Vegan diet for weight loss, is it really effective?

There are various ways that many people are willing to take to lose weight in order to look more ideal. One thing that might be considered is by adopting a vegan diet every day. The question is, is the vegan diet really proven to help you lose weight?

Is it true that vegans can help you lose weight?

Vegans are a type of vegetarian who strictly avoids all animal products in food and beverages. In fact, people who adhere to a vegan diet also absolutely do not consume foods and drinks that come from milk, honey, gelatin, fish sauce, eggs, and so on.

On the other hand, every day people who adopt a vegan diet will only consume a variety of vegetable products. Starting from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetable milk, meat alternatives, to other non-dairy products or those derived from vegetable fats.

There are various reasons for wanting a person to adopt a vegan diet. Either because they respect the ethics of animals which also include living things, believe that this diet is healthier, or even for weight loss.

Yes, vegan is said to help to lose weight. This is because by adopting a vegan diet, it means that all the daily food and drinks you consume are free from animal sources which sometimes contain high fat.

What's more, vegan foods and drinks generally have a high fiber content and are low in calories, so they can help you feel full longer. However, has the efficacy of the vegan diet for weight loss been proven in research?

Have the results been proven?

A study published by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, states that being a vegan can help you lose weight drastically. Supporting this statement, another study in the journal Nutrition and Diabetes also had similar results.

The study, which involved about 75 people with excess body weight (overweight), was asked to adopt a certain diet. Participants may follow a vegan diet, or continue to eat foods high in fat including those from animal sources to lose weight.

After approximately 16 weeks, participants on a vegan diet were judged to have lost a greater amount of fat in the abdominal area. Yes, when compared with participants who consume more animal sources, participants who adopt a vegan diet are more likely to lose weight.

In fact, people who eat a vegan diet usually have a lower body mass index (BMI) than other non-vegans. This is mentioned in the results of research published by the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.

Is losing weight with vegans good for your health?

Even though it is considered to be helpful for weight loss, it is best to know what might be going on behind the vegan diet. Reducing or even not eating certain types of food puts you at risk of deficiencies in one or more of certain nutrients.

Take for example, vitamin B12, which is widely available in animal food sources. Adopting a vegan diet, meaning you don't eat animal sources and are certainly at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency. If this is the case, you may develop anemia.

However, don't worry because there are solutions that can be done so that you can stick to a vegan diet to lose weight, without deficiencies of certain nutrients.

You are usually advised to supplement your daily nutrition with a variety of foods that have been fortified (fortified) with various vitamins. Where these foods may be difficult to obtain from vegetable sources.

Annie B. Kay, MS, RDN, C-IAYT, a nutritionist in Massachusetts, United States, supports this. According to him, the vegan diet can actually be readjusted to the needs and lifestyle of each person living it.

In fact, a vegan diet can help to improve physical appearance, including weight loss, if applied regularly every day.

The vegan diet can actually help maintain a healthy body

Regardless, it's best to adopt a proper vegan diet that is, with a focus on foods high in nutrients, rather than those that don't contribute at all.

For example, eat more fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and their preparations every day. Instead, avoid sources of fat, sugar, starch, sodium and additives.

As the results of the research Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Not only does it help to lose weight, a vegan diet with healthy food sources can also reduce the risk of heart disease.

Meanwhile, an unhealthy vegan diet can actually increase your chances of developing heart disease.