Vegan diets have some health benefits.
A vegan diet can help people who want to lose weight. Eating vegan may also benefit your heart health. Furthermore, this diet may protect against type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
The science behind the potential benefits of vegan diets is examined in this article. We’ll highlight some recipe ideas that highlight the adaptability of plant-based, whole-food eating. And, if you’re curious about how a vegan diet differs from a vegetarian diet, we’ll also go over that.
A vegan diet is richer in particular nutrients
You will eliminate meat and animal products when you switch from a typical Western diet to a vegan diet.
This will cause you to rely more on other foods. In the case of a whole food vegan diet, replacements include:
- whole grains
- fruits
- vegetables
- beans
- peas
- nuts
- seeds
Because these foods comprise a more significant proportion of a vegan diet than a typical Western diet, they can result in a higher daily intake of certain beneficial nutrients.
Several studies have found that vegan diets contain higher levels of fiber, antioxidants, and beneficial plant compounds. They appear to include more potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and E. (1, 2, 3).
Vegan diets appear to contain more iron. However, the form of iron found in plants is not as bioavailable — that is, your body cannot absorb it as well as the form found in animal foods (1, 2, 3).
However, not all vegan diets are the same.
Poorly planned vegan diets, for example, may not provide adequate amounts of vitamin B12, niacin, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D, calcium, iodine, selenium, or zinc (1, 3, 4).
That is why selecting whole plant foods, and fortified foods are critical. Because a vegan diet may be deficient in nutrients such as vitamins B12 and D, zinc, and calcium, you may need to consider taking supplements.
Eating vegan can help you lose excess weight
An increasing number of people are turning to plant-based diets to lose weight. While there is no guarantee that a vegan diet will result in weight loss, some compelling reasons exist to give it a shot.
According to many observational studies, vegans are thinner and have lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than nonvegans (5).
Furthermore, several randomized controlled trials — the gold standard in scientific research — show that vegan diets are more effective for weight loss than diets with which they are compared (6, 7, 8, 9).
Among the findings are:
- A small study discovered that people who followed a low fat, high fiber vegan diet lost more weight than those who followed a conventional low fat diet (6).
- Over 16 weeks, vegan diet participants lost an average of 13 lbs (6 kg), while Mediterranean diet participants lost no weight (7).
- Vegans also lost more weight than people who ate meat or fish, according to one study. In this study, vegetarians lost the same weight as vegans (8).
- When a low fat, whole food vegan diet was compared to a standard omnivorous diet for 16 weeks, the vegan diet resulted in an average weight loss of 13 lbs (6 kg). People who followed their regular diets did not lose much weight (9).
Furthermore, a small study comparing the weight loss effects of five different diets found that vegetarian and vegan diets were just as well-accepted as semi-vegetarian and traditional Western diets (10).
Even when study participants did not strictly adhere to the diets, those in the vegetarian and vegan groups lost more weight than those on a standard Western diet (10).
More research is needed to determine which aspects of a vegan diet make the most difference in terms of weight loss. Many factors, whether vegan or not, can influence how well a weight loss diet works, including:
- fiber content
- calorie levels
- eating whole foods versus processed foods
A vegan diet appears to lower blood sugar levels and improve kidney function
A vegan diet may also help people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.
Indeed, vegans have lower blood sugar levels and higher insulin sensitivity and may be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes (11, 12, 13, 14).
Even if you do not become entirely vegan, increasing your intake of healthy plant-based foods while decreasing your intake of meat and dairy-based foods may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes (15).
A 2006 study even found that a vegan diet lowers blood sugar levels in people with diabetes more than the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended diet (16).
In one 2009 study, 43% of vegan diet participants were able to reduce their dosage of blood sugar-lowering medication, compared to only 26% of ADA-recommended diet participants (17).
Lower risk of diabetes complications
A vegan diet is thought to reduce the risk of complications in people with type 2 diabetes (18).
Diabetes patients who substitute plant protein for meat may reduce their risk of poor kidney function, but more research is needed (19, 20).
Furthermore, several studies suggest that a vegan diet may aid in the relief of pain caused by peripheral neuropathy, a common condition in people with diabetes (21, 22). More evidence, however, is required before experts can conclude that this approach is practical.
Going vegan may protect against certain cancers
According to the World Health Organization, at least one-third of all cancers can be avoided through lifestyle changes such as diet (23).
Benefits of eating more plant foods
Vegans consume significantly more legumes, fruits, and vegetables than nonvegans. According to a 2017 study, this could explain why vegans may have a 15% lower risk of developing cancer (24).
Consuming legumes regularly, for example, may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by 9-18%. (25).
Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute reports that eating more plant-based foods lowers your risk of several types of cancer, including stomach, lung, mouth, and throat (26).
It may also lower the risk of colon, prostate, and pancreatic cancer.
