If your body is healthy and well nourished the evidence will radiate from your hair, skin, eyes and overall appearance. To look good and feel great, change to a vegan diet packed with fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains... it won’t be long before your hair shines, your skin glows and your energy levels soar. But don’t just take our word for it, let the science speak for itself.

There are several reasons why a veggie diet is so good for skin. By cutting out meat, dairy and processed foods your saturated fat intake will fall but you still need some fats – good fats! Nuts (walnuts in particular), seeds (especially flax seed and hemp seed), soya beans and oils provide these ‘good’ fats and are excellent foods to make your skin glow.

 

Vitamin A protects the skin against dryness and premature aging and helps maintain good circulation and fights skin infections, which will give you a healthy glow! B vitamins (B for Beauty!) also play a crucial role in maintaining healthy skin and a deficiency can lead to dermatitis or eczema. Symptoms often disappear completely when B vitamins are added to the diet.

 

Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, the major component of connective tissue. Collagen acts as a scaffold, providing the structure and support to stop skin from sagging and wrinkling. It also protects against dry skin and helps prevent lines, wrinkles and spider veins and at the same time helps wound healing and infection fighting.

 

Vitamin E helps prevent premature aging of the skin, protects against dry, dull skin, the formation of age spots whilst improving the circulation and helping scars to heal.

 

Antioxidants (vitamins A, C and E and selenium) work together to help protect skin and combat the signs of aging. The most colourful and bright vegetables and fruits tend to contain the highest quantities. Fortified margarines and spreads are good sources of essential fatty acids and vitamin A. Eat whole grains, seeds and nuts for zinc, dried fruits, pulses, nuts and seeds for iron and whole grains, bananas and nuts for selenium.

 

One of the most important ingredients for good skin is water – we’re 70 per cent water so make sure you drink plenty! Your minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables each day will also provide water so it makes sense to snack on them rather than cookies and chips!

The average Western woman spends about a half an hour a day on her hair - longer than some take to cook dinner! What you eat is reflected in your hair and like the rest of your body, healthy hair needs the right nutrients in the right quantities.

 

For example, a lack of vitamin A can lead to dry, dull and lifeless hair whereas essential fatty acids can be used to combat dry, brittle hair and improve its texture. Magnesium and calcium work together to promote healthy hair growth whilst vitamin E helps scalp circulation and, together with the B vitamins and zinc, may reduce hair loss. There is a very strong hereditary link with grey hair but some research suggests that the B vitamins can delay the greying process.

The claim that carrots help you see in the dark is based on the fact that carrots contain beta-carotene (vitamin A), an essential vitamin for healthy vision. It is particularly important to the rods of the eye - which help us to see in the dark! If you’re lacking vitamin A, night blindness can be the result.

 

There is now plenty of evidence to show that some foods aid vision in other ways. A major study found that antioxidants can slow down the development of age-related macular degeneration. Other research suggests that zinc has a similar effect. Vitamins C and E, on the other hand, may help to prevent or delay cataracts.

 

In summary, if you want to keep that twinkle in your eye eat plenty of wholegrains, nuts, seeds and fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly the brightly coloured ones!

The dairy industry has been telling us for years that cow’s milk is necessary for strong bones. Some convincing scientific studies tell an entirely different story and that far from protecting dairy can weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures.

 

American women are some of the biggest consumers of calcium in the world yet they have one of the highest levels of osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones brittle and prone to fracture. Research suggests that too much animal protein (meat and cheese) can upset the body’s acid balance which it tries to neutralize by leaching calcium from the bones.

 

Other studies point to a high salt intake contributing to calcium loss – so beware of ‘hidden’ salt in processed foods. Phosphoric acid, used in carbonated sodas, can also increase calcium loss while other guilty parties include caffeine and smoking.

 

The evidence is fairly clear that the most critical factors in protecting bone health and preventing osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercise throughout life and adequate calcium and vitamin D intake. Weight-bearing exercise means climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator, walking to the store instead of driving, and of course dancing.

You don’t build muscle by eating muscle (meat) you do it with regular training and hard work – unfortunately there’s no magic bullet. Look at me - Gus the gorilla – I’m practically vegan and am six times stronger than you humans. I never eat meat, fish or dairy! And like it or not, you humans are pretty darned similar to me in your genetic make-up.

 

For gorillas and humans, the best muscle fuel is a wholegrain, plant-based diet that includes plenty of complex carbohydrates, ‘good’ fats, plant protein, vitamins, minerals, disease-busting antioxidants and healthy fibre. No surprise then that Carl Lewis, the American track-and-field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals during the 1980s and 1990s, found that his best year was the first year he went vegan!

 

Don’t forget that eating well is only part of the equation; you have to exercise regularly, too!

 

Yes hun, don’t be lazy. I know there’s always an excuse not to – but exercise really boosts your energy, makes you feel good and helps keep pesky diseases away.

 

Wholegrain, slow-release carbohydrates should be the primary source of energy for everyone. A good mix will contain plant protein, fats, vitamins and minerals to stay in good shape. The key is a range of different foods with enough calcium for good muscle function, iron to carry oxygen to the muscles and B vitamins that will help your body obtain the energy it needs from food. And drink plenty of water when exercising to prevent dehydrating.

