Thinking of Going Vegan: 6 Side Effects You Need to Be Aware Of
Every diet, including a vegan one, has good and bad points. If you’re thinking about trying a vegan diet, here are 6 things to watch out for.
Vegan diets are popular for their health benefits, including weight loss, but they also have drawbacks. They may lack key nutrients found in animal products, like vitamin B12 and iron, omega-3 fatty acids and calcium which can lead to deficiencies and fatigue. It’s important to understand these potential side effects before switching to a vegan diet.
Understanding the Vegan Diet
A vegan diet is a type of diet that excludes all animal products. This means vegans don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs, or any other animal-derived ingredients. Instead, they focus on eating plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. Vegan diets are often chosen for health reasons or ethical beliefs, as they can be lower in saturated fats and cholesterol and may help reduce the environmental impact of food production.
6 Vegan Diet Side Effects to Know
1. Missing nutrients
When you’re on a vegan diet, you might not get enough essential nutrients. Foods like fish, meat, and eggs have nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein that are important for your body. Without them, you could feel tired, weak, constipated, or lose weight unexpectedly.
2. Protein Deficiency Risk
Protein is crucial for building and repairing tissues, supporting the immune system, and maintaining muscle mass. While you can get protein from plant-based foods like beans, lentils, tofu, and quinoa, they contain antinutrients like phytates and lectin. These can increase gut permeability and cause issues. Animal-based proteins don’t have these antinutrients.
3. Digestive Issues
When you start a vegan diet, your digestion might need time to get used to it. Eating more fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes can sometimes lead to bloating, gas, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fiber is good for digestion, but too much of it can cause stomach discomfort.
4. Risk of Weight Gain
Even though some people choose a vegan diet to lose or manage weight, it’s still possible to gain weight if you’re not careful. Vegan diets can include processed foods like vegan cheese, sugary snacks, and refined grains that are high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Eating too much of these foods can lead to weight gain.
5. Risk of Eating Disorders
While a vegan diet can be healthy if done right, it might raise the chance of developing an eating disorder. Orthorexia nervosa is when someone obsesses over eating only “pure” or “clean” foods, while vegan orthorexia is specifically focusing on restricting your diet to plant-based foods.
6. Nutrient Overconsumption
A plant-based diet is known for being rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. However, there’s a risk of getting too many nutrients if you take too many supplements or eat too many fortified foods. For instance, having too much fortified plant-based milk can lead to an overdose of vitamins like D or A, which can harm your health.
Conclusion
Before starting any diet, it’s important to understand all aspects of it. Knowing the potential side effects of a vegan diet doesn’t mean you should stop following it. This information is provided so you can adjust your diet correctly and meet your daily nutrient requirements.
