The documentary, What the Health , which is currently getting all the buzz on Netflix, has inspired a lot of people — rightly or wrongly — to go vegan. While there are a number of health benefits for a vegan diet, there’s one that most people probably didn’t think about, which is saving money on insurance.
According to HealthIQ’s official page, they offer vegans lower insurance — specifically, life insurance — because their diet choices make them healthier and more likely to live longer. This is definitely good news for people who want to go vegan thanks to watching What The Health .
Citing a study in the Public Health Nutrition Journal , HealthIQ states that vegans are 63 percent less likely to suffer from hypertension, which is the number one contributor to heart attacks and other health and metabolic problems in the country.
Vegans are also less likely to develop other ailments, including cancer and Alzheimer’s.
HealthIQ offers only a few of the many reasons why they prefer to work with vegans, and because they work will nearly every life insurance provider in the country, they’re able to cast their wide net to see where a vegan would be able to get the lowest possible rate on their life insurance.
We are so excited to introduce the WTH Meal Planner!!! Visit https://t.co/AnDBWFKy3M to get started today! pic.twitter.com/Hz3xSZCf3o
— WHAT THE HEALTH (@wthfilm) July 26, 2017
But before What the Health even became a thing, Prevention Magazine reports that vegans were typically offered cheaper life insurance because of their health habits. (HealthIQ, however, is the first company in America that specifically tailors their audience to vegans and is adamant about giving them the advantage.)
“There is growing evidence that suggests vegetarians have a lower risk of serious illnesses,” Make a Difference managing director Brian Jones (who happens to be a vegetarian) told the Melbourne news source Herald Sun. “Life insurance premiums are calculated based on several factors, including family medical history, lifestyle choices such as alcohol and nicotine intake, so surely a vegetarian or vegan diet should be considered, too.”
Raise your hand if you have the What the Health Cookbook and WTH Companion Book!??????????? #repost : @sinablanco pic.twitter.com/NefQegMgFV
— WHAT THE HEALTH (@wthfilm) July 15, 2017
Not everyone, however, is sold on the plant-based lifestyle discussed in What the Health . Vox Magazine, for its part, did an in-depth study into the claims made by the documentary, and they suggest that while some of their claims are true, still others are rooted in propaganda.
Specifically, they suggest that because nutrition science isn’t definitive, to make extrapolated claims (like eating eggs is the equivalent of smoking five cigarettes a day) is, in essence, lying to the audience.
“It’s extremely difficult to study the health impact of individual foods (which makes relying on the best available research and reporting it in context all the more important). Much of the research we have on nutrition can tell us about links between certain foods and diseases but not that eating one food causes a particular disease to arise.”
Still, Vox doesn’t deny that there are some benefits to a vegan diet.
What the Health is currently airing on Netflix, and if you’re a vegan, you can check out HealthIQ and see how they can help you get cheap life insurance .
Leave your thoughts about What the Health and discounted insurance for vegans in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]
