Everything that happens to your body once you stop eating meat

As a whole new year begins, many of us will be making resolutions and trying out new lifestyle changes.

From cutting out drinking and doing Dry January to signing up to the gym or getting a hold on your finances, there are a number of healthy switches people will be testing out in the first month of the year.

One of the most popular is of course Veganuary, where foodies give veganism a go for a whole 31 days.

For some people, it's simply a fun challenge to see if they can do it, whereas for others, it can mark the beginning of a lifelong vegan diet.

According to the official Veganuary website, roughly 25.8 million people worldwide chose to try vegan in January 2025 - but what are the benefits?

Are you planning to ditch meat this Veganuary? (Getty Stock Image)

In case you're on the fence about testing out a plant-based diet, here is everything that can happen to your body when you stop eating meat.

Better gut health

One of the major benefits of a vegan diet is that it might improve your gut health.

As per WebMD, research has shown that eating lots of processed food and can negatively affect your gut health, however, following a plant-based diet helps boost healthy gut bacteria.

Fibre-rich foods in particular trigger the growth of good bacteria, which lower inflammation and your risk of inflammatory diseases.

Healthspain explains how a vegan diet tends to be higher in prebiotics, which are the fuel used by good bacteria in the gut.

Prebiotics support the bacteria that are already living in the digestive tract and you'll find them in plant foods such as apples, onions, garlic, leeks, beans, and grains.

Going vegan comes with a number of health benefits (Getty Stock Image)

Weight loss and heart benefits

Going plant-based could even help you lose weight, as well as being beneficial for your heart health.

The BBC spoke to Dr Shireen Kassam, a consultant haematologist and leader of the Plant-based Nutrition course at the University of Winchester, who confirmed that a vegan diet can lead to weight loss.

She explained: "Scientific studies that have looked at non-vegan populations over 20-30 years show those eating the most plant foods tend to put on less weight over time than those eating the most meat, dairy and eggs."

The expert continued: "There have been research groups, including at Harvard and the Epic study in Europe, which have been following people for 20-30 years.

"When you add to these the work of Dan Buettner, which looks at populations where people are likely to live to 100, [there is evidence] people who are eating about 85 percent plant-based foods live longer and are healthier, with less disease."

And as per National Geographic, several studies have found that veggie diets lasting six weeks or more can even lead to lower blood pressure, which is a major factor in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

You may experience weight loss (Getty Stock Image)

Less inflammation and lower cholesterol levels

A vegan diet can also help reduce inflammation in your body as you'll be eating no meat or cheese.

As per Forks Over Knives, plant-based diets are naturally anti-inflammatory because they are high in fibre, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients.

They're also much lower in inflammatory triggers such as saturated fat and endotoxins, which are toxins released from bacteria commonly found in animal foods.

Finally, studies have backed up that people who adopt a vegan diet can dramatically lower their level of C-reactive protein (CRP) - an indicator of inflammation in the body

The publication also reports that studies consistently suggest that when people go plant-based, their blood cholesterol levels can drop by as much as 35 percent.

As we know, elevated blood cholesterol is a key risk factor for heart disease and strokes.

It can be different for everyone (Getty Stock Image)

Energy loss

Finally, one slight negative you may experience is energy loss.

As explained by WebMD, this is because you're cutting out an important source of protein and iron, both of which give you energy.

However, there are ways to replace this in your diet, for example, you can find iron in green, leafy veggies like spinach, as well as iron-rich cereal, bread, and pasta.

And protein can be found in beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products.