Sports. Nutrients 11.
