You’ve probably heard a lot of different takes on the pros and cons of going vegan, especially
as more and more people have been embracing the plant-based diet. A healthier lifestyle, a more
ethical approach to animal welfare, and maybe even a way to save the planet. But unfortunately,
not all of what you may be told in favor or arguing against going vegan is entirely true. So,
we, as impartial omnivores, are here to answer the question of what actually happens to your
body when you go vegan. Because, believe us, it’s a lot more complicated than you think.
It should be noted that going vegan, much like any diet or other dedicated lifestyle change,
isn’t something that should be undertaken lightly. It’s an intensely personal decision
and one that it’s worth investing a fair bit of research into before you commit to it, given the
potential impact it can have on your day-to-day life. Don’t feel pressured to jump to a decision
unless you feel confident you’ve absorbed enough information; nobody should feel like they need to
go vegan just because a friend, family member, or even a random person on the internet told them to.
As you’re likely to experience in this video’s comment section. Sorry about that.
Secondly, it’s also important to remember that the way in which our bodies react to
certain food groups is down to the individual. Each of our bodies have needs that are specific
to us and us alone, and while it’s essential to consume a balance of all the major food groups
where possible, it isn’t always a case of one size fits all. The needs of one
person’s body can be dramatically different from another’s, owing to a whole range of biological,
genetic, and even psychological factors. Some of us can have allergies or sensitivities
to certain foods, while others might need more of a specific group of foods in order
for their body to function. It’s important to take those bodily needs into consideration
before we start any kind of diet, as most diets – including going vegan – involve increasing
or decreasing our intake of certain food groups. So, with all of that in mind, let’s delve deeper
into what happens to your body when you go vegan. The first thing you might reasonably assume when
starting out is that you’ll be having severely less protein in your diet, and your body will
start to miss it. After all, a lot of meats are extremely high in protein, and a large part of
going vegan involves not having any meat or other animal products in your dietary rotation. However,
this doesn’t necessarily eliminate protein as a whole. Doing that would be highly inadvisable for
your health, in fact, no protein at all in your diet could lead to serious health complications.
A lack of protein can cause someone’s muscle mass to decrease significantly, which,
as you might imagine, reduces your strength. But this can also make it harder to keep your balance,
and even worse, slows down your metabolism, making it harder to burn calories and leading
to more of them being stored as fat in your body. Added to that mix is the possibility of hair loss
and dull skin, plus the risk of developing anemia – which causes a lower red blood cell count and,
thus, a lack of oxygen-rich blood to your body, which can make you feel tired and weak. All of
this serves to prove that getting adequate protein is important to aid in the body’s
cellular maintenance, it literally helps our bodies survive by strengthening the
immune system. But this, of course, begs the question: if someone opts to go vegan,
and can’t eat meat as a result, where does their body get the necessary protein from?
Well, luckily, it’s not just meat that is rich in protein. In fact, there’s a variety
of other foods - that qualify as vegan – which can provide the body with plenty of protein,
without it needing to come from animal products. For one, nuts and seeds are great sources of
protein. Pistachios, quinoa, beans, peas, and any products that are soy-based, like tofu, are great
sources of protein for those who go vegan. The idea that cutting out meat from your
diet in order to go vegan is harmful is not an unwarranted claim, but it isn’t as fatal as some
naysayers might have you believe. There are plenty of high-protein alternatives to meat for somebody
deciding to go vegan, and these can provide their body with the protein it needs to survive. So,
while as a vegan – or even if you’re not – it’s important to keep an eye on your protein intake,
as long as you’re getting enough, your body shouldn’t experience any adverse effects!
As with any diet, there is no shortage of noticeable changes that can occur from switching
to a vegan diet. However, one possible difference that someone might not even be immediately aware
of after making the switch is a healthier gut. When it comes to the arduous process of… well,
processing the food that we eat, our guts are on the front line, taking on the brunt of that work.
