5 Tips on How to Become a Vegan

Eating animal products has its benefits but they lead to several health conditions – high cholesterol level, heart disease, high blood pressure, etc. On the other hand, following a vegetable-based diet is much healthier. Since you’re here, you’re probably wondering how to cut down on animal products and start including more vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and fruits in your diet.

For starters, you need a customized diet plan that ensures proper nutrition. Sadly, there are hundreds of processed vegan foods in the market from which you steer clear. Get FITFEAST to consult certified nutritionists and get any dietary suggestions based on your body type and eating preferences.

How to go Vegan

• Vegetables, vegetables, and more vegetables

We all end up focusing on the foods we cannot eat instead of what we can when we start a new diet. You must have heard or read that every protein-rich meal is a good one but that source of protein does not have to be meat-based. Vegetables contain protein as well; moreover, they are packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and minerals like potassium. They contain less calories and lots of fiber to keep you healthy and full. So, add lots of veggies to your meals.

• Include a variety of foods in your diet

A vegan diet is based on consuming different types of foods to get proper nutrition. Plan your meals to create a balanced intake of nutrients. Have beans for fiber and protein, green leafy vegetables for Vitamins A, C, and K. Include veggies and fruits of all colors in your diet. Tomatoes are good for the heart, blueberries are good for the brain, sweet potato is good for the eyes, and so on.

• Go for whole grains

A vegan should be open to getting protein from wherever he or she can since animal-products (complete proteins) are off the table. Processed grains or refined grains like white bread and white pasta do not contain proteins. Whole grains, for that matter, like brown rice and quinoa among others contain protein as well as B vitamins, which are essential for the body. These nutrients are removed in the refinement process. Also, whole grains are packed with fiber that helps you lose weight.

• Try new foods

Irrespective of which diet you follow, always be open to trying something new. Therefore, if you’re going for a vegan diet, consume plant-based proteins. Animal products like meat and cheese contain lots of unhealthy saturated fats, whereas vegan sources do not. So, try tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils, beans, and chickpeas. Also, have lots of nuts like almonds and walnuts in addition to seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc. for protein.   

• Don’t assume

There’s a general belief that all vegan products are healthy. That’s not true. Vegan cookies, for example, will have almost the same effects regular cookies do. Similarly, garlic bread made with vegan ingredients isn’t necessarily good for your heart. All diets are healthy when you make the effort to have natural, unprocessed foods. Processed vegan foods contain saturated fats in the form of palm and coconut oil. Instead of eating these foods, just have dishes like carrots with hummus, trail mix, etc.