Complex carbohydrates are the key to energy and in combination ensure your supply of essential amino acids from which protein is built. Low levels of iron are often responsible for a lack of energy and feelings of weakness and fatigue and again it’s worth remembering that vitamin C significantly improves iron absorption. A lack of zinc can lead to a loss of energy as it plays a vital role in so many biological functions. B vitamins are also important as they are essential for the release of energy from food.  

Vegetarians are 25 to 50 per cent less likely to die of heart disease than people who eat meat and it’s thanks to the fact that they eat less of the bad stuff - saturated fat, hydrogenated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and refined carbohydrates - and more of the good stuff such as complex carbohydrates, plant protein, ‘good’ fats, vitamins and minerals. Research shows that soya protein lowers cholesterol, so include soya milk or tofu in your diet.

 

A typical Western diet, dominated by meat, eggs, dairy and processed foods, contains high levels of the bad stuff and low levels of the good stuff. A good vegan diet, on the other hand, is low in fat, high in fibre and is loaded with the foods that help control heart disease, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and lead to weight loss of between six and 28 pounds!

 

Fibre lowers both blood pressure and cholesterol so really do make sure you eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day (preferably eight portions). Their disease-busting antioxidants vitamins (A, C and E) will help your heart as well as protecting against cancer and other diseases.

 

Watch your weight! Losing just an inch or two from your waist can significantly lower your risk of heart disease and a vegan diet, coupled to regular exercise, can help shed those excess pounds! Follow the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation’s V Plan Diet – it does not restrict foods but shows you how to be slim by eating healthily for life.

 

Homocysteine is an amino acid produced in the body which can cause heart problems at high levels. Folate and vitamins B6 and B12 can help reduce it.

 

High salt intake can increase blood pressure so use fresh herbs and spices to flavor your food and take that salt off the table! It won’t be long before your taste buds adapt.

 

Smoking is a major risk for heart disease and stopping can half your risk in just one year. Too much alcohol is also a threat too. Once you’ve got rid of those two and gone veggie, you have the recipe for a healthier, longer and fitter life.

Vegetarian and vegan diets benefit the whole body inside and out, including the kidneys, liver and lungs. Animal protein can overwork the kidneys and reduce their filtering abilities. It can cause calcium to be leached from the bones and excreted in the urine, causing even more stress. Because a vegetarian diet contains less protein it is less of a burden on the kidneys while a vegan diet, which contains no animal protein at all, is the least stressful.

 

Switching from meat and dairy to a plant diet has been shown to benefit kidney disease.

 

The liver acts as a clearing house, collecting nutrients, removing waste and regulating the level of chemicals in the blood. It makes sense, then, that the liver will suffer from too many refined or processed foods and artificial chemicals.

 

Avoid too much saturated or damaged (hydrogenated and trans) fats and to give your liver a boost, make sure you drink plenty of water and eat fresh fruits and vegetables, unrefined whole grain foods and a wide range of legumes. Even your lungs could benefit from changing your diet. Research shows that lung cancer rates are lower in vegetarians and although this may be partly because they are less likely to smoke, the protective effects of their diet can’t be ignored.

The good news is you can improve your mood and eat your way to happiness by changing your diet. Omega-3 oils help stabilise mood and help prevent depression so include flax seeds and flax oil in your diet as well as walnuts. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, wholegrain foods, pulses (peas, beans and lentils), nuts and seeds to give you a boost of invigorating nutrients.

 

Studies show that people who suffer from depression often lack B vitamins, particularly folate, B1, B6 and B12. With the exception of B12, all these are available in abundance in many plant foods, including nuts, green leafy vegetables, savoury yeast flakes, pulses, bananas, avocados and mushrooms. B12 is in fortified foods such as soya milk, breakfast cereals and margarines.

 

Reduce your intake of refined, processed foods and saturated animal fat from meat and dairy. Avoid sugary snacks and cut back on tea, coffee and alcohol as the boost from these stimulants is only temporarily. Avoid smoking at all costs!  

There are things you can do to maintain a healthy smile! In the presence of sugar, bacteria in the mouth produce acid which can damage teeth and the more frequently they’re exposed to sugary foods, the more likely tooth decay is to happen.

Swap chewy and sticky snacks for healthier nuts, seeds and vegetable sticks. Limit sugary drinks - water is far more thirst quenching. Low intakes of vitamins B2, D, and B12 may increase dental decay but gum disease can be just as harmful for your teeth as tooth decay. Vitamin C helps prevent gums bleeding so ensure you don’t go short. Before long, healthy eating will become second nature.

The World Health Organization, American Dietetic Association and British Medical Association all agree that vegetarian and vegan diets can lead to good health. They can also help bring an end to the horrors of factory farming, stop the onslaught of fishing that is destroying the world’s oceans, offer hope to the world's most impoverished people and start the environment on the road to recovery. Save yourself and the planet by going vegan! Choose your Fruity Fundays NOW!

 

And if you’re in the mood for really helping the animals, do what me, Piggles, Malcolm the mallard and Tilly the toucan have done. Join Viva!

The best health and nutrition charity in the UK is the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation.