We all know what you put into your body will determine your overall well being. One way to help you function at top level is eating a plant-based diet. Many of our ancestors survived on plant-based diets and have reaped the health benefits. If you are wondering how a vegan diet can improve your health, here are some common themes.

Heart Health

Lower cholesterol has been common among many people who follow a vegan lifestyle. Why is that? Vegans don’t eat meat or dairy which are foods that often lead to higher cholesterol. Lower cholesterol can help prevent heart attacks, heart disease and strokes. 

Lower Cancer Risk 

It’s a little scary when you are driving and you look up to see a highway billboard that says “Hot Dogs Cause Butt Cancer,” which was a campaign that the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine sponsored in 2012. Recently more organizations have been increasingly vocal about the harmful effects of eating meat. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2015 put out a press release that said red meat and processed meats are “probably carcinogenic,” noting that research has linked it primarily to colorectal cancer but also to prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer. The World Health Organization also supports this recommendation by the IARC and encourages people to reduce red meat from their diets. 

Weight Loss

While vegan diets are not all the same, many people tend to lose weight from them because they are eating more vegetables and fruits and taking in less calories compared to a high-fat diet. Thanks to fiber, vegan diets tend to make people full which leads to less eating or fewer calories. Several studies have found that people who follow plant-based diets generally have lower body weights or BMI’s compared to non vegans. 

As people get more educated about food and animal cruelty, the good news is more companies are taking notice. The global vegan food market size was valued at $12.69 billion in 2018, and The Vegan Society said between 2017 and 2019, retail sales of plant-based meat grew 31%, while total US retail meat sales grew just 5%. Also the consumption of plant-based milk increased by 61% while consumption of cow's milk decreased by 22%. 

An alternative to cow’s milk is almond milk, which goes well with Southern Roots’ vegan chocolate chip cookies. Make sure to follow us on social and tag us at @SouthernRootsBiz.