Hyderabad: Nowadays, following a vegan diet or adopting veganism as a lifestyle is becoming a food fashion trend. The vegan diet indeed provides many benefits to health, but many times, taking care of nutrition without planning the diet and eating anything without mapping its quantity can have adverse effects on health and deprive the body of the required amount of nutrition.
A vegan diet has become very popular in the last few years, not just among celebrities but also among the common folk, especially youngsters, globally. Vegan is a type of vegetarian diet, so it is beneficial for health and reduces the risk of many types of diseases. But sometimes adopting this particular type of diet without proper and complete information can also affect health. November is celebrated as Vegan Month all over the world to make the health benefits of a Vegan Diet and the important things and facts related to it available to the masses.
ETV Bharat Sukhibhava spoke to Dr. Divya Sharma, a nutritionist and dietitian from New Delhi, to know more about what is a vegan diet, what are its benefits and harm to the body and which foods can be consumed under this category of diet. Dr. Divya explains that even though veganism was started with the idea of reducing cruelty against animals and maximizing the use of resources available from nature, in today's era it has become a food fashion trend, as it is becoming prevalent all over the world.
She states that in the vegan diet, animals and any type of products obtained through them are not consumed, such as eggs, milk or food made from them such as ghee, cheese, butter, curd, or sweets made from whey, buttermilk, Mawa and honey etc. A vegan diet includes foods obtained from fruits, vegetables, dry fruits, grains and plants.
She states that all types of cereals, including wheat, rice, brown rice, jawar, bajra and ragi, all kinds of flour, corn, buckwheat, all kinds of pulses, all kinds of vegetables and fruits, all vegetable oils, coconut ghee and butter, Soya, soy-milk, tofu, soy-butter, almonds, almond wheat bread, almond milk, almond butter, peanuts, cashews and other dry fruits, sugar, jaggery, peanut butter and jaggery etc. are included in the category of the vegan diet. She says that nowadays, not only in noted hotels and restaurants, but also in many small cities, there are fast foods including vegan burgers, pasta, noodles and garlic bread, and vegetarian options in the diet under many cuisines around the world.
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Dr. Divya says that in our country it is believed that if our diet does not include foods like milk, curd and cheese, then weakness or many problems can arise in our body. Many types of nutrients are indeed found in dairy products, including calcium, protein and vitamins, but this does not mean that other nutrients including plant proteins, vitamins, minerals and oxidants cannot fulfil the essential nutritional needs of the body.
Whether we eat non-vegetarian food or follow a special diet style like vegetarianism, or veganism, every diet style has some advantages and some drawbacks. In such situations, the type of diet we are adopting must be determined in such a way that it includes all the necessary nutrients in a balanced amount.
Dr. Divya says that a large amount of non-vegetarian food can cause some harm to the body, and everyone is aware of it, but most people do not know that the consumption of certain types of vegetables or fruits in large quantities can also show adverse effects on the body. Just as consuming too much fiber-rich diet can cause flatulence or some other digestive problems, too much protein can also harm health in some way or the other. Different types of foods should be consumed according to the amount of nutrition in them. For this, making a diet chart and following it can be beneficial.
Dr. Divya says that it is generally believed that people who follow a vegan diet are at high risk of bone-related diseases or weakness in the body. If the diet and its quantity are selected properly, then such problems can be avoided to a great extent. Talking about the benefits of vegan food, undoubtedly the natural diet from tree plants is safe and beneficial for health. By consuming such a diet, it is possible to prevent many types of problems such as heart diseases, cholesterol, Type-2 diabetes, inflammation in the body, arthritis and high blood pressure, and it also keeps your weight under control.
On the other hand, if we talk about the damage due to this diet not being implemented properly, then there may be a lack of nutrients in the body. In the diet of most children, as far as possible, all types of nutrients should be included, especially children who have problems with lactose intolerance i.e. those who have an allergy or problem due to milk or milk-based diet. A rich diet should be included because at this age all the same types of nutrients are needed for the proper development of the body.
