If you are trying to shed some extra pounds, you may have tried a vegan diet. Vegans do not eat fish, eggs, meat or any kind of dairy products. Instead, they eat fresh vegetables and fruits, cereals, legumes, and plant-based milk, and non-veg alternatives.
Though some people chose the vegan lifestyle out of the ethical concerns regarding animals, the diet itself can produce some health benefits. As per several studies, being a vegetarian may even help you lose weight.
How? More research is required, but it is believed that becoming a vegetarian may result in reducing the amount of high-calorie foods that you consume. With a vegetarian diet, you may end up exchanging such foods with high-fibre choices that are low in calories and make you feel full.
But is this approach, right?
Reducing some of the main food groups in your diet may look unhealthy. Until and unless you pay attention to your nutrition carefully, it can be. Some worry, for instance, about getting enough protein or other important nutrients, like Vitamin B-12. This vitamin is found only in animal products, and if you lack some nutrients, it may cause anaemia. Vegetarians must include vitamins, and soy products in their diet to avoid such deficiencies.
Others may have a problem with yo-yo dieting after becoming a vegetarian. What does this signify? It is when one goes through cycles of reducing weight and then regaining the entire weight or more than the earlier weight, probably after having a problem following a vegetarian diet. This type of dieting gove rise to several serious health issues, like an increased risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Irrespective of these and other pitfalls, you can eat a healthy vegan diet to reduce weight. The most important thing, as with every diet, is focusing on nutrient-dense foods compared to empty calories. For vegetarians, these foods include foods like: