Vegan Diet: Everything You Need to Know About Plant-Based Living

Eating plan is sometimes necessary to maintain a healthy body, but there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach, especially regarding a balanced vegan diet. However, many people go on an unhealthy eating plan and end up leading to various diseases due to malnutrition and inappropriate food portions. A vegan diet is the best solution if you want a healthy eating plan because it has many benefits. 

Besides realizing your dieting goals, such as an ideal body or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can also provide healthy, balanced nutrition to your body by trying a vegan diet.

What Is a Vegan Diet?

A vegan diet uses natural and plant-based ingredients only. This type of eating plan strictly does not use dairy products or ingredients that come from animals, so it means avoiding meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and any other products that come from animals. 

Sometimes, people who follow this diet want a healthier eating plan because it uses wholesome ingredients, protecting you more from various diseases than the usual eating plan. In addition, people who are vegetarians or do not want to use food ingredients from animals with the aim of not harming animals also do a cruelty-free diet, focusing on a balanced eating plan that includes all necessary nutrients.

What Foods Make Up a Vegan Diet?

People on a plant-based dietary plan usually use ingredients such as grains, beans, seeds, nuts, and healthy fats, which are the primary eating plan sources, including vegan sources of calcium. A well-planned vegetarian diet ensures that all essential nutrients are obtained from flora-based sources, making it a highly sustainable and nutritious way of eating. 

In addition, so many menus can be made because plant-based food ingredients are very flexible and can be used for any food, depending on each person's taste. There are even herbivorous Dairy Alternatives and herbivorous Protein Alternatives that provide even more options for a vegetarian diet.

However, sometimes people on a diet need something sweet or not bland, like these ingredients and vegetables, so fruit is the main foundation for a vegetarian diet. Many people eat vitamin-rich fruit as a side dish for a plant-based diet. It is also helpful for people who may get hungry within a few hours. You can eat fruit instead of snacks and other foods. 

What Are the Benefits of a Vegan Diet?

Better for people

We know herbivorous ingredients undoubtedly benefit our health, especially when they are part of a balanced vegan diet. Some of the benefits of this eating plan are that the foods we eat are naturally lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, helping to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol levels and inflammation. 

In addition, many people report increased energy levels after switching to a vegetarian diet. The nutrient-dense herbivorous foods, combined with the absence of heavy animal foods, allow for better digestion and sustained energy levels throughout the day.

With some of these benefits, it has been proven that people on a vegetable-based diet will become healthier, provided they supplement with vitamin B12 and other essential nutrients. However, it is also important to remember that to get the most out of a flora-based diet, the amount of food you eat should align with your calorie needs. 

Better for animals

Consuming non-dairy products means that we also contribute to protecting against common animal harm. Due to the high demand for animal-derived ingredients, there are countless cases, such as billions of animals enduring extreme confinement, inhumane living conditions, and painful procedures such as debeaking (for chickens) or tail docking (for pigs). Individuals help reduce the demand for such practices by choosing a vegetarian diet while ensuring they get the nutrients they need through careful dietary choices or supplements.

According to the Humane Society, over 9 billion land animals are killed for food annually in the U.S. alone. A single person adopting a vegetarian diet can save approximately 200 animals annually. With the increase of animals being abused every year, this is an essential concern for those who choose to thrive on a vegan diet. 

Humans can help reduce that case by consuming fewer dairy products and switching to vegetarian food, which is healthier, while also considering the importance of a balanced eating plan in essential vitamins. For example, you can consume cashew milk instead of cow milk to prevent animal harm.

Better for the environment

In addition to protecting against animal harm, eating a vegetable-based means preserving the environment, which is worsening daily. Individuals can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water waste by eliminating animal products, positively impacting the world while embracing veganism. As we know, soy products provide many essential vitamins such as starch, protein, and fat.

Therefore, almost everyone consumes these animal products without knowing the adverse effects, particularly the lack of vital vitamins like B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. Vegetable-based foods can also provide protein and carb alternatives that fulfil our nutrition. Therefore, switching to eating vegan is essential, especially in this era of increasing awareness about animal rights and the benefits of a balanced vegan diet. 

Types of Vegan Diets

Vegan keto diet

The keto diet is slightly different from other diets, but the diet practices are straightforward. This eating plan aims to reduce carbohydrates and increase fat in our bodies. Thus, this diet is unique because some eating plan out there prefer reducing fat over starch, while a balanced vegan diet focuses on getting all the vitamins. 

Fat is essential in nutritional health, especially in ensuring you get all the vitamins in your body. One of the other advantages of this diet is lower blood sugar levels and improved insulin sensitivity. This diet can also reduce the risk of several diseases that affect adults and children. Moreover, the keto diet was highly recommended for people who had epilepsy in the 1920s - 1930s. 

Raw vegan diet

A raw vegan diet is suitable for the short term instead of the long term because it only consists of uncooked and unprocessed vegan food, mostly raw fruits and vegetables. Still, you must get all the nutrients needed for a balanced vegan lifestyle. This kind of diet will be risky if done in the long term because the lack of protein and essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12, obtained by the body, indeed should not be left for too long.

