When explaining their choice to become vegan, many people explain that they made the change in their diet for health reasons. Until recent years the stance that plant based diets are healthy, let alone healthier than diets including meat was very controversial and concern over nutrient deficiency was frequently raised. Over the past few years this view point has undergone a major shift and now consuming a plant based diet is even promoted in the most recent update of the Canada’s Food Guide. I found this revelation very surprising as I remember being taught about the food guide in elementary and high school and there was always a focus on dairy and meat.
So what exactly makes a vegan diet supposedly more healthy than that of an omnivore? Due to the lack of meat in their diet, vegans usually eat a larger amount of fruits and vegetables than their omnivore counterparts, and we all know eating more fresh produce is better for us. Vegans also tend to consume high amounts of fiber than the rest of the population which is beneficial for intestinal health. The Government of British Colombia’s health resource, HealthLinkBC, explains that a vegan diet can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, prostate cancer, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes. Due to the absence of animal products in their diet vegans also consume less bad cholesterol, leading to overall lower levels of cholesterol in the body. While it is harder to find necessary nutrients like vitamin B12 and Omega-3 fatty acids from plant based sources, there are many health benefits that point to a vegan diet being a healthy choice.
Veganism has also been found to benefit physical health as well physical pain. Small group studies on those with pain from arthritis found they experienced less pain than those who continued their omnivore diet. This result is something I can personally attest to as part of the reason I became vegetarian was to help my joint pain issues, which have decreased since removing meat from my diet.
While being following a plant based diet does require planning and some attention certain nutrients or food groups, it is hard to argue that this diet is not healthy. My research seems to point that there are health benefits to eating meat less even if you only cut it out of one meal a week. Overall not consuming meat and dairy seem to be a healthy choice.
My Sources
