What Are The Benefits Of A Vegan Diet?

With veganism on the rise, we've ensured that our healthy meal prep delivery service offers a variety of plant-based meals, to ensure that our vegan customers can still consume a healthy diet that is packed with key nutrients, flavour and key macros.

Written by

Diets 2 Go

27/05/2021

Many people are now choosing to switch their standard Western diet for a plant-based diet and as a result, they experience an array of health benefits including a reduced risk of harmful diseases, an increased intake of vitamins and better weight management. With veganism on the rise, we've ensured that our healthy meal prep delivery service offers a variety of plant-based meals, to ensure that our vegan customers can still consume a healthy diet that is packed with key nutrients, flavour and key macros - such as sources of protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates.

Food is a big contributor to our environmental footprint, and so minimising or completely cutting animal products from our diet can help to cut down on carbon and save the planet. We know that people are aware of the changes that need to take place, in order to save our planet, which is why veganism, vegetarian diets, or at least a reduction in the consumption of animal products has been an attractive option for many. However, besides the environmental factors, many are now choosing veganism as a new way of healthy eating.

In this blog, we’ll look at the health benefits of consuming a vegan diet and how our healthy meal prep can accommodate vegans or beginners that are interested in switching to a plant-based diet.

The benefits of a vegan diet

Improved heart health

One of the main benefits of a vegan diet is that it can benefit your heart health. Compared to those that consume meat-based diets, vegans tend to eat more whole grains and nuts as well as a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and these foods are good for a healthy heart. Plant-based foods are a great source of fibre, and the AHA links this to better heart health, yet animal foods can lack this complex carbohydrate.

A study from 2019 has also shown that there may be a link between a lower consumption of animal foods and higher consumption of plant-based foods with a reduced risk of heart disease. Similarly, by consuming a vegan diet and therefore cutting meat and dairy products from your diet, you’re cutting out sources of saturated fats, which can raise cholesterol levels and increase your stroke risk and heart disease risk.

As well as this, plant-based nutrition tends to contain fewer calories than a Western diet that contains meat and other animal products. By consuming the right amount of calories and avoiding excess intake, you can maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) and a reduced risk of obesity, which can be a cause of heart disease. When a vegan diet contains the right essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, you can benefit from other health perks such as lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of heart attacks. However, a vegan diet can sometimes lack these vitamins and nutrients, as they are easier to find in animal products, such as seafood. With this in mind, a vegan diet must be carefully planned in order to fully benefit from its contents. With our healthy vegan meal prep, you can be sure that you’re getting all of the vital vitamins and nutrients for a healthy diet.

Weight loss

Whilst many people consume a vegan diet for environmental and ethical reasons, some are now choosing this diet to help them achieve their weight loss goals. One of the additional health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet is that it can help with weight management. Whether you want to maintain a healthy weight or lower your body weight, consuming a vegan diet can play an important role in the process. It offers a sustainable and healthy way of losing weight, whilst also potentially boosting your immune system thanks to the immune-boosting foods that are popular in a vegan diet, such as broccoli and peppers. This is why the vegan diet is so popular, as well as the fact it is natural and low in fats and oils.

By sticking to a whole-food, plant-based diet, it is likely that you’ll minimise the number of processed foods you eat, as you’ll be consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains that are natural and full of fibre. Bad processed foods are often high in added sugars, fat and additives, all of which can hinder your weight loss progress. However, whilst consuming a vegan diet and aiming to lose weight, you still need to make careful considerations about the food you consume.

For example, while white rice is suitable for vegans, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily the best choice when it comes to consuming foods that will aid weight loss. Instead, you should make sensible swaps, such as switching to brown rice, which contains more fibre, vitamins and minerals. With our vegan meal prep, we can tailor your plan exactly to your weight and fitness goals, so that you don’t have to worry about making the swaps yourself - we’ll create a meal plan that is packed with goodness and ingredients that will aid your weight loss.

Reduced risk and effects of illnesses, including chronic diseases

Evidence shows plant-based eating can lower the risk of developing certain illnesses, such as certain cancers and chronic diseases. According to the World Health Organisation, your risk of getting cancer can often be affected by the diet you consume. Completely cutting out meat consumption can potentially reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as breast, prostate and colon cancer, according to research. This may happen because vegans consume less processed meats, which is sometimes associated with cancers. This area of research is still developing, however, so our main focus should be on increasing our daily intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods whilst reducing our consumption of processed foods - particularly processed meats.

Veganism can also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, as those who have a whole-food, plant-based diet usually have lower blood sugar levels than those that consume a standard Western diet. These foods can also reduce risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity, as outlined earlier. A vegan diet can also be beneficial for those that suffer from chronic pain, such as the effects of arthritis. Studies have shown that plant-based foods can have positive effects on those that suffer from arthritis, by improving symptoms such as joint swelling, joint pain and stiffness.

Another potential health benefit of the vegan diet is a reduced risk of depression and anxiety. Because veganism is often associated with living a compassionate lifestyle that focuses on animal welfare, studies have shown that cutting out animal products from your diet can make you happier - vegans tend to have better scores on depression tests than those that eat meat and fish. It has also been linked to a boost in productivity, which can make us feel more positive. A study published by the American Journal of Health Promotion monitored the impact of a low-fat vegan diet on productivity and wellbeing and found that the group of vegan individuals had reduced feelings of anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Our vegan meal prep can help you stay on track

To stay on track with a vegan diet, there is a certain amount of planning involved. You have to ensure that you have the right ingredients and foods in stock, to avoid consuming animal products or being left with very little choice regarding what to eat. This is especially true if you’re trying to consume a healthy diet or follow a weight loss programme. It’s also important that you carefully plan your meals, to ensure that you still have sources of iron, essential amino acids and proteins that tend to be found in animal products, to avoid protein deficiency and other consequences that are associated with a lack of vitamins and nutrients.

Thankfully, our vegan meal prep is the perfect solution. With meals that can be ready in minutes delivered straight to your door regularly, you’ll never run out of tasty meals that are packed full of nutrients and flavour. Your meals will even arrive labelled with their calories and macros so that you can track your intake to ensure that you are on track to meet your fitness goal. We’ll ensure that each portion is full of ingredients that will provide you with essential nutrients to maintain a healthy diet.

Whether it’s our tasty black bean burger, vegan pad thai, delicious falafel or our cauliflower steaks, every meal is seasoned, cooked to perfection and packed with nutrients. We offer options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also have a variety of vegan snacks for you to choose from - we offer vegan brownies made from dates, raisins, cacao nibs and almonds, which always go down a treat with our customers! We’ve also got a wide range of tasty sides, condiments and spices to give your dish a tasty finishing touch.

Our menu changes regularly to ensure that we use seasonal ingredients, and our chefs carry out quality checks on our dishes, so you can rest assured that each meal you order will be nothing short of perfect. You can also customise each plan, by ingredients or calories, so that they are tailored to your dietary requirements and fitness goals. Best of all, we offer nationwide delivery so that you can enjoy our vegan meal prep from wherever you are in the UK.

Order your healthy meal prep from Diets 2 Go today

To reap the benefits of a vegan diet, or any of our other meal prep plans, place your order now for healthy meals delivered straight to your door and tailored to your fitness goals. To speak to the team or for more information, contact us by emailing info@diets2go.co.uk or by calling 0333 360 0278.