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February 9, 2019

Why Eat Vegan? What Are the Benefits to Your Health?

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Health benefits of eating vegan. Vegan lifestyle.

Whether you believe it or not, the vegan diet is known for improving the health and well-being of those who are on it. But what exactly are the health benefits? Why is it better to eat vegetables and exclude meat and animal products? What is a healthy vegan diet? We will look at some of the reasons why a vegan lifestyle is healthier below.

A word of caution, if your vegan diet consists of fries, processed vegan foods like frozen pizza, sweet pies, or commercially canned soups every day (the list can go on and on), it is not called a healthy vegan diet.

Sorry.

What I mean by the healthy vegan diet, is a balanced diet with a good amount of vegetables, protein source products, and healthy oils.

Want to learn more?

Keep on reading 😉

Health benefits of eating vegan - sauerkraut rice and edible flowers dinner

So, What are the Health Benefits of Eating Vegan:

Fight Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

A vegan diet can help you control your blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. In fact, a vegan diet can reverse Type 2 diabetes in many cases. Additionally, it’s a super-easy way to lose weight and maintain that weight loss (1), (2).

Of course, losing weight is not just about what you eat, but how many calories you take in and burn out. But once again, if you don’t eat sweet pies and salty fries every day, chances are that your calories intake is pretty close to what is required to keep your weight under control.

I, myself, looooove homemade pastry! Freshly baked sourdough bread is one of my favourite treats! But it is all about moderation 😉 (>>let’s make it rule no. 1!)

Reduced Saturated and Trans Fats

Dairy products and meats contain a large amount of saturated fats. Saturated fat has been connected to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke (3).

However, not all fats are bad for you.

Avocado, seeds (pumpkin, chia, sesame, etc.), dark vegan chocolate (mmmm…), extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil – all are super healthy!

Just a quick reminder about the rule no. 1 😉 ↑

Increased Fiber

A diet high in fiber from vegetables, fruits, and whole grains leads to a healthier digestive system and helps prevent colon cancer (4).

Fiber-rich foods fill you up faster.

The dietician I consulted years ago allowed me to eat as many veggies a day as I wanted. It doesn’t matter if you eat them raw, steamed, or baked, they are still good for you and your body!

Health benefits of eating vegan. Vegan lifestyle benefits. Red currants

The image is by Foodiesfeed.

It is a bit different for the fruit though! And it is because, naturally, fruits have more sugar in them. Which make them higher in calories.

You still want to consume fruit but maybe limit it to 2 -4 a day.

Confession time: I usually have 2-3 bananas a day (1 with my oatmeal in the morning, another one as a snack at work on my morning break, and 1 with my protein shake in the afternoon). I must had been a monkey in my previous life 🙂

Increased Antioxidants

Antioxidants are nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. They protect your body against the damage of free radicals and many researchers also believe that antioxidants help protect your body against forming some types of cancer.

You have probably heard of the term “superfood”. What they refer to when they talk about the superfoods is usually the high amount of antioxidants in them.

More Powerful Phytochemicals

Plant-based foods provide phytochemicals. These are elements in plants that can prevent cancer. They boost protective enzymes in your body to fight disease and the damage of free radicals.

Health benefits of eating vegan - oatmeal with apples

Live Longer and Feel Better

Are vegans healthier?

Several studies have shown that people who follow a vegan diet live an average of three to six years longer. They have more energy and mental clarity too. And many vegan dieters believe they’ve never looked better. Hair and skin become healthier than ever before.

Do you need supplements if you are a vegan?

The answer is – it depends.

As many of us live a very busy life (work, family, sports, etc.), even with planning your meals in advance, you may still be at risk of certain nutritional deficiencies (5). Vitamin B12 is probably the one mentioned by many the most.

So, should vegans take vitamin B-12?

I do take 1-2 pills of vitamin B-12.  There are foods fortified with it, but it is probably the only supplement that I would still recommend taking additionally.

As with many other aspects of our lives, one should always consult with their doctor to find out whether they have any nutrients deficiencies.

It might surprise someone, but before I became a vegan, I always had a low level of iron. As a kid, I had the vitamin B-complex injections every year.

Having been on a vegan diet for over 4 years now, my blood results are all normal.

So, once again, check with your doctor. That is my true advice for both vegans and non-vegans.

Health benefits of eating vegan. Whole wheat sugar-free waffles.

As you can see, there are numerous health benefits to a vegan diet.

