How will your life change when you become a vegan?

Are you curious about the changes which veganism will bring into your life? Actually, you should consider them before you decide to change your diet and your lifestyle itself. There are many things you should be aware of and some of them are very positive whereas others are pretty unpleasant.

What is positive about becoming a vegan?

Let’s start with the positive things waiting for you after switching to a new diet.

Possible health benefits

Note that the health benefits are positive. The question of the importance of animal-based products in our diets are still a subject of fierce debates. There is no single general answer to this question while every person is very individual having his or her own health condition, lifestyle and environment.

Yet, there are people who know for sure they should not eat meat, for instance, those suffering from purine metabolism imbalance. Another example is if you are suffering from acne, you might find the condition of your skin improving after resigning from dairy products. Again, it does not mean everyone can benefit from such a diet.

Possible weight loss

This possibility is also not guaranteed as everything depends on your food choices in general. Whether you eat meat or you are a vegetarian or a vegan, you can still have either a healthy well-balanced diet or a poor diet which will cause health problems including obesity.

The weight loss can be promoted if your previous diet was not well-balanced and now, switching to vegetarianism made you reconsider your diet significantly. In such a case you can really improve your health condition, however, the reason for it will be just the fact you become more conscious about the food you are eating.

You will get moral satisfaction

Undeniably, the majority of people deciding to become vegans are looking for this option in order to satisfy their moral and ethical needs. There is no doubt veganism will help you to achieve this goal as veganism is promoting a non-violent attitude towards animals.

Still, when it comes to the arguments on the general impact of animal food production and plant farming, the issue is also controversial, as both types of food industry and farming are highly negative for our planet.

You will have a chance to discover many interesting and unusual products

One of the most amazing opportunities given by veganism is the fact it encourages you to search for unusual products which you will not consume otherwise. Of course, the products you are interested in in the first place are plant-based.

Indeed, you will discover various exotic fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and a variety of healthy plant oils. Yet, you should be aware of the fact the consumption of exotic products is criticised by a broader ecologically-friendly movement which is Zero Waste. Even though the movement itself is promoting veganism, this diet will not be thus attractive if you choose products exclusively from the ones produced locally especially if you are living in a country with a relatively cold climate.

Some of the negative aspects of veganism

There are still a couple of negative things which are waiting for you after switching to veganism. Of course, they might not be thus negative depending on your own attitude to them.

Risks of developing orthorexia

Orthorexia is a health condition which has been noticed by many specialists in people who are extremely concerned about the food they are eating. It is a modern disorder which has still not been recognised by the medical community, however, it might happen pretty soon.

People with orthorexia are unnaturally careful about their food choices which becomes an obsession and, at the same time, it can also lead to phobias about food. This can happen when people choose a diet with severe restrictions on products and especially, when such a diet has some ethical foundation.

If your attitude to your diet is well-balanced, this will not happen to you. Still, there are many people for whom the choice for food becomes a central part of their lives. Needless to say, this is so because they cannot eat the food the majority of people are consuming because it the food allowed by their diet is less available.

There is also a psychological factor. Such individuals feel themselves to be better than other people as they find their will power to resign from tastier dishes stronger than it is in others. In addition to it, they also develop a strong mechanism of guilt for eating something forbidden.

Food choice

Needless to say, being a vegan will require thoroughly planning of all of your meals and snacks which will take lots of time from your life. Moreover, even if you master cooking such dishes and will completely resign from vegan restaurants, such a diet will still be more expensive than the one including animal products.