Going vegan can make you healthier & less insecure about your body

Plant-based diets are easier than ever to implement and the rewards are numerous.

Pandemic weight or ‘corona curves’ – ouch! It’s a topic that’s very hard to address. Even Harvard University researchers concede that we’ve picked up a few extra pounds due to lockdowns and other coronavirus restrictions, but no one wants to body shame others or ourselves. It’s unfortunate that some of us who may have only recently gotten to a place where we are accepting ourselves or even loving ourselves have started looking in a mirror and questioning that self-love and self-acceptance. So, let’s start with a little honesty. We are not alone. Millions of people – both male and female – are feeling insecure about weight gain right now. And it’s important that we remember to separate our body from ourselves – this sounds cheesy, but it’s true: we are beautiful, exceptional, interesting, unique, and wonderful individuals. We love ourselves for who we are as a person… and our bodies are just one component of that ‘personhood.’

Secondly, being healthy and feeling healthy is a lot more important than what some numbers on a scale say. But what if you don’t feel healthy and you’re looking for a way to change that, while at the same time you wouldn’t mind losing some weight? Perhaps it’s time to think about joining many millions of others in going ‘viral-vegan,’ a trend that has spiked over the last couple of coronavirus years. While not for everyone, for most of us a plant-based diet really can result in better health, shedding some weight, a clearer head, and an overall happier life.

We make this recommendation not on the advice of starlets like Gwyneth Paltrow who have the resources to hire nutrition experts and personal trainers and therefore always look like a million bucks (hint: it’s easy to look like a million bucks when you have a million bucks), but rather on anecdotal testimonies from numerous women and men across different continents who’ve made the lifestyle change during these last uncertain years and are noticeably healthier and happier because of it. Also, it’s a lot easier to ease into a new diet when you factor in the recent high-tech advances in plant-based meat. Perhaps the idea of going vegan scares some who are like, “Really?? I have to give up the only things that have brought me any joy of late? No more steak or cheese? –Brutal!” Well, it’s not as painful as it sounds. Recent iterations of what some are calling ‘alternative meat’ are made with a 3D printer, and while completely plant-based, have nothing in common with the old veggie burgers of the past and instead are as close as human beings have ever come to replicating the flavors and textures of meat… but without cholesterol and all the other detrimental health effects associated with animal protein. UK celebrity chef Marco Pierre White – pretty much an avid carnivore who co-owns several steakhouses – was recently highlighted in a Guardian article as he served 3D printed meat to tasters and even a barbecue expert, all of whom walked away shaking their heads finding it hard to believe that they actually liked the stuff. These game-changers are due to advances in technology and startup companies that aren’t trying to guilt-trip people into going vegan, but rather demonstrating that it’s possible to recreate the flavors and textures we crave.

One of the biggest benefits you’ll probably quickly discover if you cut out meat and dairy is a reduction in inflammation, which results in vast improvements to health. People report sleeping better, feeling less stressed, and of course, also losing some weight. And you’re not only doing yourself a favor. Oxford University researchers say that going vegan cuts an individual’s carbon footprint by as much as 75%, so it’s the single largest thing a person can do to contribute to literally saving the planet.

Finally, one of the reasons we mentioned new ‘alt-meat’ substitutes above is that, not only do they provide a bridge to a new lifestyle, but they also help cancel the stereotypes of vegans as humorless. Vegans are too often reduced to being judged on what they don’t eat. By taking advantage of these new game-changing alternative products – and these include alternative dairy products such as oat milk, walnut cheese, and all sorts of other delicious new yummies – you could host a dinner for even your most carnivorous friend and feel confident that they will enjoy their meal. And while eating a vegan diet cannot prevent you from becoming infected with Covid-19, it may boost your immune system – which could aid in infection prevention. Most doctors agree that a plant-based diet decreases a person’s risk of obesity and chronic diseases, and of course, those are the things that worsen the outcome of Covid-19. So, to sum up, going over to a plant-based diet has tons of pluses… and we can’t really think of any minuses – especially when you factor in all the awesome substitutions now available… conclusion: it seems at least worth giving going vegan a try.