Best way to lose weight? Go vegan

Going vegan is the best way to lose weight and could help dieters drop 2kg more than those sticking to other plans, a report has claimed.

Those sticking to a vegetarian meal plan, especially a vegan diet, will see better results in the short term, according to a paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"Vegetarian diets are more effective than non-vegetarian diets for weight loss," said Ru-Yi Huang of E-Da Hospital in Taiwan after looking at the results of 12 different diets across 1,151 dieters for trials lasting between nine and 74 weeks.

Diets such as the Atkins and plans recommended by American Diabetes Association and the US National Cholesterol Education Program were included in the trial, but the study found that those who participated in vegetarian diet groups lost an average of 2.02kg more than those sticking to a non-vegetarian meal plans. Vegan dieters lost 2.52kgs more that non-vegetarian dieters.

Hueng says that the excessive intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains in a vegetarian and vegan diets could be the key to the successful weight loss due to low glycemic index values, which prevent blood sugar levels from spiking, and high fibre.