What is Vegan diet? Its benefits and disadvantages

A vegan diet is plant based diet, where the person would refrain from any kind of meat including poultry and dairy products. The kind of diet is increasingly becoming popular and a number of food companies are also coming up with foods that are plant based by imitate to taste like meat and poultry. People across the globe are adopting the kind of diet due to a number of reasons that include maintaining body immunity, weight loss or just to stay fit. Here we will be discussing about the benefits and disadvantages of switching to a vegan diet.

Benefits

1. Contains lesser calories and is great for people who suffer from obesity and high cholesterol levels.

2. It contains a lot of fibre and people who often suffer from constipation issues can have smooth bowel movements along with protection from heart diseases.

3. It helps to control high blood pressure issues, blood sugar levels, unhealthy fats and also helps to improve the kidney functions.

4. A number of studies have also shown that a vegan diet also helps to prevent a number of cancers like breast cancer, ovarian cancer as the actual source is said to be too much consumption of red meat.

5. People who follow a vegan diet have a healthy and a better body mass index that indicates about the overall-well-being of the body.

Disadvantages

1. Dieticians are often worried that a vegan diet often fails to provide ample protein needed for the body.

2. It could also lead to iron deficiencies which are a common health issue in women. Meat, dairy and poultry products are rich in iron and are a good source.

3. Nutrients like calcium and vitamin B-12 are not present in the required amount, even in the green-leafy vegetables. Supplements never compensate for the natural sources.

4. Lack of the required nutrients can lead to hormonal imbalance and can lead to some side effects like hair fall, depression and skin diseases.

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