Vegan Diet Healthier for Women

Many women I know have become vegans in the last few years. Some have done it for ethical reasons (not wanting to eat meat or have leather shoes, for instance) while others have done it simply to try and be healthier. One recent study says that one million Americans are vegans.

Vegans, of course, don’t eat meat. But they also shun anything having to do with animal-based products. So they don’t eat eggs, dairy, fish, or poultry. Instead they get their proteins from a “variety of soy-based foods, beans, legumes, nuts and leafy greens.”

My vegan pals seem to enjoy their meals, and their lifestyle. I wondered how difficult it was to change to this type of diet, and they said eating out can be a challenge in that you don’t always know how dishes are prepared. Shopping and food preparation were the biggest things to change for them.

Experts say that a vegan diet is much healthier for women, both in saturated fat and cholesterol. Vegetarians in general live longer than meat eaters.
Despite all this, I still haven’t given the vegan lifestyle a try.

What do you think? Are you a vegan? What challenges does eating vegan provide? Benefits?

Image: sxc.hu.