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Veganism

a short read.

By Something ComplicatedPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Veganism
Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

It is easy to get the impression that a vegan diet is expensive, especially given all the high-priced vegan products on the shelves of grocery stores in America. But the reality is that the cost of a vegan diet depends a lot on your preference and shopping list. Ultimately, the true cost of a vegan lifestyle depends heavily on your personal shopping decision.

Simply reading the labels of regular human food can save you a lot of change when shopping for a vegan diet. If you're always reaching for foods that are branded vegan, you will definitely be paying a premium. There are many products suitable for vegans that are not labelled as vegan.

Humans are naturally omnivores, so there is lots of planning and considerations before becoming a vegan to ensure you stay in optimal health while living a vegan lifestyle. If you are planning to live vegan lifestyle, it is worth going to your doctor or a professional nutritionist for advice. A doctor may prescribe you supplements, as there are vitamins, minerals and proteins your body needs that a vegan diet can not provide.

A plant-based diet and abstaining from animal products can be an effective method to make digestion and defecation healthy and regular. Humans, unlike other members of the animal kingdom, are very careful to prepare, wash and cook food throughly, this reduces the amount of bacteria in the plant foods we may eat, however animals get vitamin B12 by eating food that is covered with this bacteria, and vitamin B-12 is an essential vitamin to life. Vegetarians and meat eaters can easily get this vitamin, but vegans may need supplements as vitamin B-12 is not readily available in most vegan approved foods.

A systematic review of 49 studies shows that vegans typically have lower cholesterol than those who consume meat and dairy products, these studies complement other evidence supporting the health and wellbeing benefits of a healthy vegan diet. However, a longitudinal study that followed 130,000 people over several decades found that vegetarians had a significantly lower death rate than vegans.

There are many vegetarians in this country, and the vegetarian lifestyle has been around for century's and the culture really hasn’t changed much, but the vegan population has exploded, particularly with those who are obsessed with what's going on in their bodies, and telling you how to live your life.

Companies are now spending millions of dollars to have their products certified as vegan. The Vegan Society has generated nearly $1.3 million by seeking these certificates, and Vegan Action has generated over $2.5 million from its certification program. Some certification programs issue logos that are valid for only one year, but if the production of the products remains vegan friendly, company’s can make another payment to maintain its approval.

A vegan diet is not as easy as you might think, humans are omnivores and can eat pretty much anything, also humans need to eat a good mix of everything to stay healthy, but a vegan diet restricts the variety of proteins, vitamins and minerals one can eat, if a vegan diet is not professionally managed it can have undesired side effects on the mind and body. Common side effects are the suffering from nutritional deficiencies (especially iron and vitamin B-12), this can make you seriously ill or just feel sluggish.

There are many reasons why people live vegan lifestyle, whether to reduce their carbon footprint or potentially increase their good karma. But it is proven that plant foods tend to be less energy-dense than meat and dairy products and have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other health problems. There are many high calorie vegan options, but you can easily avoid them.

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About the Creator

Something Complicated

I’m the correct Something

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