The Vegan Diet

With the increasing popularity of the vegan diet¹, this blog will be based on both the advantages and the disadvantages of following this diet as well as the stigma associated with the vegan diet. A vegan diet in a diet in which all animal products are excluded from the diet². This includes not only fish and meat, it also diary products and eggs². Often people exclude leather from their life and well as wool. Some vegans exclude products tested on animals from their lifestyle as well such as makeup and skincare².

Advantages

Figure 1. 

A vegan diet has been shown to lower levels of stress and anxiety³. A study found that Vegans said to have experienced less anxiety and stress than those who consumed meat³. They also reported to have been in a better mood than meat eaters³. The risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity can all be decreased by partaking in a vegan diet⁴. Those who take part in a vegan diet are at a lesser risk of contracting hypertension, certain types of cancer and hyperlipidemia (hyperlipidemia is when the blood to lipid concentration is too high)⁴. A study done in Belgium by the Healthy Eating Index in 2010, found that vegans have the highest diet quality when compared to other diets, including the omnivore diet⁴. Studies done in Germany also showed that those who partake in a vegan diet exercise more and intake more vegetables than those who participate in other diets⁴. Veganism can also help with weight maintenance⁴.

Figure 2. 

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage related the veganism is the risk of vitamin and mineral deficiency. There is a risk of developing anaemia when partaking in a vegan diet due to the low levels of heme iron in the diet. But the high levels of Vitamin C that are usually taken in by vegans eliminates this risk as vitamin c aids the absorption of non-heme iron². The risk of contracting an iodine deficiency is common among the vegan community⁵. Iodine is needed in the body for the production of thyroid hormones which are in control of the metabolism⁵.  During pregnancy, iodine is also needed for the bone development of the baby⁵. Also the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency is high among vegans². Vitamin B12 is needed in the body for health nerves and blood cells¹. A study involving a vegan mother and her baby showed that as the baby continued to breast feed and her B12 stores dropped, her development was affected¹. At 6 months after birth, the baby was in good general health but by 9 months her development had decreased rapidly, and she was in poor general health¹. The breast milk of a vegan mother, who isn’t taking supplements, can put a baby at a serious risk of vitamin deficiencies¹.

Stigma

Figure 3. 

As the popularity of veganism grows, as does the stigma surrounding it⁶. The number of people participating in the vegan diet quadrupled in the United Kingdom between 2014 and 2018⁶. The Vegan diet was thought to be a hard diet to follow but as the years go by, that thought is being diminished6. With the rise in demand many places are now offering vegan options⁶. But despite the growth of veganism studies have shown that those not partaking in a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle often think of those who do in a negative way⁶. In one study, it was found that students often see veganism as an ascetic practice, meaning they are under extreme self-discipline, depriving themselves of luxuries⁶. Online comments have also shown that some people consider vegans to be weak, both mentally and physically, as well as very sensitive⁶. These thoughts come from mostly people partaking in an omnivorous diet⁶. Vegetarians seem to approve of the vegan diet⁶. For a lot of people living in the United States, a meal isn’t thought of as a right meal unless it consists an animal source of protein⁶. Therefore one of the reasons that there is such a negative view on veganism is that omnivores see eating meat as a tradition and those who don’t eat meat are seen to be breaking tradition⁶.  This often raises feelings of irritation and distress among those who don’t agree with the vegan lifestyle⁶. Some vegans often try to undermine the social norm that is consuming and using animal products due to moral/ethnical reasons and environmental concerns involving the mistreatment of animals⁶. Those who like to advocate for veganism can become involved in protesting against meat consumption with can cause issues between those who agree and those who don’t⁶.

In conclusion, partaking in a vegan diet has its pros and cons and also has many negative feelings surrounding it.

Bibliography:

1. Kühne, T., Bubl, R. and Baumgartner, R. (1991). Maternal vegan diet causing a serious infantile neurological disorder due to vitamin B12 deficiency. [online] Springer Link. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01963568#citeas [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

2. Craig, W. (2009). Health effects of vegan diets. [online] Oxford Academic. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/89/5/1627S/4596952 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

3. Beezhold, B., Radnitz, C., Rinne, A. and DiMatteo, J. (2015). Vegans Report Less Stress and Anxiety Than Omnivores. [online] The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25415255 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

4. Jakše, B. and Jakše, B. (2018). IS VEGAN DIET APPROPRIATE FOR COMPETITIVE ARTISTIC GYMNASTS?. [online] IT Sligo Yeats Library. Available at: https://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=f1b1ef7e-8dd9-4c3d-810d-817a096501f5%40sessionmgr104 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

5. Krajčovičová-Kudláčková, M., Bučková, K., Klimeš, I. and Šeboková, E. (2003). Iodine Deficiency in Vegetarians and Vegans. [online] Karger. Available at: https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/70483 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

6. Markowski, K. and Roxburgh, S. (2019). “If I became a vegan, my family and friends would hate me:” Anticipating vegan stigma as a barrier to plant-based diets. [online] Www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.library.itsligo.ie. Available at: https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.library.itsligo.ie/science/article/pii/S0195666318313874? [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

Figure 1: Medlin, S. (2018). Vegan diet: how your body changes from day one. [online] The Conversation. Available at: http://theconversation.com/vegan-diet-how-your-body-changes-from-day-one-100413 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].#

Figure 2:  McGregor, N. (2018). Veganuary 'boosts UK vegan numbers'. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-42889756 [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].

Figure 3: Jones, A. (2018). Vegan Cobb Salad. [online] Connoisseurus Veg. Available at: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/vegan-cobb-salad/ [Accessed 9 Apr. 2019].