In magazines, many stars like Jennifer Lopez, Moby, Ariana Grande, Nathalie Portman, Beyoncé praise the benefits of the Vegan diet. But what is it really? Is this famous diet really useful for losing weight? Let's take stock of the issue.

The Vegan diet: a philosophy

Note that at the beginning the vegan diet is a choice of life, animal welfare oriented and militant against any exploitation of animals in any form. A person who eats a vegan diet just like a vegetarian, will not eat meat or fish, but unlike the latter, will take the approach a little further by excluding from their diet and lifestyle any animal products. This includes dairy products, eggs, hive products, but also leather and silk.

This diet, or rather lifestyle, has recently been hijacked from its original purpose to become a new fashionable weight loss diet.

Veganism and weight loss

It all starts with the following preconceived idea: "If I stop eating meat and dairy products I will lose weight". But is this really the case? The answer is not so simple and deserves a few explanations. Effectively, stopping eating meat and dairy products results in weight loss fairly immediately, but this is a short term consequence. By eliminating a large portion of saturated fats from our diet, our bodies can only thank us. This has positive consequences on our cardiovascular system, as well as on our weight. In addition, the vegan diet is high in fiber, which cleanses the gut and helps eliminate waste. But it is important to realize that this lost weight can be regained, and this, while remaining vegan.

Benefits and drawbacks of the vegan diet on weight loss

Since veganism excludes all animal products, it is important to compensate for the loss in protein that this entails by consuming more of vegetable proteins. Without it, you will lose weight, but it will be mostly muscular wasting, which in the long run can turn out to mean weight gain. In fact, since your muscle mass is less important, you will burn fewer calories on a daily basis, which will lead to an increase in body fat at the slightest deviation.

What does a vegan eat?

Vegan people also tend to eat more starchy foods than people on a conventional diet, and as you know, if you don't use the glucose (sugar) in your blood and muscles (glycogen stores) during physical exertion, your body is going to tend to store it as fat. It is therefore important to choose your carbohydrate sources carefully and give preference to whole-grain starchy foods, which are richer in nutrients and have a lower glycemic index.

We saw above that eliminating animal protein and associated saturated fat tends to promote weight loss. Or, if you replace your meat consumption with industrial or processed vegan products, you risk gaining weight. Indeed, this type of product is often rich in fat and salt. The same is true for all vegan snacks sold in stores. Choose homemade snacks made with wholemeal flours, low or medium glycemic index sugar such as coconut and fruit lollipops, or homemade veggie burgers.

In veganism, it is recommended to consume nuts for the richness in protein and good fats that they provide to your body. However, be careful not to consume too much of them because they are high in calories, which is not favorable to weight loss.

Does the vegan diet help to lose weight?

One positive is that the vegan diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as foods with fiber and other essential nutrients. This means you'll be faster satisfied, which is a plus when you want to slim down. Note, however, that these changes can have an impact on your transit. You may experience bloating or accelerated transit in the first few weeks. This should be regulated very quickly.

Last but not least, this philosophy of life has a direct impact on the way we eat. The relationship with food is totally different from that of traditional diets. We eat less in quantity but richer in nutrients, we eat for the functional side and less influenced by advertising and supermarket shelves.

In conclusion the vegan diet is not a "weight loss" diet per se but a lifestyle choice. However, one and the other are not incompatible, but it is necessary to be well informed in order to make the right choice.