Everyone can and should become a
vegan.
It doesn't matter what your health, age, or geographic location is.
Currently unhealthy people and those wanting to maintain good
health should definitely consider veganism. There a certain factors
that can make veganism even more essential. Below are a few of
those special factors:
Need lower cholesterol?
Vegans have much lower cholesterol levels than meat eaters, and
heart disease is uncommon among vegans. The reasons are not hard to
find. Vegans meals are typically low in saturated fat and usually
contain little or no cholesterol. Since cholesterol is found only
in animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs, vegans consume a
cholesterol-free diet. The type of protein in a vegan diet may be
another important advantage. Many studies show that replacing
animal protein with plant protein lowers blood cholesterol
levels-even if the amount and type of fat in the diet stays the
same. Those studies show that a low-fat, vegan diet has a clear
advantage over other diets.
Lower your blood
pressure.
An impressive number of studies, dating back to the early 1920s,
show that vegans have lower blood pressure than non-vegans. In
fact, some studies have shown that adding meat to a vegan diet
raises blood pressure levels rapidly and significantly. The effects
of a vegan diet occur in addition to the benefits of reducing the
sodium content of the diet. When patients with high blood pressure
begin a vegan diet, many are able to eliminate their need for
medication.
Controlling diabetes.
The latest studies on diabetes show that a diet high in complex
carbohydrates (which are found only in plant foods) and low in fat
is the best dietary prescription for controlling diabetes. Since
diabetics are at high risk for heart disease, avoiding fat and
cholesterol is the most important goal of the diabetic diet, and a
vegan diet is ideal. Although all insulin-dependent diabetics need
to take insulin, plant-based diets can help to reduce insulin
needs.
Cancer prevention.
A vegan diet helps prevent cancer. Studies of vegan show that death
rates from cancer are only about one-half to three-quarters of
those of the general population. Breast cancer rates are
dramatically lower in countries where diets are typically
plant-based. When people from those countries adopt a Western,
meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. Vegans also
have significantly less colon cancer than meat eaters. Meat
consumption is more closely associated with colon cancer than any
other dietary factor. Why do vegan diets help protect against
cancer? First, they are lower in fat and higher in fiber than
meat-based diets. But there are other important factors also. For
example, vegans usually consume more of the plant pigment
beta-carotene. This might help to explain why they have less lung
cancer. Also, at least one study has shown that natural sugars in
dairy products may raise the risk for ovarian cancer in some women.
Some of the anti-cancer aspects of a vegetarian diet cannot yet be
explained. For example, researchers are not quite sure why vegans
have more of certain white blood cells, called "natural killer
cells," which are able to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
Save your calcium!
Vegans are less likely to form either kidney stones or gallstones.
In addition, vegans may also be at lower risk for osteoporosis
because they eat little or no animal protein. A high intake of
animal protein encourages the loss of calcium from the bones.
Replacing animal products with plant foods reduces the amount of
calcium lost. This may help to explain why people who live in
countries where the diet is typically plant-based have little
osteoporosis even when calcium intake is low.