Statistics show that about five percent of all Americans have already changed their lifestyle and embraced the vegan trend. Though the rate hasn't changed for over the past seven years, it is still inevitable to see how people are getting intrigued by this diet thinking how amazing it could benefit their body.
Some online health blogs even support the idea of how good it is to choose vegan. As a matter of fact, in an online page called Krishi Jagran, Abha Toppo, one of their writers, posted an article entitled "10 benefits of being a vegetarian". There he enumerated some of its advantages, which includes longer life expectancy, lower cholesterol levels, and low risks of having cardiovascular diseases. Toppo also added that getting the meat out of one's diet can also make the skin healthier, improves metabolism, and can also help manage depression.
May it is for one's health, belief, religion, or for the benefit of the environment, a lot of people are now going vegan. But what does the health specialists and scientists say about this? Is a vegan diet that healthy?
"No meat in our diets? Impossible," exclaimed by Wong Ching, a registered Chinese medicine practitioner in Hong Kong. As opposed to what others believe in, Ching explained that no matter what kind of plant-based meat substitutes vegans will consume, nothing can still replace the benefit of real meat.
Ching's stand is rooted in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) popular belief of yin and yang. This idea emphasized that food have different energies, as reported by South China Morning Post. It says that the energy of the food can either be cool, cold, warm, neutral and hot, which could either strengthen or weaken the body. The effects would only depend on the balance and harmony of the food energies you've eaten.
As explained by Ching, our food can either be yin (water) or yang (fire) energy. Without consuming both these energy, the body will not be able to absorb the nutrients and vitamins it needs, which can eventually lead to the deterioration of organs.
"There is no evidence that a vegetarian or vegan would get sick more easily as long as he or she consumes a balanced and adequate diet," Dr. Leong Lai Peng of National University of Singapore shares as contrary to what Ching has said. Since it is difficult to reach the daily nutrient requirements, the dietician advises vegetarians to always monitor their food intake. Doing so, the body will still have enough nutrient and vitamins that it needs to function throughout the day.
