Inika Superfoods - January 18th, 2023

5 health benefits of following a vegan diet

“Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.” – Bethenny Frankel

Avegan diet is a diet that includes only plant-based foods. No animal or animal products are allowed: no meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, or any other animal-derived food products. Vegans completely avoid all animal matter in their diets. Some vegans choose to avoid clothing with animal prints or leather while other vegans also chose to avoid products from animals such as beeswax, shellac and silk. Vegans follow this lifestyle for ethical, health and religious reasons.

Vegan diets are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are looking to improve their health. There are numerous benefits to adopting a vegan diet over an omnivorous one, including some amazing health benefits.

Here are the 5 biggest health benefits of following a vegan diet.

Lower blood pressure

A vegan diet is generally believed to reduce the risk of complications for patients with high blood pressure., this is because it contains less saturated fat and cholesterol than other diets, resulting in lower blood pressure levels. In addition, many vegan diets are high in fibre, magnesium and potassium which help lower blood pressure naturally.

Healthy heart

Vegan diets are associated with lower cholesterol levels, which helps lower the risk of heart disease. Several studies have found that following a vegan diet helped reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels among people who had high cholesterol levels at baseline. The findings suggest that eating more plants could be an effective way of reducing the risk of heart disease.

Lower risk of type 2 diabetes

A vegan diet may help reduce the risk of complications for patients with type 2 diabetes. A study published in Diabetes Care found that following a vegan diet can help lower blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes. In the study, researchers asked participants with type 2 diabetes to follow a low-fat plant-based diet - the participants who followed this diet had lower levels of blood pressure and improved their insulin sensitivity compared to those who didn't follow such a diet.

Eating more plants could be an effective way of reducing the risk of heart disease.

Improve cholesterol

A balanced diet can aid in controlling cholesterol levels. Since vegan diets are low in saturated fats and high in fiber, vegans tend to have healthier cholesterol levels than their non-vegan counterparts. Moreover, vegans tend to consume more fruits and vegetables than omnivores do — which can help reduce cholesterol and promote regular bowel movements.

Strong brain

A vegan diet is also naturally rich in antioxidants, which help reduce oxidative stress on the brain. This may help protect against cognitive decline by reducing vascular damage. Adding 100 grams more of fruits and vegetables to your diet each day lowers your risk of dementia and cognitive decline by 13%. Other studies have shown that consuming more than three servings of legumes per week may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's by 37%.

Vegan diets are also rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene that help protect against cancer by neutralizing free radicals (highly reactive molecules that damage cells).

In conclusion, there are several fantastic health benefits that come from following a vegan that not only promote not only a healthy body and mind, but also will help you prevent future health diseases. If committing to a vegan diet is not for you, think of minimising animal products and increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts.

Love,
Inika Superfoods