How A Vegan Diet Affects The Bodies Healing Power

The reality of life means that at some point we will all rely on our bodies to heal from trauma, illness, surgery, or even pain and damage caused by fitness training.

Modern medicine has become the go-to solution for most ailments, with medicines and treatments for all manner of illnesses and pain levels. What if there were another way though, would you take it?

Thanks to improved research and numerous studies over the last number of decades, the ancient physician Hippocrates’ declaration:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

is finally being backed by scientific evidence. More and more medical and nutritional experts are revealing the positive results of studies showing how a vegan diet can benefit our bodies.



Oxford University, the American Heart Association, and Harvard Medical School have all released findings of their extensive studies revealing how a vegan diet affects the body. Studies that confirm that eating a vegan diet can mitigate the risk of heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

And it’s not just medical patients who are benefiting from how a vegan diet affects the body either. Athletes too are enjoying improved performance and healing after switching to vegan diets.

Olympic athlete Dotsie Bausch, who won silver at the 2012 Olympics, puts her success down to the ability to recover quicker during training. Something that she attributes to her move to a plant-based diet. Bausch has stated in interviews that the anti-inflammatory nature of plants helped her handle a high training workload day after day, eventually leading to Olympic success.

6 Ways that a Vegan Diet Can Help Heal Your Body

Here’s some more information that confirms how a vegan diet can help you:

#1. Speeds Up The Healing Process

Many low-fat, plant-based dieters and researchers have documented and touted the importance of protein, since it supposedly leads to recovery. In fact, the amount of protein that’s found in vegetables, beans, and grains is more than enough protein in the average diet.

Some people will refer to this idea of how animals like bulls, stallions, elephants, and giraffes eat in a similar way. In fact, such animals are vegan, all of which are known to grow to where they’re big and strong. Therefore, the conclusion that can be drawn from it is that these animals are able to repair themselves every day from plant-based foods – and humans are no exception to this.

Delving deeper, a plant-based diet may be optimal during the healing process, by helping the body regulate levels of inflammation (the enlargement of blood vessels, the leaking of blood into tissues, and released antibodies occurring after injury). Although people can rely on inflammation to protect the body, it can easily get out of control. But with veganism, it can actually help to keep inflammation in check, and not cause you any problems with blood and the blood vessels in the body.

#2. Helps To Reduce Heart Disease

It is well documented that lifestyle is one of the leading causes of heart disease. A lack of exercise, poor diet, and stress all lead to issues with the heart. According to the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cardiovascular disease (aka heart disease) is the leading cause of death for men and women in America. Worryingly, they also say that every 40 seconds in the US someone has a heart attack.



Adopting a vegan diet could really be the difference between life and death. A study of more than 48,000 people published in the British Medical Journal found that those following a vegetarian or vegan diet had reduced cases of heart disease. Similarly, studies by American physician Dean Ornish found that patients on low-fat, plant-based diets experienced their coronary arteries gradually widening.

How a balanced vegan diet affects the body is that, unlike a diet containing red meat and fatty foods, it does not create a build-up of cholesterol or fatty deposits that narrow the arteries. Done right, a vegan diet is low in cholesterol and also low in the types of fats that cause issues.

#3. Helps With Digestion

Digestion is an important process in the human body, which is responsible for processing food and breaking them down to retrieve the necessary nutrients, minerals, and protein. However, what makes the digestive process possible are gut microbiomes, which are a collection of good bacteria that live in the digestive tract. But sometimes, gut microbiomes can use a little help in doing their job.



The good news is, research has shown that people who practice veganism tend to have healthier gut microbiomes. This is due to the extra fiber that consumers will get from a veggie- and whole-grains-rich diet. Why fiber? Well, fiber helps cultivate healthy gut bacteria, thus promoting a well-running digestive process.

In addition, these studies suggest that a vegan diet cultivates different types of bacteria than what you would normally get (or what’s left out) in an animal-based diet. Furthermore, these bacteria – appropriately nicknamed “vegans' bacteria” – can help lower inflammation in the gut, and can help boost metabolism.

#4. Tackles Obesity With Vegan Diets

Carrying too much extra weight can lead to aching joints, depression, and high blood pressure. However, it can also be a cause of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Switching to a vegan diet can help prevent obesity, and aid weight loss. Vegan diets are generally much lower in calories by their very nature, especially when following a balanced diet. Although it’s easy to settle for processed vegan food in stores, they’re actually high in sugar and salt. Therefore, look to fresh produce and products, when considering veganism.



As you consider the vegan diet for weight loss, try to do so gradually. Often when people change their diet completely in one go it can be harder to stick too.

#5. More Energy, And Better Sleep

Tired of… feeling tired all the time? Ever wanted to have more energy during the day, and better sleep during the night?

The truth is, animal-based foods take a lot of energy to digest, because of their high protein and fat content.

Whereas, with a plant-based diet (plenty of nuts, legumes, whole grains, and quinoa), you’ll feel more energized. Vegan products can give you a sustained boost of energy with healthy fats, complex carbs, and proteins. And, they have a low glycemic index, which keeps your blood sugar stable over time, without you suffering from a crash.

#6. Claps Back At Cancer

With cancer being the second-leading cause of death in the US, after heart disease, it’s more important than ever to do something about it. But what’s causing it?

Diet and physical activity are amongst the main causes of cancer. Plus, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already classified processed meat – especially red meat – as carcinogenic.

So, how can vegan diet help?

Whether we are fans of eating our greens or not, we all know that fruit and vegetables are full of nutrients and fiber. What you might not know is that compounds like beta-carotene and lycopene which are found in colorful vegetables are proactive cancer fighters!

Conclusion

All in all, a vegan diet can make a massive difference to our all-round health. Be that day to day or fighting major illnesses like cancer. If you are considering switching to a vegan diet in response to a medical diagnosis, speak to your physician first, and seek out expert support.

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Author Bio:

Katherine Rundell is a vegan and a writer at UK Assignment Writing Service. She is also a nutritionist and personal trainer who works with community groups looking to improve their lifestyles and diets.

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