Veganism: A Dietary Choice Or Lifestyle Revolution?

Veganism is a lifestyle and way of living that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty. Vegans do not consume animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy, and also avoid using materials that originate from animals, such as leather and wool. The premise behind veganism is often ethical, with the belief that all creatures have a right to life and freedom, but it can also be for health or environmental reasons.

Health benefits of a vegan diet

A vegan diet is based on plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and fruits, and foods made from plants. Vegans do not eat animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and honey.

Weight Management

A vegan diet may support weight loss. A US study comparing the nutritional quality of several diets showed that a balanced vegan diet has the lowest total energy intake, a better fat profile, and the highest dietary fibre levels compared to omnivore and lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets. The higher fibre intake means meals are more filling, reducing the urge to snack and helping you tune into your hunger signals.

Heart Health

A vegan diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. This is due to the inclusion of whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, which are linked to better heart health. Male vegans, in particular, seem to enjoy greater cardiovascular benefits, with notable reductions in cardiac risk factors.

Lower Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

Following a vegan diet is linked to lower blood pressure and better cholesterol management. This is partly due to the exclusion of meat and animal products, which are often high in cholesterol.

Blood Sugar Control

A whole-food vegan diet may help those with blood sugar disturbances. People on a vegan diet tend to have higher insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is because whole-food vegan diets tend to include plenty of lower glycaemic index (GI) foods that are rich in dietary fibre, which helps stabilise blood sugar.

Reduced Risk of Diabetes Complications

Vegan diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and higher in protective phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables, making them compatible with dietary guidelines for those with diabetes.

Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers

Eating more plant-based foods and cutting down on smoked or processed red meats has been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers. Studies suggest that a well-balanced vegan diet achieves the best outcome for lowering the risk of all cancers.

Gut Health

A vegan diet can positively impact your gut microbiome, the community of microbes (bacteria, yeast, and viruses) that live in your digestive tract. Eating a varied plant-based diet provides different fibres that feed beneficial gut bacteria, allowing them to flourish and increase in number. This increases the adaptability of the microbiome to fight disease.

Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

A vegan diet rich in antioxidant-whole foods and a variety of fruits and vegetables, combined with fewer trigger foods, may decrease inflammatory reactions associated with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Skin Health

The higher intake of fruits and vegetables in a vegan diet is associated with positive skin health. These foods are rich in plant defence chemicals called polyphenols and skin-supporting nutrients like vitamins C and E.

Nutritional Quality

A well-planned whole-food vegan diet, including fortified foods, is associated with better health. It is typically high in dietary fibre and includes a plentiful supply of folate, vitamins C and E, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. The high fruit and vegetable intake, along with low levels of sodium and saturated fat, contributes to the nutritional quality of a vegan diet.

It is important to note that a vegan diet, like any other diet, requires planning and a good understanding of how to meet your nutritional needs. Some essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids, may need to be supplemented or carefully included through fortified foods.

Environmental impact of veganism

Veganism is widely regarded as being better for the planet than diets that include animal products. However, not all plant-based foods have a small environmental footprint.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Meat, especially beef, contributes significantly to the planet's greenhouse gas emissions. Even the "greenest" sources of meat produce more greenhouse gases than plant-based proteins. However, some plant-based foods also have a high environmental impact. For example, air-transported fruits and vegetables can create more greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram than poultry meat.

Land and Water Use

Meat also devours more land and water and causes more environmental damage than any other single food product. For instance, producing animal protein requires 6-17 times more land than the same amount of soybean protein. Animal protein also requires, on average, 2-3 times more water.

Deforestation

Cocoa production has led to significant deforestation, especially in sensitive biodiversity hotspots in the Amazon, West Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Water Usage

Some plant-based foods, such as avocados, mangoes, and plums, require large amounts of water. For example, a single mature avocado tree in California needs up to 209 litres of water per day during the summer.

Energy Usage

Growing mushrooms indoors requires a significant amount of energy to keep the rooms warm.

Fertiliser Usage

Artificial fertilisers account for at least 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The production and use of synthetic fertilisers emit carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

Transportation

The transportation of delicate fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, by air can also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

While veganism generally has a lower environmental impact than diets that include animal products, it is important to consider the specific types of plant-based foods consumed and their associated environmental impacts.

Ethical arguments for veganism

Veganism is a lifestyle that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty. Ethical vegans strongly believe that all creatures have a right to life and freedom. They view animals as conscious beings that, just like humans, wish to avoid pain and suffering.

