Plant-based lifestyle: What’s all the hype about?

The term ‘vegan’ has a lot of connotations nowadays, both good and bad. It has such a stigma attached to it that it often undermines the purpose of veganism. For a lot of people, they hear the word ‘vegan’ and they pull a face, then switch off. 

 So hopefully you haven’t clicked off yet!

It’s a true shame that this is the case because the whole premise of living a plant-based lifestyle is a never-ending list of benefits to both yourself and the world around you. The majority are not even open to it; they just push the vegans aside into the category of religious preachers that persistently knock on your door anytime you’ve got something important to do. 

In a nutshell, the purpose of veganism is to reduce animal suffering as much as possible or practicable. This doesn’t mean you can’t drive to work in fear of running over an insect or remove a dangerous roach infestation from your house; it just means you should take active steps in daily life to reduce the impact on others and the world around you. Switching to a fully plant-based diet is the single biggest way to reduce your carbon footprint, etc. etc., you’ve heard this spiel before.

But what often deters people is the idea of making personal ‘sacrifices’ that they believe would reduce their own quality of life.

If this is you, listen up!

This article will give you an insight into my first-hand experience adopting this lifestyle, as well as the knowledge and experience of some vegan-veterans, who will answer some of the most common questions and dispel the many myths associated with a plant-based lifestyle.

 My Experience

I decided to make the switch to a fully vegan diet and lifestyle at the beginning of the first UK coronavirus lockdown. Being stuck at home meant I had plenty of time to learn and get fully stuck in without the distractions of everyday life.

At first, I felt awful.

I lost a lot of weight, became very skinny, looked and felt fatigued, and I wasn’t even enjoying the food I was eating. I was craving animal products, cheese in particular, and I felt confused as to why so many vegans were flourishing and I felt like a used piece of toilet paper. 

My biggest mistake was thinking it was okay to just take meat and dairy off the plate and call it a day. It’s so important that you eat a wide variety of grains, vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts, and seeds to hit your macro and micro-nutrient needs to thrive on a plant-based diet. I was just sat around eating vegan sausages and chips, wondering why I felt rubbish. 

The second mistake I made was not eating enough. Animal based foods are often a lot more calorie-dense than plants. This means you have to eat a lot more plants to meet your body’s calorie requirements. The benefit of this is that you can absolutely pig-out and you won’t gain weight, however I was only consuming around 1500 calories per day, instead of the 3000 that my body needed. 

Once I had ironed out the kinks and fully educated myself, I began noticing the benefits almost instantly. 

Firstly, I lost my stubborn chest fat, or ‘man-boobs’ as they’re commonly referred to as. Removing meat and dairy products brings your hormones into balance and my testosterone level began to peak. I felt more energetic, motivated, my skin cleared up, I recovered faster from exercise. I even noticed that my hair and nails grew faster – a rather unexpected effect. 

Most amazingly, my asthma practically vanished. To this day, I haven’t used my inhaler once – I stopped collecting my prescriptions almost 2-years ago. The eczema that I had struggled with my entire life, almost completely cleared up. That dreaded afternoon nap to recover from lunch, I didn’t need it anymore. 

Now I see what all the hype is about. 

21-year-old, Lucia Santoro, has been completely vegan for over 6 years now. Here’s her take on some of the common questions and myths associated with veganism:

 Where do you get your protein from?

“There is a big misconception that vegans can’t get protein! This is not true. All protein comes from plants originally and that’s how non-vegans get protein from meat; through the plants the animals eat!”

What about vitamin B12?

“B12 is something everyone needs to look out for! The only reason B12 is more present in non-vegan diets is because the animal feed is supplemented with B12.”

 Aren’t humans adapted to eat animal products?

“No, if you look at our biology it says quite the opposite! Our digestion, teeth and even our vision point us towards being herbivorous. Although we can physically eat meat and dairy, it isn’t optimal for our health. A vegan diet is the only diet proven to reverse diseases.”

Isn’t being vegan expensive?

“Any diet can be as expensive as you’d like! If you eat wholefoods, it can be very cheap, things like lentils cost barely anything compared to a steak- with similar protein too!”

 If we stop eating meat, won’t cows, chickens and pigs take over the world?

“If we stop eating meat, won’t cows, chickens and pigs take over the world
The only reason there are so many animals is because humans have bred them into existence for the purpose of farming. If we were to reduce consumption of animal products, then slowly the population of animals would decline to a natural level.”

University student Matthew Shaw has been vegan since birth. His parents made the decision to raise him on a completely plant-based diet – it’s very rare to find someone who has never consumed an animal product in their entire life! 

 Are you glad your parents never offered you animal products growing up? 

“Yes, I’m grateful for my parents bringing me up Vegan. The thought of eating animal products honestly makes me feel sick. I don’t view it as food whatsoever.”

How did it affect your life growing up, either positively or negatively? 

I remember school being difficult, I often felt like people didn’t understand or know what being vegan was back then. I think a lot of people thought I was strange. However, I was still always very happy and never felt like I was missing out on the food front. My childhood was full of amazing meals, snacks and deserts just like everyone else to be honest.”

If you have children in the future, will you do the same?

“I wouldn’t want them to contribute to such horrible industries. I remember this quote that my mum told me, ‘If you eat suffering, you become suffering’. This is something I understand now I’m grown up. I watch people with illnesses related to animal product consumption and it’s devastating.”

 If you’re curious about what Matthew means, a plant-based diet is the ONLY diet found to have the ability to reverse chronic diseases. 

 According to international health organisations such as the American College of Cardiology and the World Cancer Research Fund, “a low-fat whole food plant-based diet is the only diet that has been shown to arrest and reverse atherosclerotic plaques in the heart arteries, responsible for causing heart attacks. This way of eating can also reverse diabetes, fatty liver disease and early stages of prostate cancer. The more plant-based the diet after a diagnosis of breast and colon cancer, the better the chance of remission and survival.”

There are plenty of studies out there for you to dig your teeth into. 

I find it crazy that people aren’t prepared to exchange those few seconds of taste pleasure for some truly amazing health, ethical and environmental benefits. Let’s be honest, you can’t even remember that bacon sandwich you ate three weeks ago…

 One of the most important things in life is your health. Without your health, very little else matters. It’s crucial, now more than ever, that humans live more healthily and sustainably for our bodies and the planet.