There's so many health benefits-- I chose the top 5 sound too good to be true but are TRUE!
HEALTHIER YOUNGER SKIN & MORE ENERGY--I can personally relate. I used to pull ALL NIGHTERS, you know how it is sometimes....but even more so I'm used to DOING a lot of ACTIVITIES in one day. WORKING, CLASS, STUDYING, WORKING OUT, RUNNING AROUND...and I used to HAVE to TAKE NAPS every day. If I didn't take a nap, it was a BAD DAY for me.
Besides getting rid of my acne, having more energy is probably my FAV BENEFIT of being vegan. Because my BODY is taking in all the vitamins and nutrients it NEEDS, it uses it in the BEST WAY to FUEL me throughout the day. Since our bodies are not able to fully digest animal products like meat and dairy, our body has to WORK OVERTIME to get rid of it (digestion). This one of the main reasons you get the #itis or #foodcoma .
This also adds work for other parts of your body which INCREASE AGING....So you know how you usually can't tell if you look any different unless someone tells you or unless you gain weight? I was on vacay with my uncle and cousin and we were looking at pics he took from his #cannon 2 years ago. Once we got to my graduation pics he immediately told me I looked wayyyyy older back then versus now. I couldn't really see it that much, but he and my cousin said I looked younger now...I mean there are still a lot of people that think I look 16 ....... -_- .........
IMPROVE YOUR DIGESTION--By eating plant-based your body is naturally cleansing itself from the animal products you used to eat. You are also probably eating foods with more fiber in it which helps for a healthy gut and digestion. Before I became vegan or vegetarian, I actually started to notice that I would get BLOATED every morning and I DID NOT KNOW WHY. I worked out 4 times a week and did ab workouts....although I became toned, this didn't help with the bloating situation...So I started to WATCH WHAT I was EATING in the mornings and did a little experiment on myself. I ended up finding out the CULPRIT was DAIRY MILK. I used to make fruit milkshakes with cow milk almost every morning as a part of my breakfast. So I stopped buying cow milk and started buying lactose-free milk...I was LESS BLOATED but STILL BLOATED.....Luckily the DINING HALL at my university had SOY MILK, this was my first time trying it and I LOVED IT. I eventually stopped buying milk and started using soymilk as my main.
Cow milk and dairy products cause CONSTIPATION for A LOT of people. I mean it makes sense since humans are not supposed to be consuming MILK that is supposed to FEED and GROW a 1,000LB COW. Our bodies are just NOT BUILT for that.
REVERSE CANCER--You might not believe this but its true. Ever heard of the Dr. Sebi? if not click on the link right now and open your mind. Dr. Sebi along with other herbalists, doctors and nutritionists have been REVERSING CANCERS through FOOD and PLANTS. There is A LOT of research on preventing and curing thyroid, breast and colon, & colorectal cancer all by EATING PLANT-BASED.
Best Foods (Prevent Cancer):
Foods High in Fiber--brown rice, fruit with skin (apples, kiwi), beans, chickpeas, lentils, certain breads (rye),whole grain bread,
Fruits (anit-cancer)--apples, blueberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, cranberries,
Veggies--broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, squash, dark green veggies
Soy
Other--garlic, onion, flax seeds
REDUCE CHOLESTEROL--High cholesterol comes from eating foods high in the bad fats. But what foods have the bad fats? Besides cheeseburgers and fries...did you know even the "LEAN MEATS" like chicken have the bad fats that lead to high cholesterol and health problems?
Well the TRUTH is they all have basically the SAME AMOUNT of the bad fats--saturated fats, specifically. Not to mention that they have CHOLESTEROL ALREADY IN THEM. It may be a surprise to you but its true. Too much saturated fat makes your body to make MORE CHOLESTEROL. It also
slows down the blood flow in your arteries because of the fat build-up (plaques). This is where it becomes a BIGGER PROBLEM.
When eating plant-based, you can see your cholesterol go down in less than ONE WEEK! So what is it about PLANTS that make them NATURAL HEALERS? Fiber plays a BIG ROLE. Wait so bread?? Bread, fruit, kidney beans, oatmeal and the list goes on! Foods with Omega-3 Fatty Acids--chia seeds, walnuts and almonds. Nuts like these have chemical structures that are absorbed by your digestive system instead of the cholesterol! Another one is our fav is AVOCADO! Avocados again have the good fats which actually help lower the bad fats in cholesterol.
Best Foods:
Oats --try soaked oats (see my quick recipes on insta), homemade granola,
Beans--kidney beans in chili, add beans in soups, black bean burger,
Fruit--raw, in smoothies (see my stories on insta), fruit cups, add to cereal, oatmeal, salads
Nuts--snacks, add to salads, make your own vegan cheese (see insta)
Soy--tofu scramble, add tofu in soup, soy milk in coffee, cereal, mac n'cheese, soups
REVERSE DIABETES--So FULL DISCLAIMER, I did not know this before becoming #vegan. This was about 1.5 years ago now....still kind of embarrassing. So diabetes (type 2) is NOT CAUSED BY SUGAR. Yeah let that sink in...look it up if you want...but it's true.
So remember how the "bad fats" cause high cholesterol? It's basically the same the thing here but besides affecting your blood, it also affects the SUGAR PASSING in your BLOOD. The fat build-up makes it hard for sugar to pass through the blood to where it needs to go. The fat found in animal products also builds up in the LIVER, a reallyyyy important organ in the body. The reason why people always talk about DIABETES and SUGAR is because all this fat that is stuck and getting in the way causes insulin to not work properly which causes glucose to not work properly and so sugar stays in the blood for too long causing sugar levels to rise.... SHORT EXPLANATION: animal fats = bad fats (saturated fat) = fat buildup = sugar build up ......and that's a rap....
Best Foods:
Fruits
Veggies
Stay away from-- vegan meats that have saturated fat, products that have coconut oil (movie popcorn, vegan ice creams), oils, fried food, nuts, pastries or other products with added sugars
I'm not a doctor but I am in school and I have studied A LOT on this topic. There are DOCTORS that have done their own research and believe in HEALING with FOODS. One of MY FAVS is Dr. Greger:
What's your favorite health perk of eating plant-based? Leave a comment below!