With the new year comes the promise of adopting healthier eating habits, which, admittedly, some may drop by the start of February. However, for those who are worried about sticking to a healthier eating habit for the remainder of the year, we may have an easier solution for you.
Going vegan for the month of January, affectionately known as Veganuary, is not only a great way to introduce yourself to healthier eating habits, but once you notice how great it is for your health, it might be easier for you to stick to it for the rest of the year.
If you’re still not fully convinced about adopting a vegan diet for the remainder of this month, read on for four reasons why you should join the Veganuary challenge.
Four Reasons To Join Veganuary
1. Your heart will thank you
Heart disease continues to be the number 1 killer worldwide, and yes, that’s also inclusive of COVID-related deaths. Therefore, it’s imperative that we each do our part to protect our heart health, and one of the best ways to do so is through our diet.
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Not only has research found that a plant-based diet can help to effectively reduce the risk for heart disease, but a 2014 study did find that patients who stuck to a plant-based diet experienced a reduction in symptoms and 22% had disease reversals confirmed by test results.
2. It’s an amazing health boost
If you’re looking to improve your health, then our advice would be to adopt a vegan diet. According to various research, vegans have lower rates of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, strokes, and even Alzheimer’s.
What could be the reason for this?
It appears that because vegan diets are so rich in nutrients and low in processed foods and animal products (which can contain harmful toxins), then the more the brain benefits.
3. It will help in the fight against climate change
Last year, a report released by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) revealed that when it comes to climate change, humanity is in serious trouble. Essentially, the report stated that if we don’t immediately and drastically reduce carbon emissions, then we risk disastrous climate consequences that will serve to disrupt everything around us.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
So what’s one of the best ways to help in the fight against climate change? By adopting a plant-based diet, be it vegan or vegetarian.
Statistics have found that animal agriculture is responsible for nearly one-fifth of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
4. You’ll be much happier
The past few years have been taxing, to say the least, on our mental health. In fact, it’s clear that we are in the midst of a mental health crisis, and we’re all doing what we can to get through it and one way that can help is by adopting a plant-based diet.
According to various research, a plant-based diet can help to reduce rates of stress and anxiety, as well as symptoms of depression.
Takeaway
We’re each trying to do our best to improve our health, and evaluating our dietary habits is one of the best ways to do so. Now adopting a vegan diet for the entirety of January may seem a little intimidating, that doesn’t mean that you can’t start off slow.
Try switching to plant-based eating at least twice a week, and you’ll be surprised at the impact that it has on your health and your surroundings.
References
Akbaraly, T. N., Brunner, E. J., Ferrie, J. E., Marmot, M. G., et al. (2009). Dietary pattern and depressive symptoms in middle age. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 195(5), 408–413. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.108.058925
Baden, M. Y., Shan, Z., Wang, F., Li, Y., et al. (2021). Quality of Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Total, Ischemic, and Hemorrhagic Stroke. Neurology, 96(15), e1940–e1953. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000011713
Beezhold, B., Radnitz, C., Rinne, A., & DiMatteo, J. (2015). Vegans report less stress and anxiety than omnivores. Nutritional neuroscience, 18(7), 289–296. https://doi.org/10.1179/1476830514Y.0000000164
Esselstyn, C. B., Jr, Gendy, G., Doyle, J., Golubic, M., & Roizen, M. F. (2014). A way to reverse CAD?. The Journal of family practice, 63(7), 356–364b.
Kim, H., Caulfield, L. E., Garcia-Larsen, V., Steffen, L. M., et al. (2019). Plant-Based Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle-Aged Adults. Journal of the American Heart Association, 8(16), e012865. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865
Lee, K. W., Loh, H. C., Ching, S. M., Devaraj, N. K., & Hoo, F. K. (2020). Effects of Vegetarian Diets on Blood Pressure Lowering: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis. Nutrients, 12(6), 1604. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12061604
Olfert, M. D., & Wattick, R. A. (2018). Vegetarian Diets and the Risk of Diabetes. Current diabetes reports, 18(11), 101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-018-1070-9