Furthermore, vegan diets tend to include more soy products, which may provide some protection against breast cancer (27, 28).
Benefits of avoiding meat
Certain animal products should be avoided to reduce the risk of prostate, breast, stomach, and colorectal cancer. Certain types of cancer are thought to be promoted by red meat, smoked meat, processed meats, and meats cooked at high temperatures (29, 30, 31, 32, 33).
Vegans do not consume these foods because their diet does not include meat. This may reduce their chances of developing cancer.
Effects of avoiding Dairy
According to some studies, vegans also avoid dairy products, which may slightly increase the risk of prostate cancer (34).
On the other hand, Dairy appears to help reduce the risk of other cancers, such as colorectal cancer (35, 36).
So, avoiding Dairy may not be the factor that reduces vegans’ overall cancer risk.
It is important to note that these are observational studies. They make it impossible to pinpoint the precise reason for vegans’ lower cancer risk.
However, until researchers learn more, it seems prudent to focus on increasing your daily consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and legumes while limiting your consumption of processed, smoked, and overcooked meats.
A vegan diet is linked to a lower risk of heart disease
Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, and fiber has been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (37, 38, 39).
Well-planned vegan diets typically include these foods in more significant quantities than the standard Western diet.
According to observational studies comparing vegans to vegetarians and non-vegetarians, vegans may have a 75% lower risk of developing high blood pressure (40).
Vegans may also have a lower risk of dying from heart disease, though more research is needed to confirm this (40, 41).
Furthermore, several randomized controlled trials show that vegan diets are far more effective at lowering blood sugar, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels (11, 12, 42).
This may be especially beneficial to heart health, as lowering high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels may reduce the risk of heart disease by up to 46%. (43).
A well-balanced vegan diet contains plenty of whole grains and nuts, both heart-healthy (44, 45).
A vegan diet can reduce pain from arthritis
Several studies have found that a vegan diet can help people with various types of arthritis.
In one small study, people with arthritis were randomly assigned to continue eating their omnivorous diet or switch to a whole, plant-based vegan diet for six weeks (46).
Those who followed a vegan diet reported more energy and better overall functioning than those who did not change their diet (46).
Several other studies suggest that a vegan diet may help improve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms such as pain, joint swelling, and morning stiffness, but the relationship needs to be studied further (47, 48).
The vegan diet’s higher antioxidant, probiotic, and fiber content and the absence of certain trigger foods may be responsible for these benefits (47, 48).
Vegan recipe ideas
You may wonder how to incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet now that you’ve seen the potential benefits.
A vegan diet, fortunately, allows for plenty of variety. We’ve highlighted a few tasty recipes to get your meal planning juices flowing.
Savory sheet pan dinner
By roasting all of your vegetables and proteins together on a baking sheet, you will enhance their flavors while also reducing cleanup time.
A lemony marinade and smooth tahini sauce complement this vegan Mediterranean sheet pan dinner. To appease picky eaters, substitute different vegetables.
Stir-fry with a nutty sauce
With Asian-inspired seasoning, this spicy peanut cauliflower stir-fry highlights pan-fried cauliflower. You can also adjust the spice level to make it as mild or as spicy as you like.
To take advantage of the gingery peanut sauce, serve with cooked rice or quinoa.
Freezer-friendly stew
This potato and spinach curry is loaded with vegetables and chickpeas and can be made ahead of time and frozen for a quick dinner when you need one.
Serve with cooked rice and garlic tortilla dippers for a fun side dish.
Classic comfort food, vegan-style
This vegan macaroni and cheese will satisfy your craving for rich, creamy comfort food.
The sauce is rich in butternut squash, and nutritional yeast lends a cheesy, savory flavor.
Vegan vs. vegetarian
To understand what distinguishes a vegan diet, consider how vegan and vegetarian diets differ.
Vegetarianism comes in several varieties (3):
- Lacto vegetarians consume Dairy but do not consume meat, fish, or eggs.
- Ovo vegetarians consume eggs but do not consume meat, fish, or dairy products.
- Lacto-ovo vegetarians consume Dairy and eggs while avoiding meat and fish.
- Vegans abstain from meat, fish, Dairy, and eggs.
Veganism is the most stringent type of vegetarianism. All vegetarian diets exclude meat, but vegan diets are limited to plant-based foods.
Vegans avoid all animal-based foods, such as meat, fish, eggs, and Dairy. They frequently avoid animal byproducts such as gelatin. Many vegans also avoid products made by bees, such as honey.
While some people choose a vegan diet for the potential health benefits, others may do so for ethical, religious, or environmental reasons.
The bottom line
Vegan diets may offer a variety of health benefits.
Researchers are still trying to figure out what exactly causes these benefits.
However, until more research is available, increasing the amount of nutrient-rich, whole plant foods in your diet can only benefit you.
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