And it’s because of all that hard work that it’s important to remember to take care of our gut,
even though it’s often an easy thing to overlook. After all, unless you’re in
the midst of a bad stomach ache, you might not tend to pay much thought to your gut.
However, going vegan can have benefits to the overall health of your gut. You see, within the
gut is what is known as the gut microbiome. This is a collection of bacteria, fungi, and viruses
that live within your intestines, the organ responsible for part of the digestive process.
Now, don’t panic; we know hearing you have bacteria and fungi inside your body might sound
alarming at first. There are actually trillions of these microbes that live in your intestines
and even on your skin. But again, don’t panic! It’s not a sign of illness, as a matter of fact,
it’s the total opposite! While it’s true that a lot of bacteria can cause disease,
there are plenty that are extremely important for helping maintain your bodily health,
contributing to your immune system and digestion – like the ones that form the gut microbiome.
With that worry cleared up, back to the positive impact that going vegan can have on your gut.
Specifically, switching to a vegan diet can improve the health of your gut microbiome,
and that, in turn, can work wonders for the rest of your body! One study that examined the effects
of vegetarian and vegan diets on gut microbiomes found that keeping to a vegan diet means that the
ecosystem within the gut remains diverse. A lot of those helpful microbes we mentioned before
can be introduced into the gut microbiome through a more plant-based diet, bringing in
beneficial bacteria that can support the gut and that, in turn, can improve your overall health.
The gut microbiome plays a huge part in controlling how we digest our food,
it keeps our immune system functioning, as well as aiding in plenty of other bodily processes. So,
keeping that filled with beneficial bacteria is definitely a compelling reason for going vegan,
given the potential benefits. Of course, it’s important to reemphasize that all of
our bodily needs vary from person to person. Current research into the topic has shown that
going vegan can promote a diverse ecosystem within the gut microbiome, and this can lead
to health outcomes such as improved digestion. But that’s not to say everyone with a strict
plant-only diet will experience the same benefits. A number of people across the world will pursue
different diet options with the express intention of losing weight. Now, firstly,
it’s important that we remember how much of an intensely personal decision this is. After all,
many people are comfortable in their body weight and should be allowed to feel that
comfort. Meanwhile, others might find that they need to lose weight for medical reasons that may
put their health at risk if unaddressed. Being vegan puts more emphasis on having
a cleaner way of eating, removing meat and animal products both for the potential health benefits,
but often also to remain socially and ethically conscious of how these products are created.
However, while losing weight isn’t the goal of veganism necessarily, someone who’s made
the decision to turn to eating vegan might find themselves dropping a few pounds as a
result. This is arguably less a direct effect of veganism on the body, and is instead the removal
of the effect that other foods can have. Eating red meat or any foods that are
processed has long been linked with an increase in weight. This doesn’t happen overnight, of course,
but gradually, over the course of a number of years, someone with a high amount of these foods
in their diet without the proper exercise might see themselves slowly gaining weight. Weight loss
as a result of a vegan diet including more food that is less calorie dense than the food present
in an omnivore diet. Vegetables and fruits are often a lot less calorie dense than meat, meaning
tha consuming the quantity of food in a vegan diet will lead to less calories being consumed.
As you might have already figured out, since veganism stresses not eating meat or most
processed foods, this possible byproduct of eating said foods is no longer present. And
there are other health benefits associated with this aspect of the diet too, since there is also
a link present between red meat or processed meat and an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease,
and even colon cancer. So, by removing meat from their diet, a person’s body is
likely to gain slightly less weight and, as a result, potentially avoid these health risks.
It’s also worth noting the fact that, while weight loss isn’t usually the intention of going vegan,
a significant drop in one’s weight can be as potentially dangerous as a gradual increase.
In extreme cases, losing too much weight can deprive your body of the nutrients it requires
in order to perform its various functions. This is why, even if a person is vegan, the idea of a
balanced diet is so important. Food is one of the ways in which our bodies get their intake
of vitamins and minerals, and losing a dangerous amount of weight can cause deficiencies in these.
