What Happens To Your Body When You Go Vegan?
Written By Rachel Thomas
We’ve all heard the question before: “what happens to your body when you go vegan?”
And probably more than once.
With so many misconceptions about veganism and how it can affect our bodies, it’s a pretty fair question to ask.
Before we jump straight into the facts, it’s worth noting that not everyone will experience the same thing when they go vegan.
It really depends on what you do with your plant-based diet.
If you eat mostly vegan junk food, then you’re likely to still gain weight, whereas someone eating mostly wholefoods might feel a variety of benefits.
According to one Independent article, vegans live longer than those who eat meat or eggs.
The study the article focused on, which was managed by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, found that every 3% in calories from plant protein reduced risk of death by 10%.
That’s a lot of benefit for a little greens, am I right!?
The health benefits of eating a primarily plant-based diet have been efficiently documented in recent years -- not to forget the ethical and environmental pros of giving up meat and dairy forever.
So what does happen to our body when we decide to go vegan?
1. YOU MIGHT FEEL TIRED
Emphasis on might.
A lot of people who first go vegan actually notice an energy boost after eliminating processed meat and favouring fruit, vegetables and nuts.
These foods are good for boosting your vitamin, mineral and fibre levels, and therefore, result in higher energy levels.
However, it’s not a secret that vegans (and vegetarians) are usually deficient in Vitamin B12 and iron.
This is not just because of an absence of red meat (where animals are often injected with B12 just to keep levels up), but because our whole foods rarely derive from a setting where B12 naturally blankets the Earth anymore.
A deficiency in B12 and iron can lead to:
Fatigue
Headaches
Dizziness
And, if left untreated, anaemia
Despite that, it’s super easy to supplement both B12 and iron, either by taking supplements such as tablets (or droplets are our fave) or by eating vegan foods that are fortified with B12, such as yeast.
Both of which you can usually find at a local grocery store -- if not, online.
2. CHOLESTEROL IS NO LONGER A THING TO WORRY ABOUT
Cholesterol is a kind of fat found in your blood and is an essential building block for your cells.
Most people don’t know this, but our bodies actually make as much cholesterol as we need on our own!
So, the cholesterol found in animal products is not only extra cholesterol we don’t need, it’s also not the good kind our cells need to rebuild.
High cholesterol foods include meat, chicken, fish, eggs and high-fat dairy products, which means that vegans have the best cholesterol levels of any other lifestyle or diet!
As a side note (fun fact, let’s say!), unlike fat, cholesterol can’t be exercised off, sweated out or burned for energy, so it’s best to stick with your own body’s self-production of cholesterol.
Wait, that fact’s not that fun...
3. REDUCED RISK OF CANCER
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO), named red meat a Group 2 carcinogen.
As in, it’s linked to causing cancer in humans!
Say whaaa!?
Even just eating small amounts of meat could increase the chances of developing cancer.
What we mean is...red meat is basically the new cigarette!
When the WHO makes a statement like that, you know they’re not messing around.
4. REDUCED RISK OF DIABETES
There has been a lot of research around diabetes and the link between following a plant-based diet.
You know what?
The results are no surprise!
Research has found that a plant-based diet could reduce the risk of developing diabetes or even ease the symptoms of the disease.
On the Diabetes.co.uk website, they state:
“By eating a healthy vegan diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, but balanced enough to include fibre and protein, blood glucose levels can be made easier to control.”
5. YOUR SKIN
It’s not only your internal body that sees some change when you go vegan, there’s also the ‘beauty’ side to it.
I’m talking skin and hair benefits here.
Being vegan is not an overnight beauty fix (we’re all beautiful anyway!!
The worst food to blame when it comes to skin problems, particularly acne, is dairy.
There have been different studies linking dairy and acne but one suggested idea relates to hormones.
Milk is produced to aid in the growth of calves and so, by nature, contains growth hormones and anabolic steroids.
Many dairy cows are injected with growth hormones to stimulate milk production.
I definitely don’t want that for my skin.
Another suspected cause of acne is having an insulin imbalance as it can upset your skin’s sebaceous glands (small oil-producing gland in our skin), which could lead to clogged pores, resulting in acne.
Unlike the average American diet, a typical vegan diet tends to be high in fiber and lower in saturated fat.
This means that the function of insulin and glucagon production, controlling your sugar metabolism, can be improved.
Natural antioxidants impact your skin, in a good way, and being vegan definitely pushes you to eat more fruits and vegetables - like blueberries that are very high in antioxidants!
Like mentioned at the beginning, it really does depend on your vegan diet.
You’ve cut the meat and dairy out though and that still calls for massive benefits!
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