Firstly it’s very important for us to know what is Veganism?. It means boycotting the consumption of all animal products, precisely in the diet. An individual that follows only a plant diet and avoids animal diet products is known as Vegan. This philosophy rejects to consider animals as a commodity. Hence, this idea of lifestyle is environment friendly too.
Coming onto our main concern, are vegans immune from COVID-19?
The answer is no. There is no direct link between Veganism and Covid prevention. If you are a Vegan, this doesn’t assure your safety from Covid. Though, plant-based diets have many health benefits that may prevent you from catching chronic diseases. But can a Vegan diet which means a plant-based diet, lower the risk of covid?
Can plant based diet lower the risk of Covid?
Though, there is no particular diet that lowers the risk of a person catching covid. But a vegan diet surely provides you with many health benefits that can indirectly help you to fight covid or recover from it by making your immune system strong. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises people to take a balanced diet to boost up their immunity during Covid 19 pandemic. This diet includes eating fresh, unprocessed foods, such as vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
Also, WHO recommends avoiding food containing sugar fat, and salt, limiting red meat consumption to 1-2 days a week. It also recommends restricting poultry to 2-3 times a week. A report by WHO states that one should not consume more than 160 grams of meat and beans daily.
Research shows that a plant-based diet has health benefits regarding weight, immune system, energy, and reducing inflammation. These beneficial properties of a Vegan diet help you to lower the impact of covid by strengthening your immune system.
Though it is very important to note that having a plant-based diet doesn’t make you a Vegan. The plant-based diet only includes diet but Veganism includes other factors. People who consider themselves Vegans oppose the idea of killing or exploiting animals for food, cosmetics, clothing, etc. People who follow plant-based diets eat mainly or exclusively plant foods. Some people may prefer including whole food in their diet only. Adopting Veganism can be because of health, environmental, or ethical reasons. Though, it is not necessarily concluded that having only a plant-based diet can improve your immune system. A person can be consuming only a plant diet and still have weak health due to consuming too much-processed foods, plant-based alternatives, and plant fats.
Fats and animal products contain so many essential nutrients. A person who consumes so much processed food or only plant-based food may face nutritional deficiency in the body. For example, Vitamin B12 can be lack in your body.
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Benefits of plant- based diet
Plants- based diet basically means eating plant products only and avoiding animal-based products. We can say that this kind of diet promotes a Vegetarian or Vegan diet. However, there is an easy way out too. There is a flexible version of the plant diet also, which allows eating animal products in moderation. This type is known as the flexitarian diet.
Whereas, on the other hand, a Vegan diet means avoiding all the products that come from animals like dairy, honey, gelatin, whey, etc. There are no specific or rigid rules to follow in the Flexitarian diet. It’s more like a lifestyle change instead of just a way to diet. It promotes eating fruits and vegetables more with having animal products moderately. It helps in limiting high-calorie food, which may result in weight loss. Here are some benefits that a plant-based diet or vegan diet provides us.
More Vitamins and Minerals
A plant-based diet majorly includes consuming raw vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are great sources of essential Vitamins and Minerals such as zinc, selenium, and vitamins A, C, and E.Selenium is a mineral that benefits immune system health and cognitive function.
A study conducted by the British Journal of Nutrition concludes that people with a sufficient level of micronutrients may be less likely to get Covid.
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, only one in ten adults in the United States eat enough fruits or vegetables. Hence, by switching to a vegan diet, people will intake more essential Vitamins and Minerals that can surely help in boosting their immunity. A good immune system is very essential to fight Covid and other chronic diseases.
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Contains Antioxidants
Whole plant foods like fruits and vegetables are a great source of antioxidants and essential nutrients. Food rich in antioxidants helps the immune system to fight harmful pathogens. These antioxidants help in decreasing inflammation and make a covering around the cell. These coverings can help in protecting our cells from free radicals. Free radicals cause inflammation in the body once they exist in high amounts in our body. Chronic inflammation in the body results in many health issues including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and certain cancers.
Also, the fibre in plant-based food gives energy to your body. Vegetables and fruits are rich sources of Vitamin C that can prevent you from catching a cold. Thus, the consumption of fruits and vegetables can help you in boosting immunity.
Helps in Reducing Weight
Fruits and vegetables are great sources of fibre. They have low calories and fats. Not only this but fruits and vegetables provide you with so many essential minerals and vitamins. But as everything comes with some set of instructions, so is this tip. Try to have fruits and vegetables in their natural form or with low-fat cooking techniques. you can also go with frozen or canned fruits and vegetables. They are inspected to be as nutritional as fresh ones just with some minimal differences.
Fruit juices can’t work as a replacement for fresh fruits. Juices have lost fibre from fruits. So eat raw fruits and vegetables instead of juices. Whole fruits satisfy your hunger in a much better way than Dry fruits with an equal amount of calories. So, a plant-based diet is a great way of reducing weight.
Helps in lowering chances of Cancer and Heart diseases
According to research by the world health organization, one-third of all cancers can be prevented by making some essential changes in diet. For example, eating legumes regularly may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by 9–18%. Research also suggests that eating at least 7 portions of fresh fruits and vegetables per day reduces the chance of getting cancer by 15%. Also, vegan diets include more soy products. Soy products are said to have crucial proteins that can prevent you from having breast cancer.
Vegan diets are plant-based diets. Studies show that people who follow a vegan diet reduces the risk of having high blood pressure by 75%. Also, vegans may have a 42% lower risk of dying from heart disease. Many studies conclude that vegan diets are very effective in reducing blood sugar levels, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and total cholesterol levels. All these benefits clearly show that how vegan diets are good for our heart health as factors like cholesterol level and blood sugar level plays a major part in inviting heart-related diseases
A vegan diet doesn’t ensure safety against COVID-19 but is very effective when it comes to other health benefits. A strong immune system can help you in redeeming all the energy and nutrients you lose during covid and can also help you go through it easily. So plant-based food is always a yes when you need to stay healthy diseases.
