ABSTRACT

Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that has been lurking on the fringes of commonplace for quite a few years now. The main reason it has yet to be generally accepted and put into practice by most people is due to lack of education. The most commonly misunderstood aspect of veganism is the actual benefits seen on a cellular and systemic level immediately after a fully plant-based meal. This paper will discuss those benefits as well as the juxtaposing risks posed by a diet composed of animal products. These benefits will be discussed as they relate to the protein package, which encompasses all other nutrients that come with the ingestion of a given protein source; the vitamin and mineral intake profiles, as well as the risks of potential vitamin and mineral deficiencies. A similar discussion will be had about the risks of the metabolic profiles of an omnivorous diet. The author considers all of the information presented in this paper to make a recommendation as to whether veganism would be a beneficial lifestyle for people to undertake. The primary reasons for the recommendations are due to the much healthier innate protein packages associated with a vegan diet in comparison to an omnivorous diet, as well as the inherent risks associated with an omnivorous diet.