‘Should I go vegan?’
There are many reasons we might choose to give up animal products and follow a plantbased diet – it’s undoubtedly good for the planet and great for your conscience. But is going vegan any better for your health? And, most importantly, can you make the change without missing out on essential nutrients? Karen Evennett investigates…
Shunning meat is the biggest food trend of 2018. Seven million people in the UK identify as vegetarian and an estimated 3.5million of us have now adopted an entirely plant-based (vegan) diet.
Whether you’re considering making the change for ethical, environmental or health reasons, the good news is a recent review showed that a plant-based diet could reduce your risk of heart disease by 40 per cent and further research suggests it could help you avoid Type 2 diabetes.
But while there are clear health benefits to filling up on plant-based foods, any substantial diet change needs to be approached with care to ensure you don’t become deficient in essential nutrients. Whether you choose to cut out meat and fish or take it one step further and give up dairy and eggs too, it’s not just about what you don’t eat when you follow a plant-based diet. “When it comes to your health, you have to look carefully at what you’re eating now,” says leading nutritionist Dr
Marilyn Glenville (www.marilynglenville.com). “If you find yourself living off pasta, processed meat substitutes, and too much bread, cake and biscuits you’re be doing yourself no favours at all.
“A plant-based diet needs a lot of planning to get all the nutrients you need and it can be difficult to get right.”
Make sure you’re eating plenty of fruit and veg, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses to balance your energy and protein intake.
One of the main benefits of your new regime is that you should be eating more antioxidant-rich fruit and veg – and the more of these you eat, the better your chances of living a long and healthy life,” says Marilyn. “Eating ten portions a day could reduce your risk of a premature death (from cancer and heart disease) by 42 per cent – but of course you don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to make this change to your diet.
“Eat a rainbow of colours every day. Leafy greens, berries, carrots, peppers and beetroot all contain antioxidants which your body needs to stay healthy.”
Vegans don’t eat meat, fish, dairy products or eggs