Given how essential they are for your body to properly do all the things it needs to,
a lack of certain nutrients can weaken your immune system, make it harder for your body
to repair injuries, and run the risk of causing more severe health conditions. As with any diet,
it’s important for someone who is vegan to pay close attention to the weight they may be losing
as a result of purely plant-based eating. While not without its risks, just like any
significant bodily change, the potential for weight reduction is only one of many possible
outcomes that someone can experience from going vegan, with another being a potential
improvement to the person’s heart. Now, by this, we don’t mean that a person who’s
vegan automatically starts feeling more love or affection, or even that they’re inherently more
emotional than anyone who isn’t. Though you may meet a few vegans with all-hemp outfits
that insist otherwise. We’re talking about the actual health of the heart itself, the organ
responsible for pumping blood around the body. As we mentioned previously, the removal of meat
and other processed animal products from someone’s diet can be great for weight loss. But some of
these are foods that are also high in cholesterol – that’s a waxy, fat-like substance you’ll find
in all the cells within your body that carries protein through your bloodstream. Red meat is
a big offender in this category, along with a lot of full-fat dairy products – think milk,
cream, and of course, cheese. Ever felt kind of queasy after too much mozzarella? It happens,
believe us, and the results are not pretty! If your level of cholesterol is too high,
then that comes with its own boatload of possible issues, perhaps the most dangerous being heart
disease. This can refer to a few different types of conditions that affect the heart,
but one of the most serious is coronary heart disease. If fatty substances are allowed to build
up within the blood vessels that travel to the heart, then it can lead to these vessels getting
narrower or, worse, blocked. This can, in a lot of cases, cause heart attacks, which we probably
don’t even need to tell you can often be fatal. Somebody who has removed meat and processed foods
from their diet is less likely to develop a level of cholesterol that might put them at greater
risk of coronary heart disease. In fact, removing these aforementioned products and introducing more
plant-based foods in their place can actually improve the general health of the heart! Whole
grains and nuts are all rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, which are useful
for the body to carry out its essential functions. Now, another important reminder: simply removing
one specific type of food from your regular diet isn’t an instant cure-all for potential
issues. On top of that, there is such a thing as ‘good cholesterol,’ so having the goal of
intaking as little cholesterol as possible or even wanting to be as extreme as having
none whatsoever can also be problematic. The body produces its own cholesterol in order to
internally manufacture hormones, vitamin D, and other substances that aid with digestion. So,
none of us can ever truly have zero cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, however, is
what’s commonly referred to as ‘good cholesterol,’ as it can absorb excess cholesterol in the blood
and carry it towards a person’s liver. There, it can be flushed out and expelled from the body,
meaning that higher levels of HDL cholesterol can reduce the risks of conditions like heart disease.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is the type that collects in the walls of your blood cells.
The reason it’s important to be aware of the difference is that it’s still possible to
have a high level of LDL cholesterol even if someone is eating a vegan diet. Just because
something is vegan doesn’t make it inherently healthy; as with any foods, vegan foods that
are high in LDL can be consumed in a way that is unhealthy. For example, any foods that are high
in refined grains – think about your pasta, white rice, or any drinks with a high sugar content –
can also introduce more LDL cholesterol into your system and leave you at risk of heart disease.
