Detox Naturally on a Vegan Diet
Feeling lethargic? You might be in need of some detoxing.
In today’s society people are exposed to many toxins on a daily basis; in food, water, and the atmosphere. Over time, these toxins build up to create a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, skin issues, muscle pain, and more. In order to expel toxins, it’s important to become aware of where the majority are coming from. For most people, it’s in the food that they consume.
One effective way to detoxify your body is to simply follow a vegan ( or plant-based ) diet! Reducing and/or eliminating the amount of animal products consumed will reduce the amount of toxins naturally, without having to adopt a cleanse or detox plan.
*It’s important to note that while I am using the term “vegan diet”…Veganism is a lifestyle, not a short-term diet trend. People are vegan for a variety of reasons and going vegan for a week or so to detoxify will yield some benefits, but long-term consistency is much more important. The good news is that once the body is rid of toxins, naturally people crave much healthier and more nutritious plant foods.
Below are three main reasons why a vegan diet is considered detoxifying:
1. Less saturated fat and cholesterol
High cholesterol is dangerous, as it shows little to no symptoms. If left undiagnosed, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke. High cholesterol happens when HDL cholesterol levels are too low and LDL cholesterol levels become too high in the body.
It has been proven that eating too much saturated fat increases cholesterol levels. However, plant foods are naturally much lower in saturated fat and have absolutely no cholesterol; animal products will always have some. In order to support healthy cholesterol levels, many doctors will recommend a vegan diet.
2. Less hormones
Meat and animal products are produced much differently in today’s society than in the past. In order to meet the needs of a growing population, small family owned farmed needed to be turned into large industrial sized operations. This means that there are many more animals in the farms than there were years ago. Because of the demand for meat, most of the animals are injected with hormones to make them grow larger and mature faster. Companies will do this in order to make more profit to sell meat faster.
Research has proven that these hormones can increase the risk of cancer in humans.
3. Less risk of food borne illness
In addition to the cholesterol and hormones, animal products are also carriers of bacteria, much more than plants foods are. This is mostly due to the unsanitary conditions animals live in on large factory farms. Most cases of E-coli, salmonella, and other food borne illnesses are caused by consuming meat, dairy, eggs. Ingesting contaminated meat is especially dangerous to those with a weakened immune system and younger children.
Consuming less meat and animal products will reduce the risk of food borne illness.
Other benefits of a vegan diet include weight control, less environmental impact, more compassionate way of living, and so much more! Find more information about veganism at any of the sources below.
http://www.forksoverknives.com/
