People choose vegan nutrition for a variety of reasons. Vegans do not eat any meat products, including dairy and eggs. Most vegans don't eat honey, either.
Many vegans avoid meat for health reasons. People who eat a vegan diet are less prone to develop certain cancers. They have less heart disease, perhaps because vegans have lower blood pressure and cholesterol counts. It's easier for them to achieve normal weight and they have less trouble with diabetes.
Vegan nutrition is, overall, very adequate for human beings. You may wonder if vegans get everything they need in their diets. Not only do vegans get nearly all the nutrients they need, they also get a better balance of nutrients than most meat-eaters.
Carbohydrates: Vegan nutrition is high in complex carbohydrates, which are the "good ones". Complex carbohydrates break down slowly in the body, keeping blood sugar levels stable and supplying our energy needs for hours at a time. In addition, complex carbohydrates are high in fiber, which helps protect us from colon cancer.
Fats: Vegans get adequate amounts of fat, and the fat they get is polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat, both of which are heart healthy. Vegan diets have a healthy balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, too.
Proteins: Vegans get plenty of protein in their diets. Beans, grains and nuts are all excellent sources of protein. Vegans eat a variety of foods to make sure they get all the essential amino acids over the course of a day.
Micronutrients: Vegan diets are loaded with healthy vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. There are, however, a few micronutrients that vegans have to be careful to get adequate amounts of.
Calcium: In order to get enough calcium, vegans must eat plenty of green leafy vegetables.
Iron: Iron is found in beans and nuts.
Vitamin D: There is no plant source of natural vitamin D. Our bodies manufacture vitamin D from sunlight, but few people in temperate climates get enough sunlight to make all the vitamin D we need. Most vegans need to get extra vitamin D from supplements.
Vitamin B12: There is no plant source for vitamin B12, either, and our bodies do not manufacture it. In the past, many vegans depended on brewer's yeast or fermented soy drinks for vitamin B12. Recently, scientists have discovered that the vitamin B12 available in those yeast and soy and other plant sources is a type of vitamin B12 that humans cannot use.
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient, necessary for building red blood cells, immunity and other body functions. Vitamin B12 supplements are available, but vitamin B12 is poorly absorbed from the stomach by many people and our ability to absorb it decreases as we get older. Doctors can administer vitamin B12 shots to prevent a deficiency, or you can use the B12 Transdermal Patch.
