Forest Green Rovers a football team based in the UK won promotion from the National League last weekend (Sunday May 14th) after beating Tranmere Rovers 3-1 at Wembley.
The football team has a long history having been established in 1889, yet their ‘greening’ process is relatively new. In June 2011 the club started working on making its stadium more environmentally friendly, after the arrival of their new owner and green energy entrepreneur, Dale Vince (owner of Ecotrocity). This resulted in the creation of an organic football pitch. 180 solar panels were also installed on the roof of the EESI stand and this helped the club to generate 10% of electricity needed to run the stadium.
One of the biggest changes that the football team have now started on thanks to Vince, is the addition of a vegan diet, after he introduced plant-based catering at the club’s ground.
The owner, Dale Vince claims that the opportunity to create a truly sustainable football club has been a world first in its ability to demonstrate thee club’s thinking and technology, by ultimately engaging with a new, large and passionate global audience. The introduction to make the club more eco-friendly and to follow a vegan diet is fairly innovative in the world of sport.
…But Is A Vegan Diet Healthy?
The answer is yes. A vegan diet can be very healthy if followed correctly. With the right planning, vegans can enjoy great health without the need for consuming meat or animal products such as dairy and eggs. Vegans may follow this lifestyle for ethical or health reasons (or both), yet also have many concerns about how beneficial it is to one’s overall health.
The good news is that vegetarian and vegan diets have been shown in studies to effectively lower blood levels of LDL, HDL and non-HDL cholesterol, more than the control diets. They contain more fiber and can help with weight loss along with improving blood cholesterol and blood sugar levels when compared to conventional diets. They may however need to take a B12 supplement and/or multivitamin formula to potentially avoid anemia and nervous system damage.
What do vegans eat?
Fresh fruit and vegetables, oats, nuts, seeds and legumes, along with a number of dairy and egg alternatives such as coconut or almond milk, flaxseed (instead of eggs), and other meat replacements products.
Unfortunately many of these meat-replacements can be highly processed and harmful to health in the long-run as they often consist of soy and starchy carbs, along with wheat. These foods can be highly inflammatory in the body and potentially lead to a wide range of health problems and diseases.
The good news is that you don’t just have to stick to lentils on a vegan diet! You can now enjoy many of your favourite foods such as pasta – but without the unhealthy side effects from the wheat and gluten inside.
Thanks to legume pasta and Buckwheat flour, it’s now possible to recreate many of your favourite foods such as breads, cereals, crackers, noodles pancakes and pizza – without any unwanted negative effects on your health. No wonder going vegan is easier than ever and more people want to do it – especially if it means you don’t have to sacrifice on taste or convenience.
Recommended Examples
Really Healthy Pasta™ – Legume pasta is a rich source of vitamins and minerals, iron, protein and fiber. Available in Black Beans, Buckwheat and Golden Flaxseed, Chickpeas, Mung Beans and Red Lentils, this non-GMO and organic product is a healthy meal replacement to wheat based pasta.
Really Healthy Buckwheat Flour – Buckwheat is a significant source of fiber, protein along with many essential vitamins and minerals. Buckwheat flour is a good alternative to wheat flour that can be used for baking a variety of foods including bread, pastries, cookies, noodles and pizza amongst other ideas.
Take a multivitamin supplement…
Active Life™ Capsules – This formula contains 75 plant-derived minerals, 12 vitamins and 3 other nutrients to replenish storages that are naturally depleted in the body each day. Can help to support a healthy immune system, and includes chromium and selenium, critical minerals that the body needs. Contains 100mcg of Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin).
