Romeo Wiggins - Intermittent Fasting for Vegans: Simple Guide to Fasting for Health and Healing

If youve never followed a vegan diet before, you may not be familiar with what it entails and the principles behind it. In essence, a vegan diet avoids all animal products, in lieu of foods derived from fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, and other nutrients from the earth.

Reasons People Choose a Vegan Diet

Vegan diets are popular today for a host of reasons:

Veganism does not harm animals.

Eating plant-based foods is better for the environment and the planet.

Vegans typically spend less at the grocery store.

You can grow your own primary food sources as a vegan.

A vegan diet may help reverse or lessen the effects of certain conditions and may provide relief from some digestive ailments.

Many people lose weight and report having more energy when practicing veganism.

Foods Not Permitted on a Vegan Diet

It may surprise you to learn that, in addition to meat, poultry, and fish, there are other foods not allowed on a vegan diet. These include all dairy products, eggs, and even honey for most vegans. In this way, veganism is different from vegetarianism, which does permit dairy, eggs, and honey.

Vegans believe that these animal products are not beneficial or necessary for the body, and many think they are also unethical because of the way animals are treated in their production. The simple act of removing honey from a beehive, for example, disturbs the bees, disrupts their habitat, and deprives them of a winter food source.

Foods Encouraged on a Vegan Diet

Fortunately, the earth provides vegan dieters with an enormous range of foods they can eat. Typical vegan meals are composed of vegetables, fruits, legumes and the like to provide flavour, variety, and nutritive value. Popular vegan staples include:

seeds, nuts, and nut butters

tofu, seitan, and tempeh

plant-based milks and yogurts

algae and seaweed

fermented and sprouted foods

grains and cereals

legumes (beans and peas)

fruits and vegetables

There are various versions of the vegan diet that further define eating habits for different personal needs. Some vegans enjoy eating only raw foods, which means nothing is cooked over 118 degrees Fahrenheit. A variation on this diet is eating raw foods until around four oclock in the afternoon, after which time a regular cooked vegan meal can be consumed. Other vegan subcategories include eating mainly starches and eating mostly low-fat plant-based foods.

History and Culture of Veganism

It is unknown how long people have been practicing intentional veganism, but it is thought to go back thousands of years to the dawn of Hinduism. People of Hindu faith, to this day, do not eat meat. There are other references to abstaining from animal products throughout history, including in the Book of Genesis in the Bible.

Modern veganism began in the mid 19th Century in England and has gathered an enormous following since then. Once labelled a hippie diet from the 1960s, veganism is a now a way of life for many, whether its because they wish to avoid exploiting animals or simply like how much better they feel when avoiding animal products on the dining room table.

The Science Behind the Vegan Diet

The vegan diet has been studied exhaustively by the medical community, seeing it as a possible cure for diseases that commonly plague society. In addition to lowering the risk of certain types of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, a vegan diet can reduce arthritis symptoms and lower obesity. A recent study by Oxford University maintains that eating a vegan diet could cut roughly eight million deaths per year, both by improving personal nutrition and by reducing greenhouse emissions caused by raising livestock for food. Far from being a fad diet without scientific support, veganism comes recommended by researchers and nutritionists, and its benefits far outweigh any inconveniences experienced.

Chapter Summary

Key takeaways from this chapter are:

The vegan diet means eating no animal products, including eggs, dairy, and honey.

There are lots of great plant-based options to provide flavour and nutrition to a vegan diet.

People choose to follow a vegan diet for a variety of reasons, including health benefits and animal treatment ethics.

Veganism has been around a long time, and it is scientifically well studied.

In the next chapter you will learn how to ensure adequate protein consumption while on a vegan diet.