Although a vegan diet can potentially reduce the risk of a person developing heart disease,
and improve the overall health of their heart, that isn’t to say it’s a guarantee,
nor does it mean that vegans are immune to the dangers of having too high a level
of LDL cholesterol. It often comes down to the vegan options an individual chooses to consume,
those are what determines levels of specific types of cholesterol and thus either reduces
or increases the potential for heart disease. As with their calorie intake, the weight they
might’ve gained or lost, and any other factor relating to any other diet,
cholesterol intake is something a person going vegan should ideally monitor,
just to be on the safe side, as should we all! A reduced risk of heart disease is far from the
only change that the body can undergo as a result of a vegan diet. As a matter of fact,
the body is likely to change in response to any diet. It’s important to remember that not
all of these changes always visible, or can be felt – and not all of them are always good
changes either. Sometimes, although this once again varies person to person, somebody going
vegan can experience a loss in their bone mass. Just as there are those that benefit the body in
other ways, like aiding digestion or growth, there are specific nutrients that improve the strength
and density of human bones. And unfortunately for anybody that’s gone vegan, these particular
nutrients are found in animal products. Dairy, while it can be filled with high
levels of cholesterol, can also be an excellent source of calcium, which the body can use to
maintain the strength of one’s bones. Many of the body’s muscles, including those within the heart,
also rely on calcium. Studies even suggest that calcium and vitamin D can assist in protecting
the body against cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Then, there’s vitamin B12,
important for maintaining the mineral density of a person’s bones. B12 can often be found in eggs,
beef, and salmon – and as you’ve most likely realized, with all of these being animal products,
that means they’re off the menu for anyone who wants to stick to being vegan.
Having reduced levels of these bone-benefiting nutrients can sometimes cause anyone who
is strictly vegan to have a lower bone density. While this might not be apparent
right away – since none of us can see our own bones without the use of an x-ray machine – low
bone density can lead to a condition known as osteoporosis. Since our bones are living tissue,
they are constantly being broken down and replaced with new bone. Osteoporosis occurs
when the creation of this new bone slows down and can’t keep up with the old bone being broken down.
It causes a person’s bones to weaken and makes them brittle, to the point where
they can break a lot easier. In some cases, just bending over or coughing can fracture
someone’s bones if they have this disorder. Now, you might think that this is a death
sentence for the bones of anyone going vegan. After all, if you can’t get the necessary
nutrients to keep your bones healthy, then surely you must be doomed to develop osteoporosis?
While a lot of the things beneficial to bones are found in animal products,
there are other alternative sources. For example, we mentioned calcium, which is commonly found in
dairy products. But a lot of soy products on the market are also rich in calcium,
along with almonds and both white and black beans. Just like being aware of what alternative source
they’re getting their protein from, someone going vegan will want to consider how they’re getting
their other vital nutrients into their diet in order to avoid complications like osteoporosis.
There are plenty of other bodily changes that can occur as a result of going vegan. For one,
some might experience an unpleasant change to their skin. Some dermatologist have linked
veganism with skin breakouts – when the hair follicles of the face get clogged with dead
skin cells and excess oil, causing the formation of acne. This can occur as a
result of a vegan person switching their sources of protein from meat to more plant-based options.
Certain soy products are known to contain phytoestrogens, which are a compound found in
plants that can affect the body’s normal level of hormones, and this, in turn, can trigger breakouts
of acne. Although, as undesirable as this might sound, continuing on a vegan diet does not mean
that these breakouts persist indefinitely, and can often even clear up on their own.
There is another change that, if you are vegan or have ever lived with one, you may have been
holding your breath for us to bring up. The touchy and admittedly stinky subject of vegan farts. This
is technically a sequel to our point about the diverse gut biome often caused by a plant-based
diet, but anyone who eats purely plants will also be taking in an absolute truckload of fiber,
which also promotes good digestive health. The excess gut bacteria also results in the
stomach and intestine producing excess gas, which leads to some truly noxious flatulence.
A new vegan may find this bodily change embarrassing or even worrying,
but your body will adjust to the change over time. To alleviate symptoms in the meantime, you’ll want
to stay hydrated, and cook gas-inducing foods like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower rather than
eating them raw. Taking probiotic supplements on the side probably won’t hurt either.
While it can cause a number of bodily changes, adopting a vegan diet isn’t inherently a bad
thing. As with any diet, the key to maintaining the necessary things your body needs to function
is to practice good planning and awareness of what you’re eating. This might not prevent any
and all changes that being vegan can incur, but keeping track of what foods you’re
getting what nutrients from can prove useful in indicating what might be affecting the body.
No watch “What Does it Actually Feel Like to be Shot.” Or watch this video instead!