A sharp increase in recent years, interest in the harsh form of veganism is mainly due to concern for health, animals and the well-being of the environment, writes bbc.com. Vegans do not eat meat, poultry, fish, any animal products, including excluding eggs, dairy products and gelatin from the diet. There are four times more vegans in Britain than they were four years ago.

How difficult is it to reconsider your views and what are the health prospects?

For his latest episodes of the TV show, Dr. Giles Yeo decided to try veganism for a month to see if such a lifestyle is acceptable. First of all, Dr. Yeo discovered one of the tricky moments in following veganism – many products that at first glance are not related to animals actually have. Eggs, cheese, meat are definitely prohibited, but what about vermicelli, mayonnaise (they include an egg), wine (in the manufacture of some alcoholic drinks fish bones or animal protein are used)? In addition to taking care not to accidentally consume an animal product, one who has become a vegan has another important problem – make sure that you do not deprive yourself of the necessary nutrients. Following a vegan diet is associated with a risk of not getting enough vitamin D for bone health. To ensure it in their diet, vegans must rely on fortified foods, including some types of soy milk, rice milk, natural orange juice, cereal porridge.

Alternatives for animal food

You can also solve the problem by eating vitamin D supplementation. Iodine deficiency is very common in Britain, especially among young women. Our main source of iodine is cow’s milk, alternatives such as almond milk contain much less. Iodine can be obtained by eating seaweed (although its content may be different), but additives may be required. Adequate amounts of vitamin B12 are another serious problem. It is absent in grain, in nuts or vegetables, therefore vegans and vegetarians must make up for the need for it, using specially fortified cereals or nutritional yeast. Does a vegan lifestyle contribute to wellness? A recent study summarized data from ten previous studies comparing the health status of vegetarians and vegans with those of traditionally eating people; according to the results it is assumed that – yes, it contributes.

Hormones in cow’s milk can lead to breast and prostate cancer

A large number of studies have revealed the relationship between milk consumption and many serious diseases, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, type I diabetes, type II diabetes, ovarian cancer, osteoporosis, etc. . Published by WHO (World Health Organization) data on the global incidence of breast cancer are correlated with milk consumption in different countries. The EU-BST-Human-Report study, commissioned by the EU, double-checked the effect of milk consumption on human health. The researchers concluded that hormones in cow’s milk can stimulate the development of malignant tumors, especially breast and prostate cancer.

Veganism is associated with healing

Researchers found that vegetarianism or veganism was associated with a significantly lower risk of heart disease and tumors, but there was no difference in overall mortality. In other words, vegetarianism or veganism is associated with healing, but this does not mean that it prolongs life. The expression “associated with” is used for the reason that it was not a strict, controlled study, when a large group of people were chosen among whom they were randomly distributed to whom to be a vegan, and the results would be analyzed. To conduct such a study would be very difficult. Instead, they simply compared vegans to those who eat meat to identify differences. Since vegans, obviously, are people who are more concerned about their health than the rest of the population as a whole, then perhaps the difference is not caused by the diet itself.

How did Dr. Yeo feel after having led a vegan lifestyle for a month?

He lost 4 kg and pulled his belt one position. Besides the fact that the “belly” was reduced, the level of cholesterol decreased by 12%. Will he continue? “I was pleasantly surprised,” says the doctor, “although I am not going to become a constant vegan, from now on I will try to do this for at least a few days each month.” “I have to admit, I was cautious about being a vegan for a month, but since I studied several recipes for well-being, I really went through it with pleasure. For me, the main thing was not cooking vegan food options that I usually eat with meat, but choosing recipes specifically designed for vegans. Most of all in this diet I did not have enough eggs. I thought I would miss the meat much more. ”