Vegans have 'twice as many sick days as people who eat meat'
Veganism is a lifestyle prized for its superior health benefits.
Yet, according to one study, your vegan colleague takes twice as many sick days as the office carnivores.
According to one survey conducted in the UK analysing 1000 office workers, vegans take almost five days off a year for flu, cold and other minor ailments – twice the average across its four countries.
Vegans also book more appointments with their doctor, seeing their GP on average 2.6 times during cold and flu season compared to the national average of 0.7 times, according to the Fisherman’s Friend annual cold and flu survey.
Two-thirds of the vegans population also admitted to taking more time off work because of illness in 2018 than they had done in previous years.
Last year, Australia was identified by market researchers Euromonitor International as the third fastest growing vegan market, only behind Germany and the UK.
The vegan food market is currently worth about $136 million, a figure which is set to rise to $215 million before 2020.
Vegan lifestyle popular in Australia
According to a Roy Morgan study in 2016, there were 2.1 million vegans in Australia – equating to 11.2 per cent of the population.
Thats an impressive 400,000 people that have turned vegan in the last four years and experts predict the rise in the diet’s popularity isn’t set to stop anytime soon.
“Whether people are embracing a less meat-heavy diet for health, environmental or animal-welfare reasons, the fact remains that this trend looks set to continue,” Norman Morris, Industry Communications Director, Roy Morgan Research, said.
While veganism may not prevent the common cold, the health and wellbeing benefits of a vegan lifestyle are said to include everything from clearer skin to a reduced risk of developing cancer.
Studies have also supported a vegan diet to improve your cardiovascular health and, oddly, to help you smell sweeter.
It has also been found going meat-free means you are less likely to be obese.
Finally, going vegan is said to help you live longer.
A 2016 study suggests that a prolonged vegan diet could help to prevent approximately 8.1 million deaths a year.
With Yahoo! UK
