Reducing your meat consumption is good for the planet, but a new study has confirmed that going veggie can work wonders for your personal health too. Following a vegetarian diet is twice as effective than a carnivorous one when it comes to losing weight, researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC found.
According to lead author, Dr. To reach their conclusions, researchers studied 74 people with type 2 diabetes - they were randomly assigned either a vegetarian diet or a typical anti-diabetic diet, which followed the official recommendations of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes EASD.
In order to assess weight loss potential, all participants had their diets restricted to calories a day less than they would need to maintain their weight.
10 Reasons a Vegetarian Diet Helps with Weight Loss and Health - Weight Loss Resources
After six months, those following the vegetarian diet had lost an average of 6. It was a small sample size, but heavily suggests going veggie could make you lose twice as much weight. Both diets were found to cause a similar reduction in subcutaneous fat under the skin. Subfascial fat on the surface of the muscles was only reduced on the vegetarian diet though, and intramuscular fat inside muscles was reduced a lot more too. However, we also showed that a vegetarian diet is much more effective at reducing muscle fat, thus improving metabolism.
But it is also relevant to anyone who takes their weight management seriously and wants to stay lean and healthy. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium.
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10 Reasons a Vegetarian Diet Helps with Weight Loss and Health
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. Not long ago, telling people you were vegan would likely have elicited a hostile response. Now, when plant-based diets are more popular than ever before, vegans are far more likely to be met with congratulations than commiserations — probably from fellow vegans — and after having been vegan for 10 weeks myself, I can already see why. Ethical and environmental benefits aside, there are endless studies that document the myriad health benefits reaped by vegans, including lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease and protecting you against diabetes.
I have however, discovered a newfound love of yoga. Studies show that vegans benefit from good gut health thanks to an increase in fibre intake.
Vegetarian diets twice as effective for weight loss as carnivorous meal plans, says study
This can subsequently lead to lower levels of inflammation and elevated digestive health. Plus, on the odd occasion when I do eat a little more than I probably should because vegans are only human too , I feel back to normal in no time. Actually, no.
But for the most part, I feel more energised than I ever did in my meat and cheese-feasting days. For example, I no longer get that 4pm slump after one too many cappuccinos and most mornings I wake up before my alarm — I know, I am virtuous vegan, hear me roar. Naturally, I proceeded to walk around the office for an entire week like the smug, spotless vixen that I now am. Ah hummus, pitta bread and peanut butter, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Ah raw vegan chocolate After just a few weeks of being vegan, I quickly learned that there are ways to indulge in plant-based treats without succumbing to the inflated price tags and readily-available junk food staples that just to happen to be vegan think Oreos and French fries.
In fact, there are a number of indulgent vegan foods on offer that are both pocket and waistline-friendly, when consumed in moderation. Already have an account?
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Log in here. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles.
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