Veganism is a growing trend and one that seems to be taking over a new supermarket aisle every few visits to the shops. It’s therefore vital to understand and have a clear idea of the pros and cons of what veganism is and how it can affect your health. The following article will provide a brief discussion of the pros and cons of veganism, detailing why it is important to look at both sides of the coin before you make changes to something as important as the family diet. We are what we eat, and it’s becoming more important to make these decisions based on the needs of our planet as well as those of our bodies.
What is veganism?
For an informative article such as this one, it is important to start off with a shared understanding of the concepts being discussed and explained. Vegan has become somewhat of a buzzword and means living a life without any use of animal products and limiting the exploitation of animals as much as is possible. Over the last 15 years there has been a 300% increase in the number of American vegans. Vegan eating is but one component of the vegan lifestyle but has become the most well-known and most important.
Pros of vegan eating
- Improved overall health, based on the fact that vegans eat more fruit and vegetables, as a diet it provides a clear rationale for improved overall health.
- More antioxidants provide greater protection to the body from free radicals, and as such many would argue protect against cancers much better than other diets.
- Ethical eating – not eating animal products is the highest form of ethical eating that there is. Doing no harm to the planet as well as to other animals is arguably one of the best ways to contribute to society.
- It’s much more fun, as vegan eating and foods are somewhat new as a way of life; it offers a range of fun alternatives that are still exciting and new. Like vegan food Chicago, where the range and diversity of healthy vegan food will both surprise and astonish your taste buds.
Cons of vegan eating
- Tricky to balance the diet – no animal products means that it will be difficult to get the required natural sources of certain vitamins, specifically the essential B12, creatine, and carnosine. This will require additional supplementation.
- Could be more expensive – many believe that meat is expensive, but the opposite can be true in that vegan replacement products can be as expensive, and even more so, than the traditional meat products.
- Can’t eat everywhere – there will be places and restaurants wherein a true vegan will find it difficult to eat.
- Lack of information and variety. As it’s a fairly new lifestyle and dietary choice, there is not a great deal of information available to the public. Should you be making a change to veganism, it is thus something that you will have to research and investigate.
Being informed as to what is good for your health is the first step in any positive changes that you make. Secondly, being able to then do everything in moderation is the best way to lead a healthy lifestyle. The various fad diets and changes to lifestyles that have become buzzwords are worth investigating, and veganism does indeed offer a great alternative that many Americans have taken onboard. Veganism does, however, as with all dietary choices, have pros and cons that are worth being aware of.
