Twins who took on vegan vs meat diet to see how it changed their bodies reveal most difficult part of plant-based diet
A man who went on a vegan diet for 12 weeks has revealed the hardest part of taking on restrictive eating habits.
Identical twins, Hugo and Ross Turner, have taken part in five different health-related studies. In one study, Ross followed a high carb diet for three months, while Hugo had a high fat regime.
The results of the recent study were interesting, with Ross' body mass only increasing by 0.2kg, and Hugo's going up by 2.7kg.
But one of their best known studies is their meat vs vegan challenge.
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Ross and Hugo did the study to see how their respective diets would affect their gut health in particular.
Speaking about the results, Hugo, who was on the vegan diet, told UNILAD that he 'didn't miss meat' and actually 'felt pretty good' as he had more energy.
But the variety of gut bacteria that Hugo had dropped, which meant that he was more susceptible to diseases.
Discussing the hardships of following the diet, Hugo recalled one incident in particular.
He told UNILAD: "I got so annoyed one day about being vegan. I said, 'Right, I'm just gonna go buy garlic bread, and that's it'.'
"I came back, and then a friend was like, 'It's got butter in'."
An understandably devastated Hugo then 'literally threw [the bread] across the room' upon realizing that he was unable to eat it on a vegan diet.
Sharing another hard part of being vegan, Hugo went on to say that finding foods and recipes he could have was 'really, really tough'.
But his saving grace was that he and Ross were doing their respective diets during lockdown, so Hugo didn't have to worry too much about the social side of his restrictive diet.
"I don't even think restaurants were open which probably masked the reality of going vegan in the sense of if restaurants were open, pubs, bars, all that kind of stuff — eating out would have been an absolute nightmare." he said, adding: "Socializing more, going to friends for suppers, and lunches at weekends would have been hard."
While there were social restrictions in place during the study, Hugo still found following a strict vegan diet 'annoying' when it came to his somewhat limited lockdown social life.
When it comes to deciding who is doing which diet, it sometimes comes down to Hugo and Ross' individual health statuses
Discussing their recent high fat vs high carb study, Hugo told UNILAD: "Ross has got really high cholesterol (really, really high), so I took the bullet for him, and I did the high fat diet."
In regards to their meat vs vegan challenge, Hugo said he was 'interested in' the vegan side of the study, which is why he opted to do it.
Meanwhile, the duo are keen to do a fasting study, with Ross saying he wants to do the harder side of things this time round.
"I'm genuinely curious about what it would do to me if you just carry on doing the normal diet," he revealed. "There's always a opportunity to do it for a reason and a purpose."
Though the twins have some ideas about what they could do next, they're also interested to hear the public's ideas. Some potential studies include: fasting vs non-fasting, one rep vs 12 rep workouts, and ab simulator pads vs sit ups.
Which of the three would you like to see Hugo and Ross do? Comment below!
Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Life, Science, Vegan
Niamh Shackleton