
If there is a growing trend in the world of food, becoming more a way of life, a fashion than a simple food routine, that is veganism. Being vegan implies going beyond a vegetarian diet to use, since it also seeks to take care of people’s health, while respecting the environment and animals. In this way, all those people who follow a vegan regime avoid eating any food of animal origin such as meat, honey, eggs, milk or gelatin.
The vegan philosophy seeks, in this case, a balance between the healthy, the practitioners affirm that numerous common diseases are related to the consumption of animal fat, and respect for nature since they consider animals beings with whom to live and not those to kill.
Properties of the vegan diet
The vegan diet avoids a large amount of substances of chemical origin that are inserted in animal products, such as the well-known saturated fats and cholesterol. In addition, vegans tend to incorporate into their routines a higher concentration of nutrients that come from fresh fruit, vegetables and grains. All this can result in a reduction in the risk of high blood pressure, certain degrees of diabetes and even some cardiovascular diseases. Another benefit that seems to gain followers in recent times is the belief that with this type of regime it is possible to obtain greater control of our weight.
In this way, we are quite clear that the fundamental basis of the vegan diet are products of plant origin. Therefore a correct composition would be composed of foods such as cereals (oats, rye, rice, pasta, etc.), vegetables, (tomatoes, carrots, spinach, potatoes, etc.), fruits and nuts (oranges, strawberries, raisins, plums, figs, etc.), foods rich in calcium (tofu, soy milk, etc.), and legumes (peas, peanuts, chickpeas, lentils, etc.).
Dangers of Vegan Eating
Numerous studies point to the fact that vegans have a greater tendency to develop thrombi and atherosclerosis, which results in an increased cardiac risk. Although it is true that the low intake of animal fats reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood, it also leads to a decrease in the amounts of omega3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 ingested, which will inevitably condition cardiovascular health.
The shortage of this vitamin, B12, can be the cause of what is known as megaloblastic anemia and the absence of omega 3 directly affects blood circulation. The research also found that vegans have elevated levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease, and are also deficient in HDL cholesterol, or good cholesterol.
From these imbalances arises, on numerous occasions, the need among vegans to complete their diets through the ingestion of numerous vitamin supplements, essential fatty acids and minerals.