The vegan lifestyle has an endless list of advantages, regardless of whether they are ethical (less animal cruelty), environmental (reduced carbon footprint) or social (distributive justice). Contrary to the widespread myth of malnutrition, there are lots of health benefits, too. These include, for example, a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and hypertension. What’s more, by renouncing animal products, you automatically avoid even antibiotics and growth hormone found in meats and dairy foods. Nevertheless, attention should be paid to a balanced diet, as well as the intake of all important nutrients – as with any other diet. To test just that, HealthLabs.com has developed several test panels to monitor nutrient levels and look for animal-derived product allergies.
Sponsored by www.healthlabs.com
At HealthLabs.com, there are two main types of vegan tests: one for people who are already vegan, and one for those wondering if they’d benefit extraordinarily from a plant-based diet.
The first-mentioned is called Vegan Nutritional Maintenance Panel and tests for the 11 most common deficiencies (B-12, calcium, complete blood count (CBC), D-25 hydroxy (vitamin D-3), ferritin, folic acid, homocysteine, iron and zinc). It is emphasized that in exception to vitamin B12, there’s no nutrient you can’t get from a vegan lifestyle.
For the other, you can choose between three different testing packages: the Basic, the Standard or the Comprehensive “Should I Be Vegan?” Panel. The Basic Vegan Test Panel tests for 18 possible meat and dairy allergies, whereas the Standard and the Comprehensive ones test for 21 and 38 meat and dairy products, respectively.
And that’s how to get yourself tested:
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Select the desired test
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Select a test center (you can choose from 4,500+ CLIA-certified U.S. labs)
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Enter personal information (name, gender, date of birth, email)
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Enter payment information (credit card or PayPal) and click “Place My Order”
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You’ll receive an email containing a “Lab Requisition Form” with a test code. The address of the test center you chose is also included in the email. Take your Lab Requisition Form or your test code to the testing center.
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Get Tested. The tests usually take 10 minutes or less.
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Receive your lab results within 1-3 days!
The prices for the test panels are between 149 USD for the Vegan Nutritional Maintenance Panel and 399 USD for the Comprehensive “Should I Be Vegan?” Panel. There are also less comprehensive health tests starting at 59 USD. If you mention you’re a reader of The Vegan Travelers, you’ll receive 25% off vegan testing! Unfortunately, the tests are only available in the US.