However, that’s not the only reason that people choose to go vegan. In addition to other reasons, there are also a number of environmental issues to consider.

Let’s take a look a the benefits of going vegan and their impact on the environment. Shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi! I am Nat! Welcome to my blog! I am a skincare addict, a certified Personal Trainer and have been an ethical vegan since January 2015. Want to learn more about how you can live a healthy active life as a vegan?

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I’m the one who needs this reminder today... and I’m the one who needs this reminder today... and every day too...

😊
Monday’s are fun days! No? Just Sundays? Or any Monday’s are fun days! No? Just Sundays?

Or any day can be a fun day?

I’m sharing some of my fave vegan and cruelty-free skincare and makeup products on my LTK page, and it’s the last day to get 10-20% off shopping at Sephora 😉 (link in bio).

Wishing you a wonderful week and hope you have fun!

💛
It was so much fun to play the game yesterday! Tha It was so much fun to play the game yesterday! Thank you all for your guesses!

A surprise winner is @berezhnoidmitrii, the boy (now a man) I went to school with from grade 1 to grade 10 and also to the same music school for 5 years (I dropped off after 😊).

Why was he a surprise winner for me? Because the last time we met was, well, at school which was maaaaany years ago 😁

For all of you who took up on the challenge, here are the answers:

1️⃣ I’m a certified personal trainer but it is not my day job - true. I am a certified personal trainer working as an admin professional in my day job.

2️⃣ I became vegan overnight and have been vegan for over 6 years - true. Watched a couple of videos on animal cruelty on January 2, 2015, and woke up the next morning with the decision made and never looked back since then.

3️⃣ when I was a kid, I wanted to have brown eyes - haha that is true. My mom had brown eyes and she was the most beautiful woman for me, so I wanted the eyes like her 😊💛

4️⃣ I have a Monarch butterfly tattoo on my ankle - FALSE 😂 I’m so afraid of tattoos or anything that can be a permanent change on my body 😊

5️⃣ my childhood dream was to become an actress - true. I even got into trouble when had written about it at school. My teacher told me that I had to dream about becoming something real, like a doctor or a teacher, and acting was not a real profession 🤨 killing my dream right away...

6️⃣ I am afraid of heights - sad but true. I’m fine flying the planes but would never cross a suspension bridge or live in a high rise 🤣

7️⃣ I speak (read and write) 3 languages - true. Russian as a native language, plus English and Hebrew.

8️⃣ I’ve visited all continents - I wish! Well, not wishing to visit the Antarctica, but I haven’t visited Australia, Africa and South America yet.

9️⃣ I used to play the violin and a bass guitar - yup, true. As I said, I went to a music school for 5 years (violin) and played a bass guitar in a school band 😊

Now, your turn, do you want to play a game and list a few true/false statements about yourself in the comments so I try and answer which one is which?

Let’s have a fun weekend and play 😉

💛

#truefalse
Let’s play a game! Shall we? You know the one wh Let’s play a game! Shall we? You know the one when you need to guess the true/false facts about me 😊

7 facts are true and 2 are false.

So, how well do you know me? 😉

1️⃣ I’m a certified personal trainer but it is not my day-job;

2️⃣ I became a vegan overnight and have been vegan for over 6 years;

3️⃣ when I was a kid, I wanted to have brown eyes;

4️⃣ I have a Monarch butterfly tattoo on my ankle;

5️⃣ my childhood dream was to become an actress;

6️⃣ I am afraid of heights;

7️⃣ I speak (read and write) 3 languages;

8️⃣ I’ve visited all continents;

9️⃣ I used to play a violin and a bass guitar.

So, which 2 are not true?

🤓
Life is too short to waste it on people you don’ Life is too short to waste it on people you don’t like or who don’t like you.

It is too short to not go outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Use any opportunity to say “I love you” to the people you love.

Love like there is no tomorrow. Hug like it’s the last one.

Share kindness. Share your knowledge. Share your wisdom. Never stop learning.

Be yourself. Keep an open mind.

Love yourself. Spread love.

Do You. Respect others.

Life is too short. Make it beautiful.

Love,
💛
Strong, secure, happy, resilient, supportive, conf Strong, secure, happy, resilient, supportive, confident and beautiful... At @ClassyandchicGems, we are so blessed to be surrounded by women who support, inspire and encourage each other.

Tuesday is here and we’ve TEAMED up to share our Comfy in My Skin looks. We believe all of God’s people are beautiful and it’s so important to love yourself right where you are in this life. 
	
