The document discusses the reasons for adopting a vegan diet and lifestyle. It covers health, morality, and an overview of a vegan diet. Some of the key health benefits mentioned are reduced risks of chronic diseases like heart disease from a plant-based diet low in saturated fat. It also notes potential reduced risks of certain cancers in vegans compared to non-vegans. The vegan diet gets protein, calcium, iron, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids from plant sources like soybeans, lentils, nuts, broccoli, spinach, and fortified foods.

1. The Vegan Diet and Health Impacts Draft
– Why Go Vegan? There are a variety of reasons why people
decide to go vegan.
Some people change health and nutritional reasons, which is
usually because of something they have read on the Internet or
heard from someone else explaining the long-term health
benefits of choosing the vegan lifestyle. This also prevents
chronic diseases such as artery clogging. The main cause of this
is a high fat diet, which is why a lot of people turn vegan to
avoid these sorts of problems.
Morality is a further reason why people opt for this lifestyle
because of the fact that anyone that cares for animals in any
way will most likely question whether there is a difference
between the animals they look after and protect and the ones
they kill and breed for food. An example of this is the egg
industry and the reason vegans don’t eat eggs. If you’re a male
chick you are considered irrelevant for egg or meat production.
This does not matter if your factory farmed or free range, as
you will just get killed almost immediately whether that being
thrown into an industrial grinder or gassed alive. This also leads
to social justice as anyone who is opposed to injustice in the
world, should pause and think about the fact that we breed and
kill billions of innocent animals on an annual basis.
– The Vegan Diet Overview
The Vegan Diet is mainly made up of plant-derived foods.
Vegans don’t allow themselves to go near meat, fish, eggs and
any dairy product. The reason vegans avoid dairy products is
because dairy cows are forced to become pregnant and have
calves because they are required to keep producing milk for
humans. This is typically done through a process called artificial

2. insemination. However that is not it as this process will be
repeated 4 or 5 times until the mother is considered ‘spent’.
Vegans will get enough protein, calcium, iron, vitamin b12 and
omega-3 fatty acids. Vegans manage to get their protein
requirement through foods such as soybeans, lentils and nuts.
Calcium needs are met through foods such as broccoli and
spinach while iron, which is an essential mineral necessary for
red blood cells and the transportation of oxygen in our body is
met through foods such as dried beans and dark green leafy
vegetables. Vitamin b12 is a water-soluble vitamin essential for
the production of red blood cells. This vitamin is pretty much
only found in animal products so therefore they must eat
foods, which include nutritional yeast and fortified cereals.
Finally omega-3 fatty acids, which are needed for brain and
heart health, can be found in foods such as walnuts and
flaxseeds.
Health Impacts
Because vegans have a higher consumption of whole grains,
soy and nuts it provides significant cardio protective effects.
Being vegans has a varied impact on cancer. Data provided by
the Adventist of Health Study shows that non-vegans have an
increased risk of both colorectal and prostate cancer, where as
Vegans consume much more fruit and vegetables than
omnivores do which is very protective against these types of
cancer. Eating red and processed meat, which is obviously
something that vegans avoid, can cause colorectal cancer. In
addition eating lots of eggs increase the risk of pancreatic
cancer. Bone health depends on more than just protein and
calcium intakes. Research has shown that bone health is also
influenced by nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin K, potassium,
and magnesium and by foods such as soy and fruit and

3. vegetables. Vegan diets provide a number of these substances.
In addition to a high intake fruit and vegetables, vegans also
tend to have a high intake of soy products, which are suggested
to have a beneficial effect on bone health.
If you want to find more information about veganism just
simply head to veganuary.com.