Becoming Vegan – it’s not really that hard – is it?
I remember when I first started – thinking to myself, ”Don’t eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy and eat lots of veggies, salads, and maybe some tofu. Right? Simple.”
Only I soon found out there’s a bit more to it than that.
Trust me, from one who’s been there, done that. With this attitude you will quickly run into LOTS of problems.
Let me explain – and hopefully for all you Brand New Vegans – this will help.
What You Can’t Eat
First of all, there’s no food police here in America – so you can eat whatever you want. Unfortunately most Americans DO eat whatever they want, and look at us – sick, drugged, and overweight. Not a pretty picture.
But if you REALLY want to be Vegan, then there’s a list of food you should never eat again – ever. And seriously, this is the EASY part … what NOT to eat.
Meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and cheese. These are the big 5. Control these and you are well on your way to becoming Vegan. Just be mindful that they hide these in many foods we might normally consider legal. For example many refried bean brands use lard, Jello is made from gelatin (animal bones), Worcestershire Sauce is made with Anchovys, and trust me when I say that TONS of processed foods contain casein (milk protein), other milk byproducts, or eggs.
Best practice? Learn to read those labels!
Now on to the HARD part – what you CAN eat.
What You Can Eat
Why is this the hard part? You’d think that as long as you’re not eating the terrible 5, anything else is legal. Right? Well yes, you are right. But if you’re not careful you’re going to make yourself sicker than you were before you started!
Let me tell you one of the worst situations you’ll find yourself in – and we’ll go on from there.
BEING HUNGRY!
Once you’re hungry – if you’re not careful you’ll eat ANYTHING! Vegan or NOT! And LOTS OF IT!. (And then you’re going to feel terrible about it later – both emotionally and physically). You want to avoid putting yourself in a position where you’re going to go hungry at all costs. Remember that.
Ok – Moving on to what we CAN eat.
Smoothies
Lots of brand new vegans start off with these. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. But…by blending smoothies you are breaking down the fiber you want to remain whole. Many experts recommend avoiding ‘drinking’ your calories. Chewing your food uses special enzymes in your saliva and creates chemical reactions inside your mouth and stomach that you WANT to happen, where drinking a smoothie does not. It’s really all about the fiber.
Think about it. What do you give a diabetic who forgot to eat this morning and is having an insulin reaction? Orange juice. Why? Because without the fiber of the orange, all that sugar is going straight into the bloodstream. Sugar spike!
Keep the fiber as whole and intact as you can.
Is it ok to have a smoothie occasionally? Sure why not! Just don’t make a meal out of it or make it a daily ritual. We want to EAT those calories, not drink them.
Otherwise you’ll soon BE HUNGRY!
Salads
Lots of newbies think becoming vegan means eating lots of salads. And why not? They are super healthy, nutritious, and downright good for you. BUT….. leave off the bacon bits, the cheese, the eggs, and the dressings. Especially the dressing. Most store-bought dressing are mostly salt, sugar, oil (can you say fat?), and other hidden ingredients like dairy and eggs.
Make your own dressing or buy one of the many fat-free versions at the store. I like Maple Grove Farms of Vermont who sells an awesome Dijon Wasabi and a Cranberry Balsamic Dressing.
The other problem with Salads – they usually don’t have enough calories to fill you up. Again – salads are awesome, and I love them too. I like to go to Sweet Tomatoes and create HUGE salads – but I don’t do it every day. I don’t center an entire meal around one. Because without those calories your body needs – you’ll soon BE HUNGRY!
Fake Processed Foods
Go into any grocery store today and you’ll see TONS of this stuff. Veggie Burgers, Veggie Chicken, Tofurkey (can you say nasty), and Veggie Cheese. If you can help it, avoid these like the plague.
Some ‘experts’ say these are good ‘transition’ foods. Yeah whatever. They’re nothing more than expensive little boxes of salt, sugar, and fat – with a label that says vegan. This is Vegan Junk Food folks. And it will do one thing for you.
It will KEEP YOU FAT!
ALL junk food is - is salt, sugar, and fat. Which is why we love it so much. But there’s usually not much else. Hardly any vitamins, minerals, or nutrients – just salt, sugar, and fat. Our body NEEDS nutrients, and vitamins, and minerals, and fiber. And no matter how much salt, sugar, and fat you eat – you’re not giving the body what it NEEDS. So what happens an hour or two later?
You get HUNGRY again!!
Starches!
This is it folks. What we really should be eating.
Starches – also known as CARBS!
And you know I’m not talking about simple carbs either. Simple carbs like sugar, white bread, crackers, cookies, cakes, yeah junk foods – have all been STRIPPED of fiber and nutrients. Look at most generic loaves of bread – they use ‘enriched’ flour – which just means they have to pump the vitamins back into it after it’s made because they were all stripped out during processing.
I’m talking about COMPLEX Carbs. ’Whole Food’ Carbs – in their natural state.
Carbs like
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Corn
- Whole Intact Grains
- Whole Wheat
- Oatmeal
- Whole Grain Pasta
- Sweet Potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Comfort foods!
Carbs are full of vitamins and nutrients and are easily broken down into glucose – which is what fuels our bodies. And carbs have enough fiber in them naturally to slow the absorption of sugar into our blood stream and give us a steady supply of energy.
And they fill us up – keep us full – and when THAT happens….
We Don’t Get Hungry!
See the big picture?
As you are Becoming Vegan, Starches should be at the CENTER of every meal, with Veggies, Salads, Smoothies, and Fruits as the side dishes.
Making a Smoothie or a Salad the entire meal, or worse – one of those Processed Franken-Meals an entire meal is just asking for trouble later on. .
With this way of eating, there’s never any reason to be hungry.
Eat.
Just eat the right stuff and avoid the wrong stuff – and you’ll be fine.
To your health!
