Vegan lifestyle - replace missing nutrients from animal products(?)

vegan meal chickpeas lentils rice

The health benefits of a vegan diet are the main reason people choose to eat this way. Dietary guidelines support the benefits of a vegan diet: most people in Europe of all ages eat less than the recommended number of servings of grains, fruits and vegetables, although eating these foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of many chronic diseases, including certain ones types of cancer. Extensive studies including the Adventist Health Study, the Oxford Vegetarian Study, the Health Food Shoppers Study and the Heidelberg Study have shown that Vegans are generally leaner, appear to be in better health and have a lower risk of chronic disease.

The health benefits of a vegetarian diet

Some other health benefits attributed to a vegetarian diet include a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, some cancers (including lung and breast cancer), and gallstones. The reason for these health benefits lies in the reduced or omitted foods, but also in the foods consumed. A healthy lifestyle, which includes physical activity and low alcohol and tobacco consumption, may also help achieve these benefits.

The trend to eat or want to eat less meat is mainly due to a greater awareness of food. Today, as consumers, we are increasingly the environmental aspects, animal suffering and health benefits. But it is just as important to consider the possible Deficiencies in vitamins and minerals to know that can occur in vegans. It also explains how animal products can be replaced with vegan alternatives.

Protein

your body requires Protein for tissue growth, tissue repair and maintenance. It is important to distinguish between high-quality proteins - which are only found in meat and eggs - and lower-quality proteins. Amino acids are building blocks that make up proteins. The body can do many things produce amino acids, but not all nine, which are called essential amino acids because you have to get them from food.

Plant foods certainly contain proteins, but these are proteins, unlike animal foods Protein do not contain all essential amino acids. So it depends on the combination. We can then look for amino acids that are missing in cereals in legumes, for example. Soy is an ideal product: it contains high-quality proteins that already contain the necessary amino acids. This is why soy is popular with vegans.

Calcium

The most well-known source of calcium is dairy products, which are often omitted or severely restricted in a vegetarian diet and omitted entirely in vegan diets. This isn't really a big problem, but due to the lack of milk and milk products like cheese and yoghurt, it still needs to be taken care of. The non-dairy food that provides calcium consists of calcium-fortified tofu, some roots and legumes, and fortified soy milk. Certain factors affect the amount of calcium you can actually get from food, such as: B. the presence of vitamin D, as it improves the absorption of calcium.

Iron

Iron is needed for oxygen transport. It is mainly found in animal products such as beef. The iron is better absorbed by your body from these animal products than from plant products. The iron from animal products is called heme iron, and your body absorbs about 25 percent of it. Iron from plant products is called non-heme iron.

Your body absorbs between 1 and 10 percent of it. This means that vegans need to consume up to 80 percent more iron-rich products to get enough. In a plant-rich diet, iron is mostly found in green vegetables like beans, broccoli, and spinach. There is also iron in grain and therefore in bread. It is good to know that iron is better absorbed in combination with vitamin C and broken down better in combination with calcium.

Iodine

Iodine is needed primarily for your thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone regulates normal growth and has an important function in the digestive process. Iodine deficiency can otherwise increase the risk of thyroid enlargement. Therefore, in the 20th century, various governments decided to add iodine to salt to reduce the risk of this condition. Iodine is commonly found in processed foods like salt and bread .

Omega 3

You need omega-3 to protect against cardiovascular disease. Omega-3 is mainly found in fish such as salmon, tuna and shrimp. In a non-vegetarian diet, it is difficult to get enough omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 acids are also found in plant-rich products like flaxseed, soy, tofu, and walnuts. However, the body does not absorb these omega-3 fatty acids either, since they are ALA acids (alpha-linolenic acid). Animal products contain EPA and DHA fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid). The latter two acids are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin B12

vitamin B

Vitamin B12 is only found in animal products. The body can do this Vitamin don't make it yourself. For this reason, vegans are advised to take dietary supplements, otherwise you may feel weak or possibly have a headache. Vitamin B12 is also found in a number of algae, but only to a limited extent. However, there are many products these days that are fortified with vitamin B12, making it a little easier for you as a vegan to get started.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency has become a global epidemic. People who exclude fish and dairy from their diet may be even more prone to vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D has many benefits: it reduces cardiovascular disease, allows blood pressure to be reduced in the case of hypertension, helps prevent and treat depression, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, helps prevent osteoporosis and osteopenia, reduces the risk of allergies in children and adolescents, reduces mortality from various types of cancer, reduces erectile dysfunction and regulation of blood cholesterol and much more.

The only way to be sure you're getting enough vitamin D is to have your blood tested. A good option for people who are vegan diet, especially for children, it would be exposing the skin to the sun for 10 to 15 minutes without sunscreen a few times a week. However, if this is not possible, supplementation can also be effective in preventing a deficiency.

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