By Brianne Hogan / Source: Ecorazzi

If you ever wanted to know the science behind the benefits of switching to a vegan diet, then Dr. Tushar Mehta‘s video seminar is for you.

Mehta spoke about the evidence based findings of the benefits of plant-based nutrition at last year’s Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. What’s great about Mehta’s seminar is that he makes the research more understandable. Sure, you’ve heard studies that say a plant-based diet is the healthier option, but what does that science really mean to you and me?

Mehta goes through what makes the research legit; pointing out the health issues that most people are aware of: that cases of cancer, heart diseases, obesity, and stroke are higher in meat eaters than veggies. But he does so by breaking down the studies that proved this, and helping us understand the factoid.

Mehta walks us through a number of studies, including one that found that eating meat — any kind of meat — increased the risk of breast cancer. Soy, on the other hand, decreases the risk of breast cancer. He also refers to another study that showed a high protein diet of meat increases your chances of having diabetes (even if it might cause you to lose a few pounds).

Of course, as Mehta points out, veggies and vegans are still susceptible to diseases, but a plant-based diet reduces your chances. In the case of diabetes, it reduces it by 50 percent.

He also talks about the four vegan food groups — legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables — and answers that tired question, “Where do you get your protein?” that all veggies have to answer at least once in their life (answer: beans, lentils, quinoa, hemp, whole grains, and soy — which is the highest source of protein).

Mehta responds to a lot of the other common questions switching over to a plant-based diet, like “what about supplements?” (He does not recommend that vegans take supplements, with the exception of B12) and “what about calcium and iron?” (broccoli and kale are rich in both).

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