We all have our own individual styles and we would love it if you’d visit our pages. Isn’t it amazing to know that everyone is valuable in our group? We believe in supporting others because there is no I in team. 

We all shine bright like the beautiful diamonds we are called to be!	
	
If you love our challenges, please be sure to follow our hashtag #ClassyandchicGems, follow everyone in our challenge and follow our page @classyandchicgems. We love seeing your looks as well, so tag us in your photos! Have a great week! 
Featured Content Creators: 
@jcindyraguayo	
@nawaterman
@prettyveganfit
Happy Tuesday! What does Healthy Living mean to yo Happy Tuesday! What does Healthy Living mean to you?

There are a million theories and talks about what healthy living is about, and I’m sure you’ve heard it and know it all.

I will just share a few thoughts of what healthy living means to me in no particular order 😊

1) balanced nutrition - ideally whole foods, plantbased, and include a variety of foods in every food group (grains, fruit and vegetables, legumes and nuts);

2) physical activity - team sports, weightlifting, swimming, running, cycling - whatever makes your heart beat happily and challenges your body;

3) peace of mind - this is a huge one! If you are not happy about your current state of mind, think of what you can change about your life to make yourself happier. Is it your work? Relationships? Family? If something doesn’t make you happy, just stop doing it. (Sometimes easier said than done, but is worth trying);

4) sex - yes, there I said it. There will be no life on this planet without it 😉 Mutual enjoyment is extremely important and absolutely natural. We are not doing it for our partner, we are doing it for ourselves;

5) our surroundings/environment - it is up to each of us to make this world a better place. We can try and keep our parks and streets clean. We can start a garden, plant trees or simply grow herbs in a pot indoors.

We can be better to others and to ourselves. We can respect others and live like the future is in our hands.

Because it is.

💛

.

.

.

#healthylivingjourney #alwaysdoyou #healthandwellnessjourney
#fuelyourbodyright #seethegood #takecontrolofyourhealth
#nourishyourmind #lookforthegood
#focusedonthepositive# findthepositive
#emotionalwellbeing #meditateonthis
#bepresentinthemoment #wellnesstips
#choosehealthy #wellnesslifestyle
#selfloveadvocate #youarepowerful
#inspiredaction #growthroughit #growthmindset #youarecapable #journeytowellness #wellbeingwarrior #femininenergy #getfitstayfit
“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of g “Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos - the trees, the clouds, everything” - Thich Nhat Hahn

This quote reminded me of the Avatar movie. The one where the entire planet habitants live in harmony with each other and with nature.

Like our body is a whole system of a much larger system and if we take a good care of it, we take care of everything around us.

I just loved it and I thought I would share it with you. You are free to think I am crazy 😉

I also wanted to wish Ramadan Mubarak to those celebrating it! Hope you have great and safe celebrations with your family!

And here is an easy roasted sweet potatoes with tofu served with a side salad. I just love this recipe so much!

Cut sweet potatoes and tofu into pieces. 
Add avocado oil, paprika, ground cumin and coriander, soy sauce, nutritional yeast and turmeric, and mix it all.
Bake at 400F (200C) for 30-40 min (if sweet potatoes are ready, everything is ready).
You can add other spices (garlic powder, chili paper flakes) and whole garlic head if you like.

Buon appetito!

💛
“What’s your excuse?”, “Why do you think y “What’s your excuse?”, “Why do you think you can’t make it happen?” - have you ever asked yourself or been asked any of these questions?

Why is it so difficult sometimes to do what we should do, and we are looking for the ways out?

When I was at school and had to submit an assignment, I would always push it to the very last moment. I felt like the neurones in my brain would start racing under the time pressure and the thoughts will be firing out. Whereas, before then I would be just staring at the screen with 0 ideas. 

There was a girl in a few classes with me who was an absolute opposite. She would have her papers ready right away and will be submitting them a long in advance moving to the next project...

I have no idea where she is now and what’s going on with her but I do think and hope she is very successful and loves whatever she is doing.

I would always think why I was not like her?

While I like being myself and don’t want to be anyone else, I now know that you don’t have to be born like that girl.

Since then I’ve learned to be a better planner and more organized.

You can definitely coach yourself and build new habits. Whatever it is that you think you can never do because you just “were not born that way”, is possible.

Whether it is loosing weight, getting the job of your dream, or passing an Astronomy test (just saying 😉), You Can Do It.

Believe in Yourself.

Ask for help, if needed, and do it.

Because You Are Capable.

Happy Sunday!
💛
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