The Widespread Trend of Our Age: About Veganism and Vegan Nutrition

Öz

Veganism is known as a lifestyle characterized by not using any products containing animal ingredients. Foods are among the most important of these products. Vegan nutrition is a type of nutrition that is based entirely on the consumption of plant-based foods and is very limited. There are many reasons such as religious, cultural and social, especially health and ethical values. England, India and Australia are among the countries where veganism is most common. There are study results showing that vegans have less risk of chronic health problems such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, bone diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome compared to omnivores. These results are associated with the fact that vegan nutrition is rich in fiber, micronutrients, phytochemicals and low in trans fat and saturated fat content. On the other hand, it is also concern that it is deficient in omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, iodine, zinc and vitamin B12, which are essential for the body to maintain health and prevent nutritional deficiency. However, it is reported that in a well-planned vegan diet, deficiency will be less common and vegans should be supported in terms of iron, calcium and vitamin B12. Characteristic features of a well-planned vegan diet include ensuring diversity, choosing monosaturated fatty acids and vegetable omega-3 fat sources, and avoiding processed foods with high salt and energy density (sugar and fat). Therefore, vegans should be closely monitored in terms of their general health and nutritional status. Dietitians should guide on prevent vegans from having a single type of diet, and focus on the sources of nutrients that are likely to be deficient. In this way, vegans will be able to avoid negative health risks with a well-planned diet.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• vegan diet
• dietary plant proteins
• life style

Çağımızın Yaygınlaşan Akımı: Veganizm ve Vegan Beslenmeye Dair

Öz

Veganizm, hayvansal içerikli hiçbir ürünün kullanılmaması ile karakterize bir yaşam tarzı olarak bilinmektedir. Bu ürünlerin başında besinler yer almaktadır. Vegan beslenme, tamamen bitki bazlı besinlerin tüketimine dayalı ve oldukça kısıtlı olan bir beslenme türüdür. Başta sağlık ve etik değerler olmak üzere dini, kültürel ve sosyal birçok tercih nedeni bulunmaktadır. İngiltere, Hindistan ve Avustralya veganlığın en yaygın olduğu ülkeler arasındadır. Vegan beslenenlerin omnivorlara kıyasla insülin direnci, tip 2 diyabet, kardiyovasküler hastalıklar, kemik hastalıkları, obezite ve metabolik sendrom gibi kronik sağlık sorunları açısından daha az riske sahip olduklarına dair çalışma sonuçları bulunmaktadır. Bu sonuçlar, vegan beslenmenin posa, mikro besin ögeleri, fitokimyasallar yönünden zengin, trans yağ ve doymuş yağ içeriği yönünden fakir olması ile ilişkilendirilmektedir. Öte yandan sağlığın sürdürülmesi ve beslenme yetersizliği oluşmaması için vücuda alınması elzem olan omega 3 yağ asiti, kalsiyum, demir, iyot, çinko ve B12 vitamini yönünden eksik olması da endişe vericidir. Ancak iyi planlanmış vegan diyette eksikliğin daha az sıklıkta görüleceği ve demir, kalsiyum, B12 vitamini yönünden veganların desteklenmesi gerektiği bildirilmektedir. İyi planlanmış vegan diyetin karakteristik özellikleri arasında diyette çeşitliliğin sağlanması, yağ kaynağı olarak tekli doymuş yağ asiti ve bitkisel omega-3 yağ kaynaklarının tercih edilmesi, tuz ve enerji yoğunluğu (şeker ve yağ) yüksek, işlenmiş besinlerden uzak durulması gerektiği yer almaktadır. Dolayısıyla vegan bireyler genel sağlık ve beslenme durumları açısından sıkı takip edilmelidir. Vegan bireylerin tek tip beslenmelerinin önüne diyetisyenler tarafından geçilmeli, eksikliği yüksek olasılıkla ortaya çıkabilecek besin ögelerinin kaynaklarına odaklanılmalıdır. Bu sayede veganların iyi planlanmış diyet ile olumsuz sağlık risklerinden kaçınmaları sağlanmış olacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• vegan diyet
• diyet kaynaklı bitkisel proteinler
• yaşam tarzı

Kaynakça

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