Dr. Achyuthan Eswar - April 23 2021
Pros and Cons of Vegan and Whole Food Plant Based Diet
Vegans constitute the highest numbers of customers at SampoornaAhara.com. Being a vegan enterprise ourselves, we love that we are providing not only vegan, but also healthy options for people leading a consciously compassionate lifestyle. As many of you know, we are also a Whole Food Plant Based Social Initiative.
Pros and Cons of Vegan and Whole Food Plant Based Diet
Now coming to the pros and cons of a "Vegan" and Whole Food Plant Based Diet. First of all, Vegan, is not really a diet at all! It is a social justice movement against the use of animals as commodities in every aspect of life including food, cosmetics, clothing, etc. It is, simply put, a movement calling for non-violence against animals. For the purpose of this blog, we will use the word "Vegan" to indicate the removal of animal foods from one's diet. A Whole Food Plant Based "Diet" again, is not a diet per say. It is a way of eating that excludes both animal and processed (defined as something good being removed or something bad added) food and focusing on eating whole (unprocessed) plant foods.
What is the basic difference between Vegan and Whole Food Plant Based Diet?
When we look at it, a "Vegan" diet doesn't tell me what you are eating, it only tells me that you are avoiding animal products. So you could be eating anything from salads to samosas. Whereas, when you are on a whole food plant based diet, I know both what you are eating and what you are avoiding. I know that you are eating a diet comprised of fruits, vegetables, greens, pulses, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices and mushrooms. I also know that you are avoiding meat, eggs, all dairy products, oil, maida, polished grains, sugar, jaggery, honey, and even filtered plant mylks! You could still be eating anything from salads to samosas, albeit, oil-free, maida-free, baked instead of fried, only thing is that either way, it would be healthy!
Why is this important?
When we look at food through the lens of health, this information makes all the difference. Both animal and processed foods have been associated with a higher risk of chronic lifestyle diseases. Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, PCOS, Asthma, Obesity and even some types of Cancers find their root causes in our lifestyle - primarily our diet. When we adopt a "Vegan" diet, we are only eliminating one half of the problem and depending on what we choose to eat within the plant world, we could be making extremely healthy choices or extremely unhealthy ones. However, when we adopt a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, we are ensuring that we eliminate both animal and processed foods, thus minimising our risk of these chronic lifestyle diseases.
Pros and Cons?
When we look at it, both Vegan and Whole Food Plant Based are plant-centric diets. The biggest pros of this is that animal foods are avoided completely, thereby reducing risk of disease, building a kinder and more compassionate world and also reducing environmental damage. Moreover in a Whole Food Plant Based Diet, you get healthier, have more energy, can potentially lower and even eliminate some medications, improve your gut health, and reach your ideal weight while enjoying a variety of delicious food!
The cons lie in consuming processed foods within a Vegan diet. A diet high in sugar, oil, processed plant-mylks, plant based meats, and refined flour bring with them higher disease risk. When it come to the 'cons' of a Whole Food Plant Based diet, is that it may work too well. If you are Diabetic, your blood sugar levels may dip towards normal too soon, so you may have to lower your medication accordingly, similarly if you are hypertensive or on medication for a lifestyle disease, make sure you are keeping an eye on your numbers and readjust medication under the guidance of your physician. If the only 'con' of a way of eating is that it works too well, sign me up!
At SampoornaAhara.com we have the best of both worlds! Whole Food Plant Based products that are every bit as healthy as they are tasty! Try them!
