The biggest misconception of going vegan is that it will automatically make you healthy. When you are extolling the virtues of a vegan lifestyle to others, you may find there is some push back, not just because of the “restrictive” nature of the diet, but if it is actually healthy. In one respect, vegans are consuming a lot more fruits and vegetables. But they also have to remember that there are key vitamins, minerals, and protein that they are only able to get from animals. And this is where you have to remember that there will be some aspects of your health that you need to keep up with.
Eating Good Fats
The very nature of a vegan diet is low fat. But remember that there are good fats that can benefit vegans in so many areas of their lives. For example, omega-3 oil is in abundance in olive oil. This is where a healthy drizzling of this on a vegan pizza can help to keep on top of this aspect. You can also incorporate seeds, such as sunflower seeds and chia seeds, to keep up your healthy fat intake. It is one of those areas that vegans forget about. However, it’s pretty easy to incorporate good fats. When you are making a healthy stir-fry, use coconut oil or algae oil. Eat avocados! And while there are many people that talk about fat being the enemy, this has long been debunked.
Incorporating More Supplements
It is so important when you start on this diet that you check your nutrients and vitamins. There may be some in which you are severely lacking. A very common example is vitamin B12, which is found in abundance in meat. If you are looking to keep your health in check while going on a vegan diet you may have to incorporate more supplements into your life. You can very easily purchase vitamin supplements over-the-counter or online. But there are also certain nutrients that can add flavor to your food. For example, nutritional yeast is a very good supplement that will keep your vitamin B12 up, but doesn’t taste too dissimilar to parmesan cheese! This is a win if you are someone who has been long missing Italian dishes!
Keep Up Your Protein
We can lull ourselves into a false sense of satiety by eating until we are full. But if this plate is purely vegetables, we will be hungry in an hour’s time! Protein is the key. The more protein you have, the fuller you will feel, but protein’s also important because its the building blocks for strength and muscle. Keeping up your protein intake using the right protein sources is crucial. Quinoa is one of the best sources of protein for vegans and it is gluten-free. Seitan is also another form of protein that can bulk up dishes.
You have to remember that when going vegan, there will be some aspects of your health that can go downhill if you don’t pay attention to them. Follow these three approaches and you’ll be fine!
What are your secrets to being a healthy vegan?
Thank you for reading!