Veganism: Viva! encourage planet to eat a plant-based diet
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Across Britain, supermarkets have been quick to catch on to consumer’s food choices, with many now stocking more plant-based products. The plant-based diets which have been most studied for their benefits on heart health are the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, and the MIND diet. A team of researchers have found that eating a plant-based diet can cause men to have larger stool and pass gas more often.
For the study a team of researchers compared the effects of a Mediterranean-style diet to Western-style – which typically consists of less fruits and vegetables – on the gut.
Handheld counters used during the study revealed that men on plant-based diets farted seven times more per each day on average, and released about 50 percent more gas each time.
Researchers welcomed the findings, saying that breaking wind is a sign of a healthy diet and a healthy colon.
The study included 18 healthy men, aged between 18 and 38, all of whom were assigned to follow one of the diets for two weeks.
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After the two week period, participants took a break before switching to the other diet for another couple of weeks.
All participants passed stool relatively frequently on both diets, however stool size was significantly larger when they went onto a plant diet.
After weighing the stool, it emerged the participants produced 200 grams a day on the plant diet, compared with 100 grams on the Western diet.
Researchers explained that this could be attributed to the fact that eating plants promote certain types of bacteria in our guts that ferment.
This fermentation process allows the gut to produce the nutrients it needs to feed on.
Participants were thereafter asked to log the number of times they broke wind per day using a handheld counter.
Findings revealed the men farted seven times more per day on average while on the plant diet, compared to the plant-based diet.
Furthermore, after researchers measured gas production using balloons fitted to the participant’s rectums, they found each fart contained about 50 percent more gas.
Plant-based diets can promote flatulence because gut bacteria produces higher amounts of odourless hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide when fermenting plants.
Rosemary Stanton, a researcher from the University of New South Wales, told New Scientist: “Our Western idea that farting is a sign of something being wrong is totally false.
“Farting is a sign of a healthy diet and healthy colon.”
Although there are different kinds of plant-based diets, they all emphasise certain foods associated with heart benefits, such as grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts and healthy oils.
The mediterranean diet, which is rich in fibre vitamins and minerals, has been revered for its many health benefits.
All three compounds have been found to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes, and help maintain a healthy weight.
Reducing animal foods, however, does not necessarily lead to a healthier diet and greater heart production.
Individuals who follow an unhealthful plant-based diet have been found to be at a higher risk for heart disease.
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