Veganism A Fit Garden Mind
Vegan:
Veganism is a philosophy and way of life that aims to ban the use of animals as food or clothing and embraces all other non-animal dietary options. Cereals, beans, fruits, and vegetables are the staples of a vegan diet. Vegans abstain from eating any animal products, including meat, poultry, pork, shellfish, eggs, milk, honey, leather, bone, coral, pearls, and wool. They also avoid wearing clothing made of any animal products, including leather, fur, and honey.
History:
Although the name “veganism” was first used in 1944, the idea of avoiding flesh dates back to ancient Indian and eastern Mediterranean communities. Veganism is an extreme type of vege-tarianism. Around 500 BC, the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samos made the first reference to vegetarianism. A severe religious institution called The Ephrata Cloister that was established in Pennsylvania in 1732 promoted vegetarianism. Jeremy Bentham, an utilitarian philosopher who lived in the 18th century, thought that animal suffering was exactly as terrible as human suffering. In 1847, the first vegetarian group was founded in England. Donald Watson, a British woodworker, declared in November 1944 that he would coin the term “vegan” to refer to those who do not consume dairy or eggs because vegetarians do so.
Types of Vegan Diet:
Raw food vegan diet: This diet consists of raw plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that have been cooked at temperatures under 118°F (48°C).
Whole food vegan diet: The foundation of this diet includes a wide range of whole plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. They differ from raw food vegan diet by con-suming foods that are cooked above 48°C.
80/10/10 diet: The 80/10/10 diet is a raw food vegan diet that focuses mostly on raw fruits and soft greens while restricting fatty plants like nuts and avocados. It is also known as the fruitarian diet or the low-fat, raw-food vegan diet.
Starch solution: This vegan low-fat, high-carb diet is similar to the 80/10/10 diet in that it em-phasises cooked carbohydrates such as corn, rice, and potatoes rather than fruit.
Raw till 4: Up to 4 p.m., raw foods are ingested; however, a cooked plant-based meal is an option for dinner.
Thrive diet: Followers consume raw or lightly cooked plant-based entire foods at moderate tem-peratures.
Junk food vegan diet: This vegan diet largely relies on faux meats and cheeses, fries, vegan sweets, and other highly processed vegan meals and is deficient in whole plant foods.
Ethical Living :
Eating a plant-based diet is typically done for personal health or environmental concerns. Beyond that, veganism also has moral and ethical considerations. A whopping 160 million ani-mals are moved daily to slaughterhouses. People who are neither vegans or vegetarians in wealthy nations devour over 7,000 animals in their lifetime. By adopting a vegan diet and way of life, you are defending animals from a life filled with mistreatment, neglect, severe suffering, and bodily and emotional misery. Animals are used in the testing process for virtually all products, including cleaning supplies, personal care items, and cosmetics. This necessity for animal testing is elimi-nated when we make purchases from vegan and ethically-minded businesses. According to re-search, animal husbandry is the biggest polluter and is to blame for 80% of pollution-related food production deaths. Manure and urine from farmed animals frequently flow into streams, rivers, and oceans, contaminating the water bodies.
Vegan Foods:
Protein can be found in abundance in foods like tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, lentils, and peas. Nuts are a good source of iron, fibre, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin E when they are not blanched or roasted. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in abundance in hemp and chia seeds. There is plant based milk that has been fortified with vitamin D and B12. Algae are a good source of iodine and full protein. Various vitamins, minerals, and fibre are all found in abundance in fruits and vegetables.
Health Benefits of Veganism:
There are still misconceptions and reservations about totally eliminating meat, fish, eggs, and dairy from our meals, despite the fact that the vegan diet is typically thought to be higher in fibre and lower in cholesterol, protein, calcium, and sodium than an omnivore diet.“We’ve found that the vegan diet could be one of the healthiest diets, outperforming pescatarian and vegetarian, because the vegan diet is higher in fruit, vegetables and legumes and the health benefits from this compensate anything else,” says Springman.
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that vegans live longer than meat-eaters.the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the largest or-ganisation of food and nutrition professionals in the US, says “Appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. These diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes. Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity”.
Paying Attention to the Micro Nutrients:
Vegans must be careful to get all the nutrients they require to stay healthy. Vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin A are the major nutrients that need to be taken into consideration by everyone.
VITAMINS:
VITAMIN B12:
The synthesis of DNA, correct red blood cell development, and neurological and neurolog-ical function all depend on vitamin B12. Certain kinds of microorganisms found in nature produce it. We cannot rely on plant foods to supply all of our B12 requirements because plants differ greatly in their quantities of this bacteria. By ingesting supplements or fortified meals, we can make sure our dietary requirements are satisfied.
VITAMIN D:
Low vitamin D levels are associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis, certain malig-nancies, and other chronic conditions. It’s harder than we would imagine to get enough of it. De-pending on your age and other personal needs, take 1000–4000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D every day to guarantee an appropriate intake. D2 or D3 forms of additional vitamin D are avail-able. D3 is often derived from lanolin, a protective waxy material released by sheep, while D2 is derived from non-animal sources. D3 products made from plants have just lately entered the mar-ket.
VITAMIN A:
We require a regular dietary intake of vitamin A for a variety of healthy body processes. Mangoes, papaya, a number of squashes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and maize are all examples of plant foods that are rich in vitamin A. Red palm oil and biruti palm oil are additional excellent sources of vitamin A.
VITAMIN B2:
The synthesis of red blood cells, development, and good energy metabolism all depend on vitamin B2. You need to consume riboflavin every day because your body only stores little amounts of it in your liver, heart, and kidneys. Leafy greens, fortified cereals, almonds, and soy are the main sources.
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACID:
A proper balance of essential fats is important for optimal brain function, heart health, and infant/child development. Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that partly con-verts to DHA and EPA in the body. It is present in several plant foods, including flax products, hemp products, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables. Aim to consume 2 to 4 grams of ALA per day. Algal oil is another source for them.
IODINE:
Iodine is a trace element that the body needs in order to make thyroid hormones. Inade-quate iodine intake results in inadequate thyroid hormone production, which in turn can lead to a variety of health difficulties, such as goitre, an enlargement of the thyroid gland, problems with prenatal and newborn development, and thyroid autoimmunity, among other potentially serious health issues. Iodized salt or additions to sources of algae can satisfy iodine demands in a vegan diet.
ZINC:
Zinc is a crucial mineral that supports numerous vital bodily processes. Vegans must be mindful of their zinc intake because it is scarce in plant-based meals and poorly absorbed. Vegans can consume foods high in zinc, such as legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, to meet their dai-ly zinc needs.
CALCIUM:
The development of bone density depends on the mineral calcium. Vegetables, grains, leg-umes, leafy greens, sesame seeds, almonds, and dried figs are among plant-based foods that are high in calcium.
Conclusion:
Every food has benefits of its own. All of the body’s demands can be satisfied by a well-planned vegan diet. Micronutrient deficits can result from poorly designed diets. It is advised to use plant-based vitamin and mineral supplements in the event of any deficiencies.
Author’s Bio
1 - Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore
2 - Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Regional Centre, Coimbatore
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https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/vitamin-k-may-be-helpful-for-people-at-risk-of-dementia#Dementia-at-a-glance