Is veganism actually healthy?
HEALTH
Short answer
Yes. Major dietetic associations endorse well-planned vegan diets for all life stages, and they lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
HEALTH
The detail
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states appropriately planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide benefits in prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
EPIC-Oxford and Adventist Health Study-2 (combined n > 200 000) both show vegans have 25–32% lower risk of ischaemic heart disease and 47% lower incidence of type 2 diabetes than meat-eaters. B12 supplementation is essential to keep those benefits.
A concrete step toward better health is replacing refined grains with whole options like quinoa or farro to increase your daily fiber intake. A 2019 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that those following a plant-based diet had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. By crowding out saturated fats from meat with heart-healthy unsaturated fats from nuts and seeds, you actively lower your total cholesterol.
Source: Melina V, Craig W, Levin S. J Acad Nutr Diet 2016
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More questions like this
- Where do vegans get protein?
From legumes, tofu, tempeh, seitan, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Most vegans easily meet or exceed the daily requirement.
- How much B12 should a vegan take?
One 25 µg cyanocobalamin tablet daily, or one 1000 µg tablet twice a week. Both work equally well.
- Do vegans get enough iron?
Yes, when eating lentils, tofu, pumpkin seeds and greens with vitamin C. Vegans need ~1.8× the standard RDA because plant iron is absorbed less efficiently.
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