Why Going Vegan Might Be The Best Decision You Ever Make

Naheed Ali, MD, PhD, ScD
ILLUMINATION
Published in
3 min readJul 18, 2022
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich of Pexels

Going vegan might seem like an overly challenging and restrictive diet. But the truth is that it’s actually one of the most beneficial choices you can make for your health, the environment, and animals. Adopting a plant-based diet has numerous health benefits and is also great for the environment. Here are just a few reasons why going vegan might be the best decision you ever make.

It’s Good For Your Health

There are numerous health benefits that come with going vegan. You can reduce your risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, and certain cancers. A vegan diet can also help reduce blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

Vegan diets are typically higher in fiber, magnesium, vitamin C, carotenoids, and antioxidants. All of these nutrients help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. What’s more is that vegans tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI) than vegetarians, which suggests that plant-based diets are particularly effective for weight loss.

Vegan diets are rich in folic acid and minerals such as magnesium and potassium, which are essential for good heart health. So, if you’re looking to reduce your risk of heart disease, going vegan is a great place to start.

Helping The Environment

The climate crisis and environmental degradation are pressing global issues that need to be urgently addressed. You can do your bit by adopting a vegan diet. A vegan diet has a smaller carbon footprint than a meat-based diet due to the emissions released during the production of meat, dairy, and egg products.

The production of meat and dairy products also takes a toll on water sources as well as land. A vegan diet, on the other hand, uses significantly less water, land, and energy compared to a meat-based diet.

Safeguard Animals

When you choose to go vegan, you’re not just making a decision for your own health. You’re also making a decision to help countless animals. Many people who go vegan choose to do so because they don’t want to contribute to the suffering of animals.

Going vegan means helping animals in two ways. First, you’ll be reducing your consumption of animal products. This will slow the demand for meat and dairy products, meaning that fewer animals will be slaughtered. Second, since you’ll be creating demand for more plant-based products, you’ll be encouraging the development of new, cruelty-free products. So, even if you don’t go vegan entirely, you can still help animals by reducing your consumption of animal products.

Conclusion

A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains is not only good for your health, but it is also great for the environment. A vegan diet has a smaller carbon footprint than a meat-based diet due to the emissions released during the production of meat, dairy, and egg products. And the production of meat and dairy also takes a toll on water sources as well as land. Going vegan is easier than ever before, so there’s no reason not to make the switch.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19279075/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29496410/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32872570/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29885291/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554487/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22338723/

--

--