Today in things we already knew: Going vegan could help you lose weight

Dieters on vegetarian and vegan diets lost an average of 4.45 lbs more than their meat-eating counterparts

Published July 1, 2015 3:25PM (EDT)

    (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1071929p1.html'>leonori</a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
(leonori via Shutterstock)

Basically everything that is delicious and unhealthy is an animal product. Think of it: cheese, ice cream, candy, pizza, steak, basically every bar food. And now, a new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine confirms what basically everyone expected: going vegan can result in weight loss.

The meta-analysis analyzed 12 different studies focusing on veganism, overall incorporating the results of 1,151 dieters.

Agence France-Presse reports:

Dieters on a vegetarian or vegan plan lost an average of 2.02 kg (4.45 lbs.) more than those who consumed meat and other animal products.

Of the non-meat-eating group, the vegans edged out the vegetarians, losing an average of 2.52 kg (5.55 lbs.).

Vegetarians whose diet permits eggs and other dairy products lost an average of 1.48 kg (3.26 lbs.) more than their meat-eating counterparts.

Still, the study found that just cutting meat out of your diet isn't going to have a big impact on your weight-- you still should restrict the number of calories you consume if you're trying to shed pounds.

Ru-Yi Huang, the leader of the study, speculates that the abundance of whole grains, fruits and vegetables in the vegan diet contributes to ease of weight loss because of the soluble fiber, which encourages good digestion.


By Joanna Rothkopf

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Diet Food Health Veganism Vegetables Weight Loss