People choose vegan diets for various reasons, including health benefits, animal welfare concerns, and reducing their carbon footprint. A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, honey, gelatin, and certain food colorings. It emphasizes plant-based sources such as legumes, nuts, grains, and vegetables to replace animal proteins.
Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet
A vegan diet offers a range of potential health benefits. Some of the most researched include helping with weight loss, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and improving kidney function.
Weight Loss
Several studies suggest that vegans tend to be thinner and have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than non-vegans. Randomized controlled trials have also reported that vegan diets are more effective for weight loss than the diets they are compared with.
- A small older study found that people eating a low-fat, high-fiber vegan diet lost more weight than those eating a conventional low-fat diet.
- Participants following a vegan diet lost an average of 13 lbs (6 kg) over 16 weeks, while those following the Mediterranean diet did not see any weight loss.
- Vegan eaters also lost more weight in a 2015 study than people who included meat or fish in their diets. Vegetarians lost just as much weight as vegans in this study.
- When comparing a low-fat, whole-food vegan diet to a standard omnivorous diet over 16 weeks, the vegan diet again resulted in an average of 13 lbs (6 kg) of weight loss. People eating their regular diets did not experience significant weight loss.
- A small 2015 study comparing the weight loss effects of five different diets concluded that vegetarian and vegan diets were just as well-accepted as semi-vegetarian and standard Western diets. Even when study participants weren’t following the diets perfectly, the people in the vegetarian and vegan groups still lost more weight than those on a standard Western diet.
Diabetes Management
Even increasing your intake of healthy plant-based foods and decreasing your intake of meat- and dairy-based foods may reduce your type 2 diabetes risk. A vegan diet is thought to lower the risk of complications for people with type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes who substitute plant protein for meat may reduce their risk of poor kidney function, but more research is needed on this topic. Several studies report that a vegan diet may help to relieve pain caused by peripheral neuropathy, a common condition in people with diabetes.
Cancer Prevention
Vegans generally eat considerably more legumes, fruits, and vegetables than nonvegans. This may explain why a 2017 study found that vegans may benefit from a 15% lower risk of developing cancer. Eating legumes regularly may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by 9-18%. Eating higher amounts of plant-based foods reduces your risk of several types of cancer, including stomach, lung, mouth, and throat cancers. It may also reduce the risk of colon, prostate, and pancreatic cancers. Vegan diets generally contain more soy products, which may offer some protection against breast cancer.
Read also: Vegan Diet for Diabetes Management
Heart Health
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and fiber is linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Well-planned vegan diets generally include all these foods in amounts higher than the standard Western diet. Vegans may benefit from up to a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure. Vegans may also have a lower risk of dying from heart disease, though more studies are needed to understand the relationship. Vegan diets are much more effective at reducing blood sugar, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels than the diets they are compared with. A well-balanced vegan diet includes plenty of whole grains and nuts, both of which are good for your heart.
Arthritis Relief
A few studies have reported that a vegan diet has positive effects in people with different types of arthritis. One older study randomly assigned people with arthritis to either continue eating their omnivorous diet or switch to a whole food, plant-based vegan diet for 6 weeks. Those on the vegan diet reported higher energy levels and better general functioning than those who didn’t change their diet. Several other studies suggest a vegan diet may help improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, including pain, joint swelling, and morning stiffness, but the relationship needs further investigation.
Potential Risks and Considerations
While a vegan diet can be well-balanced, there are certain nutrients that require extra attention. These challenges can be overcome with adequate intake of dark green, leafy vegetables, complete proteins such as quinoa, and legumes.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Vegans are particularly at risk of not eating enough of three essential amino acids: lysine, methionine, and tryptophan. Plant foods also do not contain the following three conditionally essential molecules made from amino acids: creatine, carnitine, and taurine. You may need to consider supplements for nutrients such as vitamins B12 and D, zinc, and calcium, since these may be lacking in a vegan diet.
Not All Vegan Products Are Healthy
Remember that not all vegan products are healthy. Just because a product is plant-based doesn’t automatically mean it’s healthy. Ultra-processed foods contain additives that change their appearance, flavor, or shelf-life.
Read also: Vegan Diet for Bodybuilding
Vegan Diet Guidelines for Weight Loss
When advising patients on the vegan diet, clinicians should take an individualized approach, ensure nutritional adequacy, and help address any potential risks or deficiencies associated with the diet.
Calorie Deficit
In general, a safe and effective weight loss approach is to create a calorie deficit of approximately 500-1,000 calories per day. While vegan options can be healthy, overeating can hinder weight management goals.
Macronutrient Balance
Encourage a balanced macronutrient distribution in appropriate proportions, including complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats.
Protein Consumption
Ensure adequate protein consumption by incorporating various plant-based protein sources such as legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and plant-based protein powders.
Healthy Fats
Educate individuals about incorporating healthy fats into their diet in moderation, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and plant-based oils.
Read also: Lose Weight with Veganism
Fiber Intake
Aim for 40 grams of fiber a day, which is easy to do when you move vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans to the center of your plate.
Regular Physical Activity
Emphasize the importance of regular physical activity along with a vegan diet for weight management. Encourage patients to engage in activities they enjoy, whether it’s walking, cycling, dancing, or participating in fitness classes. Also emphasize the importance of strength and resistance activities at least twice a week.
Healthy Snacking Habits
Promote healthy snacking habits by suggesting fresh fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, or homemade plant-based snacks.
Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet (WFPB)
A whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet is based on the following principles:
- Whole foods: Natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.
- Plant-based: Food that comes from plants and is free of animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, or honey.
Foods to Include
- Fruits: Any type of fruit, including apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits, etc.
- Vegetables: Plenty of veggies, including peppers, corn, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas, collards, etc.
- Tubers: Starchy root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and cassava (aka yuca).
- Whole grains: Grains, cereals, and other starches in their whole form, such as quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat, oats, popcorn, etc.
- Legumes: Beans of any kind, plus lentils, pulses, etc.
Easy Weight Management
People who eat a plant-based diet tend to be leaner than those who don’t, and the diet makes it easy to lose weight and keep it off-without counting calories.
Disease Prevention
Whole-food, plant-based eating can prevent, halt, and in some cases reverse chronic diseases.
Plant-Based Diet vs. Vegan Diet
While there are certainly some similarities between eating a whole-food, plant-based diet and being vegan, there are some key differences as well. Vegans avoid all animal products or exploitation in food, clothing, shoes, or any other aspect of their lives. Vegans do not necessarily focus on whole plant-based foods; they may eat refined and processed foods, although many choose not to. By comparison, a whole-food, plant-based diet is defined as one that eliminates or minimizes all animal products and highly refined foods.
Addressing Obesity
Obesity treatment is multi-modal and, depending on BMI cutoffs, may include medication and surgery, endoscopic procedures, and very low-calorie diets. Lifestyle medicine and behavioral therapy are the foundation of obesity treatment. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends intensive, multicomponent behavioral intervention for all individuals with obesity. It is important to understand all options available to treat obesity because simply telling a patient they have obesity and must lose weight has been shown to be ineffective for weight loss.