As you know, I’ve been preaching for veganism and a plant-based diet for quite some time now. Before you stop reading, I won’t get into the ethical or sustainability aspects of the matter today. Rather, I’m gonna focus on you, your body and your health. The benefits from aiming towards a plant based diet are plenty, but today I’ll cover 5 of the biggest ones!
Just on a side note; think progress, not perfection. Can’t live without cheese? Remove all other animal products, but don’t let it stop you from diving into the wonders of the plant based cuisine!
The top five instant benefits of a vegan diet:
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1. You’ll start losing weight (if you need to).
You will probably drop unneeded weight quite fast because when you eat plant-based food and avoid animal foods, you amp up your metabolism. Veg food has a high thermic effect, which indicates the amount of calories burned as body heat during digestion. So that means even if you change absolutely nothing else, you’re burning more calories simply by eating green!
Also, the fiber in a green diet works to slow the release of glucose (blood sugar) into your system = less wild cravings and – hunger, which cause you to overeat.
Lastly, you won’t be getting the unhealthy fat you would from meat, chicken, and cheese.
2. You will have better poops.
Yes. I went there. And so should you! There is so much fiber in plant-based foods compared to the ZERO in animal foods. Fiber acts like a scrub brush in your body that cleans you out. And because of that, your stomach will flatten out and you’ll feel so much lighter and more energetic. Not to mention you’ll leave the bathroom with a smile 😉
Fiber is the superstar magic dust that makes you healthy and gorgeous!
3. You will feel better.
A bunch of those annoying physical ailments that you couldn’t figure the origin of will go away. Roughly 75 percent of the population is lactose intolerant, so if you’re one of those people, when you eat cheese or butter or drink milk, you can get serious bloating or cramps, mucus making it difficult to breath or weird rashes.
You will also notice your skin more balanced since you won’t be getting all that estrogenic hormone inherent in milk.
No more afternoon sumps! You will have much more energy because of the rock-star nutrients and antioxidants found only in plant-based foods. Your sleep is also likely to improve since you won’t have the acid indigestion that comes from acid-forming foods like meat and cheese.
4. You will save money.
Eating more plants means spending less cash on groceries. Whole grains, lentils, corn tortillas, black beans, nuts, seeds, veggies, and fruits are so much cheaper than wheels of cheese and chicken breasts. (here’s a guide on what you need in your pantry btw)
Yes, fresh and organic veggies can be expensive, but there’s a couple of tweaks you can take to make them more available to your budget: buy them at the end of the day at farmers markets, get frozen, or produce on sale at the supermarket.
You won’t be spending money at the doctor because veganish people tend to be very healthy. As long as you are eating a clean and healthy plant-based diet rather than subsisting on white pasta, chips, and vegan pizza of course.
Imagine this: all the extra energy you are getting is amping up your creativity and productivity making you perform better at your job. This will of course warrant more success and more money! Now go m a n i f e s t 🙂
5. You’ll be happier.
People who eat plant-based foods have less depression, anxiety, and other mood problems than those who eat the Standard American Diet (SAD).
Maybe it’s as simple as how alive and purposeful you feel when you know you’re making a positive difference in the world, or maybe it just feels so damn good to know you aren’t contributing to an animal’s pain or suffering.
And please remember that it’s not black or white!! You can be flexitarian, aiming towards a vegan diet but still include animal foods. Take your time and find your own way in this rapidly growing movement!