Top 10 Vegan diet Myths, busted...

A vegan diet is currently defined as a way of adapting a food diet that excludes all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty from food. The term “vegan” was coined in 1944 by a small group of vegetarians who broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England to form the Vegan Society. They chose not to consume dairy, eggs, or any other products of animal origin, in addition to refraining from meat, as do vegetarians. The term “vegan” was chosen by combining the first and last letters of “vegetarian.”

World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated by vegans around the world every 1 November. The benefits of veganism for humans and the natural environment are celebrated through activities such as setting up stalls, hosting potlucks, and planting memorial trees. There are some myths about the vegan diet. Let’s break those myths:

1. "Vegan diet is NOT healthy"

• This is the first and common myth about the vegan diet that is not healthy. But on contrary, it is far more healthy than other diets. A vegan diet is like providing everything fresh and healthy to your body.
• According to Ayurveda, we should include those in our diet watch who have life. For example, if we put a piece of meat in one plate and soaked grams in one plate, and let them rest at room temperature. The meat will stale and soaked grams get sprouts. The same thing happened to your body, meat gets stale inside your body before digestion that harms you from inside. A vegan diet makes you more healthy and lowers the rate of obesity and prostate and colorectal cancer.

2. "A vegan diet is not suitable for infants and young children"

• When it comes to children’s diet and nutrition, every parent tries to take extra care. There have been no factual studies that prove eating meals with meat and dairy is healthier. But some sources prove the benefits of a vegan diet on the health of children.
• A lot of parents have a concern about calcium content for stronger bones in a vegan diet. They thought a plant-based diet doesn’t have enough calcium in comparison to dairy products. But the vegan diet has several sources to provide enough calcium for the growing age of children.
• Lactose-intolerant children can also adapt to the same diet, so it is not solely for people with a vegan diet either.

3. "A vegan diet makes you weak"

• It is hard to believe about the vegan diet that makes you weak. There are vegan NFL players and world champion powerlifters who perform at the highest levels. Even the captain of the Indian Cricket team Virat Kohli follows the vegan diet. 
• Elephants can eat up to 170 kilos of plants a day, and gorillas consume up to 18 kilos of plants and lift to ten times their body weight.
• A well-known actor and powerlifter Arnold Schwarzenegger follows the vegan diet. Here is the documentary available on the internet.

4. "Vegan people need supplements"

• This is not true that only vegan people need supplements. Both vegans and non-vegans could take dietary supplements because fortified food is necessary for both of them.
• Supplements are required for the minerals and vitamins that we somehow lack in our daily food. The plant-based diet itself contains a lot of nutrients if you are having varieties in your diet like pulses, fruits, vegetables, seeds.
• Non-vegan people take vegetable supplements that provide the nutrients they lack in their food.

5. "You don’t get enough protein in a vegan diet"

• This is the most common myth around young people and the very first question to ask their dietician that how they get enough protein. So the answer is YES, you can have enough protein with a plant-based diet. According to Harvard Medical School, the recommended daily intake of protein for an average person is 0.8 gms per kilogram of body weight. 
• There is a lot of options to consume enough protein in a plant-based diet like tofu, lentil, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, broccoli, and spinach, etc. 
• One more thing for meat-eaters that must be considered is that they are having the same plant-based diet indirectly because the animals they eat are fed plants as their food

6. "A lot of restrictions on the vegan diet"

• Initially, it might seem restrictive for those who exclusively depend on a meat, dairy, eggs, and fish diet but if you start looking for vegan options, there is an ocean of food options.
• Adapting a vegan diet, you can try a different taste, spices, flavors, and cooking methods

7. "A plant-based diet is expensive"

• Packaged food is always expensive whether it is vegan or non-vegan. But you make your vegan food pocket-friendly by buying farm-fresh vegetables from the local market.
• You can buy dry pulses, beans, and other staples from the store and store them for a long time. It costs a lot less than other frozen products.

8. "Being vegan is all about the food"

• A very common myth about veganism is that people think ditching animals as food only is not veganism but ditching everything which is made from animal cruelty.
• Everything from makeup to dryer sheets to clothing can be made using animal products and therefore, not safe for vegans. Over 100 million animals are harmed in the production and testing of things we use every day.

9. "Vegans can't go out to eat"

• When you go out to restaurants that aren’t vegan-friendly, it’s always up to you to know what to order and how. As people are becoming vegan, restaurants also expanding their menu to provide better food and expanding sales. The point is, eating out is not only possible; it can actually be pretty easy when you know what to look for.

10. "You can't have tea/coffee on a vegan diet"

• It's good news for those people who wants to switch to a vegan diet but have a question about the caffeine intake because you can make your tea or coffee with plant-based milk too. Plant-based milk has many more health benefits than regular milk. 
• Substitute dairy milk with plant milk like coconut, soy, almond, oat, or cashew. You can make your own plant-based milk.

References:

1. Zayed, Sara. “6 Myth-Busting Facts About Plant-Based Diets.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 15 Mar.2019, URL
2. “9 Vegan Myths, Debunked - Diet and Nutrition Center - Everyday Health.”  URL