Categories: Dieting & Weight Loss

The Benefits of Being Vegan

Being a vegan has many benefits, but first, what exactly does being vegan mean? I often find not many are sure exactly what this term defines. A vegan is a person who only consumes plant products. The notion of being vegan is to not support any product or food derived from the pain and suffering of any animal. Vegans do not eat meat of any kind, nor do they consume dairy or cheese products, or wear any clothing piece derived from a byproduct of an animal such as leather. Some folks hear of this lifestyle and immediately think the world would stop turning, “what would I do without my meat and dairy?” The fact of the matter is you would probably be living a lot better than you have been.

Let’s first look at the eating habits of a vegan. A vegan diet consists only of plant products. That means no beef, pork, poultry, fish, or any kind of meat whatsoever. It also means no dairy products of any kind, such as cheese, milk, or anything derived from an animal. A vegan is different from a vegetarian from this concept of refusing dairy products and their more ‘hardcore’ view on animal rights. Most vegetarians still consume milk, butter, and the like. Vegans do not. Most people think this is an unhealthy lifestyle, but in actuality it is extremely healthy. The diet of a vegan consists of fresh vegetables and fruit, and consuming soy supplements to meat so that they still get the right amount of protein and other nutrients commonly found in the flesh of animals. Soy is a product from the soy bean, and you can get it in a variety of different forms. Soy milk, soy beans (obviously), tofu is made from soy, and there are a variety of other new up and coming brands of meat substitutes derived from soy for vegans and vegetarians. Soy has all the protein of meat, but none of the artery clogging fats and ridiculous amount of cholesterol. Being a vegan will completely rid your life of virtually all processed foods, and all the poisons found in fast-food and other things that your body just wasn’t meant to intake. Eating in this manner will give you an incredibly healthier lifestyle.

Increased overall health is only one of the benefits a vegan can expect. You will find yourself actually saving quite a bit of money if you are a vegan, but why? First off, you won’t be spending all that cash eating out at restaurants as often, and you definitely won’t be wasting any money on fast-food, which can be very expensive if you eat it relatively often (not to mention very bad for you). You will find yourself eating less, and being full for longer periods of time by eating only wholesome vegetable and fruit products, which in turn keeps more money in your pocket. Another money saving aspect of being a vegan is you won’t be wearing expensive animal clothing, such as furs, or leather items. Vegans are against the unnecessary suffering of animals and do not wear apparel created from animals. In general, ‘genuine’ leather and things made from animals are higher priced than non-animal products, so you will be saving money by buying cheaper items when you shop. The fact is millions of animals, domestic and exotic (yes, even dogs and cats) are being slaughtered for their skins each year to make those expensive leather shoes, belts, and wallets you see in department stores. More often than not you can go to Wal-Mart or some other low priced retailer and find non-leather alternatives that will be much cheaper, and last longer too. You’ll feel better about not wearing a dead animal around your waist or carrying one in your back pocket, too.