Side Effects Of A Vegan Diet

Veganism has become a new trend and the dieters around the globe don't want to lose this chance of being a trendsetter for promoting the noble cause. Veganism aims to totally curtail and avoid every possible use of animal products, directly and indirectly in the vegan dieters' life. Starting from clothing, fmcg products to diet, veganism aims to cut down the animal made products to zero. However A Vegan diet comes with its downsides like every other diet. When a person is on a normal diet consuming all sorts of dairy and meat products he gets all types of essential nutrients which the body needs for proper growth and health benefits but when the person suddenly changes his diet and restricts it to a certain limit of variety of food, body changes tend to occur naturally and it could cause many side effects. The risk factors if known beforehand can be cured and be helped. Here we've covered 5 side effects of a vegan diet which can be avoided to a high extent by following the diet properly with proper exercise. 

1. Fatigue And Energy Drain

When you switch to a more plant-based diet, you automatically consume fewer calories because plants have a lower calorie density than animal-derived foods. Whole Food Plant-Based Eating Made Easy Whereas it’s easier to eat a lot more micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all of which will make you healthier and more easily satisfied we shouldn’t neglect the necessity of getting enough energy as well. By undereating (eating the same small portions you would when eating meat and dairy), you don’t just risk health problems, but it’s also very likely to dismiss veganism and go back to eating animals and their by-products. Many people claim that they feel very sluggish when switching to a vegan diet, but this can only mean that they either undereat or choose a lot of vegan junk food which doesn’t have any more nutrition than a meaty burger with fries.

2. Having To Cook And Experiment

Going vegan means cutting out foods like meat, fish, dairy, cheese, eggs, and butter. So naturally, you feel like there is not much left to eat for you! Did you know how many different sorts of squashes, apples, and potatoes there are? Try a new one every time you buy some food. If you’ve never been much of a chef before, you better start getting used to heating up some pots and pans, chopping up food, and mixing your own sauces. Although you could live off of vegan convenience food like pasta marinara, sandwiches, and cookies, it won’t bring you many benefits and you’ll likely end up as we described above. It doesn’t take much to become an epic cook when you learn some simple techniques that can often be used for many different types of foods.

3. Dealing With Cravings

Changing your diet away from the foods you were eating for years on end isn’t easy. We are habitual creatures and like what we’ve always liked or done. So if you change your diet and become a vegan, you can be sure to have some cravings for non-vegan food at some point or another. It becomes increasingly difficult if you don’t eat enough and are just always on the lookout for (calorically dense) food. One step to avoid this would be to not change your diet overnight but rather take reasonable steps and give up your favorite foods at the end of this transition. Start adding new foods that you might come to love so it doesn’t feel like you’re giving up a lot. When people jump right into a new diet, they often jump right out too. Unfortunately, junk foods contain elements that your body does not know how to process, so they get stored in your fat reserves.

4. Lack Of Nutrition 

Veganism isn’t foolproof and if you choose to eat unhealthy food, you can still get a ton of serious diseases.So make sure you aren’t running into any deficiencies and start supplementing B12 soon after adopting a fully vegan diet. It can be very encouraging to hear about the great benefits of a vegan diet and you start wanting all of this like yesterday… but just like anything, this takes time.The people who you admire might have been on a vegan diet for many years or they never ate many junk foods anyway. On the other side, if you’ve consumed lots of unhealthy chemicals, sugary food, and animal products in the past, then it’ll take a little longer for you to reap all of the benefits and heal your body from the inside out. You will need to switch a lot of foods for healthier options and you think you’ll be missing out on many of your favorite foods and end up having “one last supper” (aka binge) where you eat all of the things you fear you need to be cutting out, ending up with an even unhealthier body of course.

5. Indigestion 

Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach after eating a salad or some beans? Well, it’s not the food’s fault, it is due to the sudden change in the diet which the body is not able to adjust with. Our bodies adjust to the types of food we eat and our gut bacteria will be optimized for whatever it is confronted with the most – whether that’s healthy produce or processed junk. So when you start replacing animal products with healthy plant-based foods like grains, vegetables and legumes, you suddenly get a whole different composition of food. Changing too much too fast can result in constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. But why? One word: fiber. It is an indigestible part of plants that cannot be found in animal products and most processed foods, but which is crucial to our health and ability to digest food properly.