Vegan diet

A vegan diet, sometimes called a plant-based diet, consists solely of plants and foods made from non-animal sources. Any food that comes from animal sources, such as meat, eggs, dairy or honey, is excluded.

Theory
A vegan or plant-based diet can be helpful for people with food sensitivities which are common in ME/CFS, for example lactose intolerance, egg or dairy allergies, because these foods are excluded from vegan diets. It is not necessary to eat any particular food, making it suitable for people with soya, nut or other allergies.

A review of dietary studies found that "biomarkers of inflammation were almost all meat-based or "Western" patterns", and the opposite was true for diets rich in fruit and vegetables that did not include meat.

General effects
A balanced vegan diet is suitable for people of age any. A survey of people who went vegan for one month found that 66% reported noticing health benefits, 60% of those reported having more energy and over half reported improved mood or weight benefits.

Plant-based or vegan diets also reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including ischaemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.

Fibromyalgia
A study of 15 patients with fibromyalgia found a low-salt raw vegan diet improved many symptoms.

Costs and availability
Foods suitable for a healthy vegan diet are available anywhere in the world and include fruit, vegetables, lentils, beans including soya products, grains including bread products, nuts and seeds. Many ready meals are not suitable for people following a vegan diet; some vegan and vegetarian companies as well as some supermarket chains produce vegan ready meals or specialist vegan products although availability is limited in some areas.

Notable studies

 * 2000, Vegan diet alleviates fibromyalgia symptoms (Full)
 * 2013, Dietary pattern analysis and biomarkers of low-grade inflammation: a systematic literature review (Abstract)
 * 2016, Plant-based diets: A physician's guide (Full)

Learn more

 * Vegan Society
 * Veganuary - try vegan for a month
 * Health Benefits of Plant-based Diets: Science Reports on Vegans & Vegetarians
 * Plant-based diets - British Dietician Association
 * NHS Live Well - The vegan diet
 * Wikipedia - Veganism
 * - Nutrition - The Vegan Society