Many people go vegan for better health. So how does a vegan diet help someone live longer? What kind of benefit can we see with age?
Letβs find answers to all of it.
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Most vegans try to eat a healthy diet. Having better food choices can make a huge difference between having a healthy old age vs an unhealthy problematic old age.
Eating a whole food plant-based diet is the kind of lifestyle that can make a big difference. Not eating processed foods and avoiding fatty food items can help make a difference in the long term. Adding a variety of green leafy vegetables with lots of micro-nutrients gives the body all the components to work properly.
Making a conscious food choice every time is the way to go.
Countries like the U.S are facing an obesity epidemic, the only reason it is facing this issue is because of obsession over meat, dairy, and trying to get more protein. The real problem is not getting enough micro-nutrients and consuming a lot of calories.
Most vegans who follow a healthy diet arenβt fat or obese. The reason is eating a diet that is full of micro-nutrients and high in carbs. When we eat this type of diet we not only have an optimal weight but also optimal health.
Thinking that going vegan will instantly make you healthier is a wrong assumption. You can be vegan but still many processed foods that will only harm your body. Eating foods with a lot of fats and heavily processed vegan meat alternatives can lead to eating excess calories and also make you fat.
Avoiding an unhealthy lifestyle is the most important thing you need to do if you want to get the most out of a vegan lifestyle. Many new people who turn vegan think that they wonβt get enough protein which makes them reliant on eating excess soy and other meat alternatives. The fact is that you donβt need to eat any junk food to get your daily protein needs fulfilled. Iβve already explained this in .Many diseases can be simply avoided by going vegan. Heart and cardiovascular diseases, even type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a vegan diet. We can heal and keep our bodies at optimal levels with a healthy vegan diet. Most of these diseases are responsible for discomfort and shorter life in modern societies. These diseases can simply be avoided with the help of a whole food plant-based diet.
The prevalence of diabetes is rising worldwide, especially in older adults in developed countries. The reason for this global epidemic is insulin resistance. What causes this insulin resistance and how a vegan diet can help avoid it?
One of the reasons is animal protein and heme iron present in the meat that disrupts the insulin signaling function. Consuming a lot of meat products that contain heme iron and animal protein blocks the signaling between insulin receptors which creates a negative feedback loop causing type 2 diabetes.
A whole-food plant-based vegan diet can help reverse diabetes if followed properly.
A plant-based vegan diet is a non-inflammatory diet that can help people with rheumatoid arthritis. Eating foods like raspberries, green peas, barley, black beans, and lentils can change the gut bacteria too. Which can have a positive effect on inflammation.
Most heart diseases are caused by cholesterol that gets deposited into the arteries with time causing plaque buildup. This plaque buildup leads to improper blood circulation to the organs like the heart causing heart attacks.
Vegan diets also help keep low blood pressure which is one of the causes of stroke in many elderly people. Keeping a low blood pressure helps the organs function optimally not causing excessive stress.
Avoiding cholesterol from animal products is the easiest way to keep your arteries free from plaque buildup. Healthy vegan foods have no cholesterol no vegan food has cholesterol, it is something only animal products have but still, vegan junk food can cause health issues if one is not careful.
A study of more than 18,00 people found links between a diet high in processed meat having low scores in learning and memory. Other studies also support the claim that a diet high in red meat, processed meat, and fried foods can lead to a faster decline in reasoning.
Meat and other animal proteins cause inflammation. This chronic inflammation causes cognitive decline especially if one is eating lots of these processed foods for a long time. A vegan diet on the other hand helps lower inflammation.
You can also add foods rich in antioxidants that can help rejuvenate the brain. For foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots, and potatoes, you can also add different berries to boost this amount. Adding just some of these foods every day can have a good long-term effect on the body.
The chemical compounds in meat when cooked create carcinogens. A review showed that each additional 3.5 ounces of meat a day raised the relative risk of colorectal polyps by 2%. But just half as much of daily processed meats such as deli meats and hot dogs raised the risk by 29%.
Many studies have already shown that eating any kind of meat raises cancer risk so avoiding any kind of meat is a good idea long term.
Vegans do have the chance of leading a healthier longer life compared to meat-eaters. It just comes down to eating the right foods, exercising your body and mind. If you have any hereditary health issues going vegan can lower the risks of getting the same diseases as your ancestors.
In the end, a good and healthy diet and lifestyle are not that hard to achieve, if you plan things and give them some effort.
LInks
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(16)00035-2/fulltext