If you’re transitioning to a vegan diet you might be wondering what to expect from your body. For many people, moving to a vegan diet is a huge change from what they’re used to eating, especially if you’re choosing to pursue a whole food plant based diet. So what actually happens to your body when you stop consuming meat, eggs and dairy and how long does it take for these changes to become noticeable?
Here’s a few things that you might experience if you’re coming to the green side.
3 Side Effects You May Experience When Going Vegan
Digestion
Okay, so let’s just say that vegans in general poop a whole lot more than people who eat meat eggs and dairy. Not in a bad way but in a really healthy “your digestive system is working at the right rate” kinda way. As a rule, people who follow a whole food plant-based diet report much lower levels of bloating and constipation than other people do. That’s not to say it never happens, after all some of us cannot escape the symptoms of PMS, but it’s certainly less frequent.
On the other side of this, you might find that a whole food vegan diet will make you more constipated and bloated if you don’t drink enough water. Vegan is a very high fibre diet which is amazing for our digestive systems but if you don’t drink enough, it has the opposite effect. Equally people who are switching suddenly to a high fibre diet might experience these problems short term while the body readjusts to the new food.
Risk of Serious Diseases
Switching to a plant-based diet can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and even dementia.
Many common medical problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure are caused by a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries. This can lead to a stroke, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Thankfully a plant-based diet no cholesterol, and much less saturated fat which are the main causes of clogged arteries. This means that your blood can flow more freely around the body and reach major organs like the heart and the brain without interruption.
Consuming animal products has also been linked to different types of cancer. This is in part due to the hormones present in meat and dairy products, but some meats (processed meat and red meat) contain carcinogens. Studies have shown that vegetarians are 40 percent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, surely this number can only go up when you also ditch the hormone heavy milk and eggs?
Happiness
Did you know that switching to a plant based diet can actually effect your overall mood? Not long after starting your new lifestyle you might experience a serious high in comparison to how you’d been feeling before and it’s all down to the lovely microbes in your stomach.
Adopting a plant-based diet can create good bacteria in the gut, these little guys then create byproducts when they absorb all the lovely nutrients and energy you’re giving your body. These byproducts then wash through the brain and thanks to your happy healthy tummy bacteria, you’re happier and healthier too!
So we’re not making any promises but it sounds like your body will be thanking you every meal time.
Other symptoms of switching to a plant-based diet may include, but are not limited to:
- Cravings for Vego bars
- Emotional bonding with avocados
- Urges to make your porridge pretty
- Increased instagram opportunities
