Vegan Diet - 4 Associated Health Benefits!

Being a vegan is not a fad diet. It's also a personal philosophy and lifestyle choice. A person may choose to become vegan because of environmental factors, health factors and other ethical reasons. What differentiates a vegan from a vegetarian is the fact that a vegan not only doesn't eat meat or other animal products but doesn't use any other animal products or by-products whatsoever, such as dairy products, leather, eggs, honey, wool, silk, fur, etc.

Good News is that adopting such a lifestyle can be an entry into a world of better health.

Some of the health benefits of being vegan are:

1) Improves mood - Edible and dietary sources of food from animals are rich in arachidonic acid, and research has concluded a relationship linking mood disturbances with arachidonic acid. It has been also found that restricting the consumption of meat, fish and poultry can lead to mood improvements. Vegetarian diets are not rich in this acid and, thus, they may help in uplifting your general mood.

2) Reduces chances of diabetes - According to research by Loma Linda University School of Public Health, a vegan diet can lead to a drastic reduction in the prevalence of diabetes. A vegan diet also helps in the management of diabetes as well as helps to reduce the likelihood of contracting diabetes by 50%.

3) Lowers cholesterol - Eating animal fat doesn't have any benefit. Instead, it can have harmful health effects. Thus, it's not surprising that once animal fats are removed from your diet, it can lead to a healthier lifestyle. After studying the long-term effects of following a vegetarian diet, researchers in Korea have concluded that body fat and cholesterol tend to lower in vegans than those who follow a non-vegetarian diet.

4) Reduces the risk of stroke and obesity - Vegans, in general, have a lower chance of binge eating and choosing to eat food out of emotions; this is because they follow a strict diet. These two factors, which contribute to obesity, are mostly observed in non-vegetarians and very rarely in vegans.