How a vegan diet can change your life for the better

For some, adopting a vegan diet is inspired simply by a will to eat more ethically. For others, however, it can be a decision made solely on health, as the benefits of a plant-based diet gain ever more traction in the world of nutrition. We take a look at some of the benefits of a vegan diet.

Lose weight

A vegan diet will undoubtedly have an effect on your waistline. And should you choose to become a ‘flexitarian’ (a flexible diet which may see you be a weekday vegan, for example), you will almost certainly still see a reduction in terms of excess weight. A vegan diet is, therefore, likely to help protect from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

General health

A vegan diet will almost certainly see a rise in the amount of fibre you eat and therefore improve digestion. Eating a larger amount of diverse fruit and veg will also improve your ability to fight illness and could also help protect against disease in the long term.

Better skin

Many vegans claim that their skin has improved since giving up dairy. Those prone to spots report far fewer and many claim their skin ‘glows’ after adopting a vegan diet.

Lower food costs

Cutting out meat and dairy can see a great reduction in the cost of your food shop. Red lentils cost about a 10th of the amount of mince, for use in a shepherd’s pie for example. Using chickpeas in a curry in place of chicken will cost about a third of the price and vegan sausages and burgers are often about half the price of quality meat. Because you may well need to cook more food from scratch, you will also spend less on processed and prepared foods.

If you feel unsure about tackling a vegan diet or you’re worried that it may mean you miss out on essential nutrients, it can be enlightening to talk to a nutritionist who can come up with a plan for you. Knowing how to get calcium, iron and B vitamins when you go vegan isn’t as hard as you think, but you may need the direction of an expert to help you.