Veganska prehrana

Veganska prehrana temelji se na izbjegavanju svih namirnica životinjskog podrijetla zbog čega vegani, u usporedbi s omnivorima, konzumiraju više voća, povrća, cjelovitih žitarica, mahunarki i orašastih plodova. Takva prehrana ima brojne prednosti budući da maksimizira unos nekih od nutritivno najpoželjnijih namirnica dostupnih čovjeku. Povećan unos namirnica biljnoga podrijetla pridonosi zdravlju srca i krvožilnog sustava budući da one sadrže manje količine šećera i masti zbog čega vegani imaju niži BMI i niže razine lošeg kolesterola u krvi. Osim toga, vlakna u biljnim namirnicama mogu poboljšati probavu, ali i uzrokovati probleme kao što su konstipacija, nadutost i slično. Iako ima određene prednosti, prehrana koja izbjegava namirnice životinjskog podrijetla ima znatno smanjen unos nekih nutrijenata koji su važni za normalan rad tijela. Iz tog razloga, veganska prehrana sadrži smanjene količine nutrijenata kao što su: vitamin B12, ω-3 masne kiseline, vitamin D, kalcij, željezo i cink. Ako nije kontrolirano, ovo može negativno utjecati na brojne tjelesne funkcije te izazvati različite poremećaje u živčanom sustavu, kostima te krvožilnom sustavu. Kako bi se ovo spriječilo, ti se nedostaci moraju nadoknaditi alternativnim izvorima poput dodataka prehrani, obogaćene hrane i posebnih namirnica poput algi, mikroalgi, suhoga graha, soka od sušenih šljiva i slično. Sve dok pravilno suplementiraju svoju prehranu, veganska prehrana je uravnotežena i prihvatljiva. Veganism is based around avoiding all animal products. This encourage vegans to eat more fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts when compared to omnivores. Such diet has plenty of benefits since it maximizes the intake of some of the healthiest foods available to humans. Increased intake of plant foods contributes to heart and cardiovascular health due to the fact that most of these foods have relatively small amounts of sugar and fat – which helps vegans to have a lower BMI and a healthier level of bad cholesterol. Other than that, fibers found in plant foods can help with digestion, but also cause problems for some, making them constipated and flatulent. Despite of the benefits, diets that avoid animal products have a considerably lower intake of certain nutrients which are important for normal function of the body. Due to that, vegan diet has lower amounts of nutrients such as: vitamin B12, ω-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and zinc. If not held under control, these deficiencies can affect numerous functions in the body and cause various sicknesses and disorders in the nervous system, bones and cardiovascular system. To prevent this, vegans must compensate for these shortages by taking alternative sources such as supplements, enriched foods and alternative foodstuffs such as seaweed, microalgae, dried beans, prune juice and others. While these shortages are properly compensated, veganism can be a balanced and acceptable diet.