Why vegan is good for you

In this blog, I'll explain why you too should consider making a certain share of your diet vegan. Don't get me wrong. This isn't about promoting veganism or convincing you to become a vegan. Instead, I want to show you the added value of an even more balanced diet that includes vegan food.

Over-acidification – a widespread problem

If you eat mainly meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, you're feeding your body acid. Acid itself isn't a bad thing. What matters is that acid and base are in balance in your body. Since the majority of the population consumes too little alkaline vegetables and fruit, an imbalance occurs, causing acid to dominate in the body.

Scientific studies have shown that over-acidification can play a role in the development of cancer and other serious diseases.

The majority of vegan foods are alkaline or promote the formation of base in the body.

My top 3 alkaline-forming vegetables: spinach, zucchini, fennel

My top 3 alkaline-forming fruits: figs, bananas, raisins

List of acid-load foods: Link

Tip number 1: Add a certain share of vegan food to your diet and increase your intake of alkaline vegetables and fruit, so your body has a better acid-to-base ratio.

Improving strength-endurance performance

There are no scientific studies on this specifically, but there are a few connections that support it.

As mentioned earlier, eating more meat, fish, eggs and dairy can create an excess of acid in the body.

In training too, there's a point where you feel acid in the form of lactic acid. It burns in your legs, the maximum load on the muscle has been reached.

If you now change your diet and eat fewer animal products, significantly less acid builds up in your body.

In training, this shows up as better strength-endurance performance. It simply takes longer before your body becomes over-acidified during training.

As I said, this statement isn't based on scientific studies, but on my personal observation. After 14 years of strength training, I'm very attuned to differences in the form of better performance.

Meat and fish can contain a lot of purines and uric acid

Meat and fish can contain a lot of purines. Purines are substances found in food. They're a component of every cell and are necessary for genetic material and the formation of new cells. When purines from food are broken down, uric acid is produced. In some people, this can't be excreted in sufficient amounts. As a result, uric acid levels in the blood get too high, which can lead to deposits in the joints and, with that, gout.

Foods high in purines:

The following foods contain a lot of purines and should therefore only be eaten in moderation:

• Meat
• Poultry
• Game
• Offal
• Sausage
• Fish
• Soy products
• Legumes
• Skin of fish and poultry
• Meat crust
• Smoked fish and meat products
• Shellfish and crustaceans
• Cabbage, brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus

If you've had elevated uric acid levels in your blood for a while now, I'd recommend a diet low in purines and uric acid. Among other things, this is possible by reducing your meat consumption and replacing it with, for example, vegan food. I can tell you from my own experience that the impact on uric acid levels is enormous.

When I switched my diet completely to vegan, my uric acid level was measured before and after. After 16 weeks of a vegan diet, the uric acid in my blood dropped by half!

Tip number 2: A vegan diet can, under certain circumstances, help lower uric acid levels in the blood. A low uric acid level can protect you from deposits in your joints.

Meat and fish can contain dangerous bacteria and parasites

If you haven't looked into this topic in detail yet, you're probably surprised. The fact is, meat and fish can contain dangerous bacteria and parasites. Most are killed during frying. Still, there's a certain residual risk. Among the most dangerous bacteria are E. coli O157:H7, salmonella and campylobacter. E. coli O157:H7 has even claimed lives.

The risk of such pathogens is significantly lower with a vegan diet.

Tip number 3: Increase the vegan share of your diet to minimise this risk, and source high-quality meat from a supplier where you can be sure animal husbandry is done properly.

New stimuli in the kitchen

One of the main reasons I discovered vegan cooking back then was, among other things, that the taste of meat and fish had started to bore me. There's an explanation for this too.

Imagine growing up with meat and fish since childhood. Sure, you can season and prepare it differently, but after a while you simply get used to the taste. It's just not anything special anymore.

Vegan cooking opens up a whole new world of flavours for you. Personally, I'm a big fan of tempeh with its slightly nutty taste. The various legume recipes also enrich vegan cooking.

Here's a good recipe for you:

Preparation:

1. Prepare mixed leaf salad/lamb's lettuce and tomatoes
2. Peel papaya and pomegranate
3. Cut fermented tofu into cubes
4. Boil yellow quinoa in water for 25 minutes
5. Cook kidney beans either fresh, after soaking in water beforehand (8-12 hours), for 15 minutes in a pressure cooker (or use pre-cooked jarred kidney beans)
6. Prepare the salad dressing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, season with chives, dill, pink pepper and fresh rosemary
7. Assemble the salad
8. Enjoy!

Tip number 4: If you've gotten so used to the taste of meat and fish that you're looking for a change, vegan cooking is exactly right for you.

Vegan foods

Tempeh

A fermented product based on soybeans. Nutritional values comparable to turkey breast: protein 19g, carbohydrates 9g, fat 11g (per 100g)

Tofu

Made from white soybeans. Nutritional values: protein 8g, carbohydrates 1.9g, fat 4.8g (per 100g)

Seitan

A vegan food with a meat-like texture, based on wheat or ancient spelt protein. Nutritional values: protein 28g, carbohydrates 2g, fat 2.5g (per 100g)

Legumes/grains

These also contain very valuable plant protein. Foods: kidney beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, quinoa, amaranth, pearl barley, buckwheat

Vegan protein powder

This includes: rice protein, pea protein, hemp protein

I hope you enjoyed this blog post too, and I'd of course be delighted if you shared it on social media.