Reducing Cruelty and Suffering

The primary motivation for ethical vegans is to reduce animal cruelty and suffering. Factory farms, where at least 90% of farmed animals live, cause immense pain and distress to animals. Animals are mutilated in various ways without anaesthesia, kept in cramped conditions, and transported in confined spaces without food or water, leading to dehydration and death. Ethical vegans believe that animals should not be harmed unnecessarily and that humans should not inflict suffering on them for pleasure, convenience, or culinary preference.

Opposing Speciesism

Ethical vegans oppose speciesism, the idea that humans are more valuable than other species only because they belong to a different species. They argue that animals, like humans, have interests and intrinsic value, and therefore, their suffering deserves moral consideration. This belief extends to insects as well, with many ethical vegans avoiding honey and other insect products due to the commercial exploitation of bees.

Abolitionist Approach

Some ethical vegans take an abolitionist approach, arguing that animals should have the right not to be treated as property and that human ownership of non-humans should end. They believe that animals are not commodities and that veganism is a way to reject their commodification. This perspective views veganism as a moral baseline and seeks to abolish the use of animals for food, clothing, entertainment, or any other purpose.

Environmental Impact

Environmental vegans focus on the environmental impact of animal agriculture, which contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, habitat loss, and water pollution. They argue that animal farming is unsustainable and that a shift towards plant-based diets is necessary to reduce environmental harm and preserve the planet for future generations.

Health Benefits

While health-focused reasons for veganism may not be primarily ethical, they still contribute to the ethical argument by reducing animal suffering. Research shows that plant-based diets are linked to improved human health, reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases. By choosing veganism for health reasons, individuals contribute to reducing animal cruelty in the food industry.

Nutritional deficiencies in vegan diets

Veganism is a practice that abstains from the use and consumption of animal products. Vegans often adopt this lifestyle for ethical, moral, environmental, health, and humanitarian reasons.

A vegan diet is often promoted as being good for heart health. However, it may lead to nutritional deficiencies and negative health consequences. A comprehensive review published in the medical journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases found that a vegan diet may lead to nutritional deficiencies in vitamin B12, omega-3, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, and high-quality protein. These deficiencies are associated with an increased risk of certain types of cancer, stroke, bone fractures, preterm birth, and failure to thrive.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that is almost exclusively found in animal-sourced foods. Vegans who do not take supplements are at a higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can cause impaired brain function, neurological and psychiatric disorders, and anemia.

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, are important for normal brain development and function. Vegans can obtain omega-3 fatty acids from supplements in the form of algal oil, made from certain microalgae.

Heme iron, found only in meat, is better absorbed than non-heme iron from plant foods. Vegans are more prone to anemia due to the lower absorption rate of non-heme iron. However, a well-planned vegan diet that contains plenty of non-heme iron can help prevent iron deficiency.

Vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine vitamin," can be obtained through sun exposure or dietary sources. Vegans may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency, especially during winter or if they live far from the equator, as the main dietary sources of vitamin D3 are not plant-based.

Overall, while a vegan diet has some health advantages, it is important to be mindful of potential nutritional deficiencies and supplement the diet accordingly.

Veganism and weight loss

Veganism is a way of living that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty, be it for food, clothing, or any other purpose. A vegan diet is based on plants and foods made from plants, including fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits. Vegans do not eat animal products, including meat, eggs, and dairy.

Adopting a vegan diet may help with weight loss. Vegans tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than non-vegans, which may be due to healthier lifestyle choices and behaviours. Several studies have shown that vegan diets are more effective for weight loss compared to other diets. This natural tendency to eat fewer calories on a vegan diet may be caused by a higher dietary fibre intake, which can help one feel fuller.

In addition to weight loss, a vegan diet may also help keep blood sugar in check and lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Observational studies also report that vegans have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure and dying from heart disease.

Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

• Eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables every day.
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy carbohydrates, choosing whole-grain options where possible.
• Include fortified dairy alternatives, such as soy drinks and yogurts, choosing lower-fat and lower-sugar options.
• Eat beans, pulses, and other protein sources.
• Consume nuts and seeds rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts, every day.
• Use unsaturated oils and spreads in small amounts.
• Include fortified foods or supplements containing nutrients that may be lacking in a vegan diet, such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, selenium, calcium, and iron.
• Drink plenty of fluids, with the recommended intake being 6 to 8 cups or glasses per day.

Frequently asked questions