The Health Benefits of the Vegan Diet
By Marina Gonzalez
People have wondered why others have chosen to switch to the vegan diet because some people may not understand that the vegan diet is considered to be the healthiest diet. Many citizens have chosen to go vegan because they have recently discovered that the vegan diet has wide range of, diverse range of benefits to improve a person’s health. According to the article “Vegan Diet 101: Benefits and Resources to Get Started” by Selene Darlim, veganism is a lifestyle diet that aims to avoid the consumption and cruelty of animals. People who are vegan choose to avoid eating any food that come from animals. The article explains that food like meat, eggs, and dairy products are the type of food that comes from animal sources, which vegans avoid. The vegan diet consists of foods like fruit, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. “You are getting more fiber, which is something that most Americans don’t get enough of and you are getting enough antioxidants… A high fiber diet can help us resist diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and gut disease,” said Chelsy Lancaster, STEAM Program Specialist for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools. She is also a vegan chef and has been following the vegan diet for a long time. There have been many arguments in the past about whether the animal is healthy or not. Some arguments say that eating animal products provides health benefits while others say it causes health risks. The article “6 Science-Based Health Benefits of Eating Vegan” from the Healthline website states that vegan diets can help lower blood sugar, excess weight loss, prevent people from getting cancer, and lower risk of heart disease. Eating animal products is the reason why many people suffer from diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease because of poor eating habits. The vegan diet can help provide people with all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need to help them live a longer, healthier life and avoid serious health risks. Lancaster said, “There’s definitely some grueling conditions in factory farms. I feel like when I eat vegan, I am making some sort of difference whether it be for the animals and the environment.” Another reason why some people chose to go vegan is because of environmental impact and animal cruelty. “Many public health threats arise from practices on factory farms, including transmission of zoonotic diseases, antibiotic resistance, and contamination of soil, water, and air in nearby communities,” said Darlim. Factory farms are known for having unsanitary conditions, which result in animal products becoming contaminated with bacteria and people getting sick. Vegans are not only able to avoid food contamination. They also show their support for helping the environment and help stop animal cruelty. For those who have gone vegan, it can be difficult for them to enjoy a vegan meal in local restaurants. Many of the restaurants do not sell too many vegan friendly meals on their menus. If they used to have vegan meals on their menus, they ended up removing them because they weren’t selling enough to people. “The biggest reason is the familiarity with the cuisines and the substitutes… A lot of the training that chefs get is based on animal products,” Lancaster said. Local restaurants should familiarize themselves with the vegan diet, so they can learn to incorporate vegan ingredients into their menu items. It will not only benefit customers who are vegan, but also help the restaurants make more money. The vegan diet is a healthy lifestyle choice that not only improves a person’s health, but has a major environmental impact on the planet. This is a lifestyle that will help more people learn to incorporate into their daily life.