The purpose of this diet is to preserve the nutrients and vitamins from food because the cooking process sometimes removes essential vitamins and minerals from food, although it does not apply to all foods. Tomatoes are one of the foods that gain more vitamins, such as antioxidants, when fried. Therefore, most of the followers of this diet usually want to do a short-term diet for faster results or health, because oil and the cooking process sometimes make the vegan food components.

High-protein vegan diet

Raw vegan diets risk protein deficiency; meanwhile, high-protein vegan diets offer you the ability to further optimise your body's protein level by eating highly protein foods. For example, nuts and seeds, tofu, beans, seitan, and oats are still low in calories, but they can also be fortified with essential elements like calcium and omega-3 fatty acids. 

This diet plan usually aims to build muscle and become healthier. An athlete or person who needs protein as the primary food source should consider taking a B12 supplement. This diet is suitable for people who want a long-term diet, but remember that they must also fulfil another element sufficiently. 

Vegan diabetic diet

You will probably need to try a diabetic diet to maintain your blood sugar consistently stable and ensure it includes adequate sources of elements like omega-3 fatty acids. This diet emphasises eating vegan foods low in starch and high glycemic, such as whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, oats) and protein foods (nuts, seeds, tofu), which are very healthy to consume. 

Although it has some challenges, including avoiding hidden sugar in processed foods, this diet has many advantages. Besides managing your blood sugar, consuming kernel and protein improves insulin sensitivity and supports heart health. 

Alkaline vegan diet

Alkaline foods are foods with a high pH, such as leafy greens, cucumbers, avocados, almonds, citrus fruits, and root vegetables, which can also provide essential nourishment for a balanced diet. While foods with low pH are called acidic, it's necessary to ensure they fit within a balanced vegan diet. 

People who follow this diet aim to lose weight quickly because they believe that reducing acidic foods can promptly reduce their weight. In addition, consuming alkaline food is believed to improve health, reduce inflammation, and have many other benefits.

Vegan anti-inflammatory diet

This diet is the same as being a green eater in general. Vegan food provides anti-inflammatory benefits, so you only need to eat vegan food when doing this diet. Therefore, a vegan, anti-inflammatory diet is perfect for those who want a long-term diet but must consume other nourishment that the body needs. 

You only need to not consume dairy or animal products, so it can be said to be a simple and easy diet for most people, especially if you are already a green eater; however, to follow a vegan diet, you must ensure you get all the nourishment you need. 

Low-carb vegan diet

As the name suggests, low carb vegan diet means consuming low-carb vegan foods such as non-starchy vegetables (bell peppers, broccoli, zucchini, and leafy greens), tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, low-sugar fruits (olives and avocados), and herbivorous oils. 

It works and aims for weight loss and blood sugar control. However, please note that vegan food has higher carbohydrates than meat and dairy products, so doing a low-carb diet using vegan food is quite challenging because you have to sort out which vegan food is low-carb.

Mediterranean vegan diet

A Mediterranean vegan diet combines the principles of the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in healthy fats and whole foods, with a vegan lifestyle using vegan food. Therefore, foods commonly consumed by Mediterranean vegan diet followers are olive oil, seeds, legumes, whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs. With these healthy ingredients and enriched body nutrition with fats, this diet is long-term safe and provides many health benefits.

What Is the Difference Between a Vegan Diet and a Plant-Based Diet?

In general, a person on a herbivore diet is most likely a green eater who strictly eats only plant-derived foods instead of using meat and dairy products, thriving on a vegan diet. So, the selection of food they eat is only vegan to benefit themselves and preserve the environment from animal harm. 

However, people on a plant-based diet still eat meat and dairy products because they are not vegetarians, which means they might miss out on necessary nourishment like vitamin B12. Their primary purpose of the diet is for health or other reasons, different from green eaters.

To sum up, if someone avoids animal products but still consumes non-vegan food, they are herbivorous rather than vegan. On the other hand, if someone eliminates all animal-based products from their life for ethical reasons, they follow a vegan lifestyle. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What can't you eat on a vegan diet?

Since you have to focus on eating vegetarian-based food, you have to avoid all foods related to animal-based products such as Meat & Poultry, Fish & Seafood, dairy products, animal-based additives like gelatin and some alcoholic beverages that are filtered with animal products like isinglass (fish bladder), gelatin, or egg whites. If you want to consume foods such as meat and soy products, look for vegan alternatives, including pasta made from plant-based ingredients.

Can vegans eat bread?

Is peanut butter vegan?

Conclusion

The herbivore diet offers many health benefits while aligning with ethical and environmental values. Whether one chooses a whole-food vegan diet, a high-carb approach, or a raw vegan lifestyle, there are many ways to tailor a vegetarian diet to personal preferences and nutritional needs.

If you want to consume vegan foods that can help your vegan diet, you can visit Brother Bon Restaurant to order some interesting vegan menus and more information!