Veganism: The Healthier Option Veganism is a choice that relatively few people make. There has been, however, a major jump in the numbers in the last six years. Now, there are as many as 8 million vegans in the U.S. alone! That is a far cry from the 1 million people that were vegan in 2008. Why did the numbers change so drastically? It has been speculated that it is because the population has been educated on the benefits of vegan eating among a few other things. The truth is, veganism is not only a healthier diet choice, it also helps people lose weight, and it has plenty of nutrition to sustain a person. One study, “Vegetarian and vegan diets in type 2 diabetes management” concluded that, while it could use further study, eating a vegan
…show more content…
They fear that a completely vegan diet wouldn’t have enough nutrition to sustain normal people, much less athletes or pregnant women. This fear only has credence when the vegan diet is ill planned. The American Dietetic Association says that a well planned vegan diet is nutritionally adequate. Some people say that athletes couldn’t be vegan because of their greater needs of nutrition. This is also false. There are several successful athletes that are vegan. Hank Aaron (vegetarian), a 25-time All Star member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Carl Lewis, a vegan and former American track and field star who won ten Olympic medals, Mac Danzig, who competed for years in MMA, and many other amazing athletes were all vegan or at least vegetarian. Besides the obvious proof these people provide, “The Vegetarian Athlete” by Gregory R Cox confirmed that one can be both athletic and vegan or vegetarian. As for pregnant women, the story is the same. If they are aware of what they need and how to get it, pregnancy does not make a difference on whether a person can get enough nutrition. As the article “On Veganism and Pregnancy” says, “THe vegan diet, when administered properly, provides adequate amounts of [nutrients and minerals]” (47). Besides this, vegan women have a lower risk of having heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, all conditions that could result in a high risk
They fear that a completely vegan diet wouldn’t have enough nutrition to sustain normal people, much less athletes or pregnant women. This fear only has credence when the vegan diet is ill planned. The American Dietetic Association says that a well planned vegan diet is nutritionally adequate. Some people say that athletes couldn’t be vegan because of their greater needs of nutrition. This is also false. There are several successful athletes that are vegan. Hank Aaron (vegetarian), a 25-time All Star member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Carl Lewis, a vegan and former American track and field star who won ten Olympic medals, Mac Danzig, who competed for years in MMA, and many other amazing athletes were all vegan or at least vegetarian. Besides the obvious proof these people provide, “The Vegetarian Athlete” by Gregory R Cox confirmed that one can be both athletic and vegan or vegetarian. As for pregnant women, the story is the same. If they are aware of what they need and how to get it, pregnancy does not make a difference on whether a person can get enough nutrition. As the article “On Veganism and Pregnancy” says, “THe vegan diet, when administered properly, provides adequate amounts of [nutrients and minerals]” (47). Besides this, vegan women have a lower risk of having heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, all conditions that could result in a high risk