Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [164]
Local farmers may run CSAs, or community supported agriculture associations. Members buy a share in a farm and then receive weekly deliveries of fresh, locally grown, and usually organic produce. The cost for these fruits and vegetables is often much cheaper than the local health food store, and you get the added benefit of helping a small, local farmer stay in business while making new friends. To find a co-op or CSA near you visit www.localharvest.org. or call 831-475-8150.
Part VII
The Part of Tens
In this part . . .
Here comes the part of the book you’ve been waiting for — unless, of course, you flipped here before reading anything else! These handy lists of important and often-used information can get you through cocktail party discussions and family meetings about health and diet.
These last chapters give you the lowdown on why vegan living is so amazing, how to make it more fun and interesting than you ever thought possible, and how to respond to the most common questions you’ll hear about your new lifestyle.
Chapter 25
Ten Reasons for Eating a Vegan Diet
In This Chapter
Understanding the health benefits of a vegan diet
Arming yourself with information to support your decision to live a vegan life
If you’re unsure about changing your eating and lifestyle habits, this chapter can offer you the most compelling, fact-rich information to help you in your transformation. The justification is different for every vegan, and no reason is better than any other.
It’s Heart Healthy and Cancer Protective
The facts are undeniable: Heart disease remains the number one killer of men and women in the United States. Luckily, a vegan diet is good for your heart health. The American Heart Association supports the fact that a balanced vegan diet is lower in fat and is cholesterol-free (because only animal foods have cholesterol), which leads to lower risks for coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.
In fact, studies have shown that a vegan diet — rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables — can stop and even reverse heart disease. Imagine how many lives could be saved if more people adopted a vegan diet.
The second most common cause of death in America is cancer. Like heart disease, many cancers can be treated or prevented with a vegan diet. The immense amount of cancer-fighting properties in fresh fruits and vegetables is leading scientific researchers to study the benefits of this diet. Chapter 1 discusses these topics in further detail.
It Keeps You Slim
Maintaining a healthy weight is much easier with a vegan diet. Because most plant foods are naturally low in fat, a vegan eats less total fat and very little saturated fat. A thoughtful vegan diet is helpful for overweight and obese people who want to lose weight. That’s because they’ll naturally consume fewer calories, even while eating good-quality ingredients and abundant nutrition.
A plant-based, vegan diet is full of veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, and beans, which are all great sources of fiber. A fiber-rich diet is more filling, often leading a person to eat less food and fewer calories. Fiber also helps the digestive system move better and eliminate properly, helping the body to maintain a healthy balance of water.
It Has a Lower Carbon Footprint
The farming and agriculture conditions required to raise animals for food production cause some of the largest uses of fresh water and fossil fuels in the world. Experts state that food production in the U.S. accounts for 19 percent of total energy use. By choosing a vegan diet, your food automatically requires less intensive use of petroleum for transporting animals, running machines, and powering factory farms. Buying local, seasonal produce is even more eco-friendly because it requires less refrigeration and fuel for transportation. Even if you do continue to eat Maine blueberries in your winter muffins, you’re still being better to the environment than if you were still eating animal foods.
It’s Kind to All Living