Really, who hasn’t pondered a vegan diet? Vegans avoid any products that have to do with animals, and for various reasons. For one, the meatpacking industry provokes a host of environmental concerns, and the treatment of animals involved in production is often distasteful. According to Healthline, it seems likely that veganism can also help regulate weight, blood sugar levels, and prevent type 2 diabetes.
So, let’s talk about how to start:
Consider Why
Your personal connection to veganism is what will keep you going. If you’ve been chasing a healthy weight, let your ideal lifestyle be your engine in this process. If you have a passion for animal rights, let your knowledge be a reminder to keep trying when maintaining your diet becomes difficult. If you’ve studied environmental changes the food industry provokes, keep reading up on the situation and involve yourself in advocacy – it’ll charge your vegan diet in the meantime, and your actions will make an impact.
Uninvited To The Party
Get ready for Healthline’s list: kiss all that meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, and byproducts of bees goodbye. Cross gelatin, lactose, whey, and all those other animal-involved products are off the list too. As you experiment with veganism, you might come across some deficiencies you didn’t have a problem with when eating animal-based foods. According to Healthline, you should definitely plan to take a B12 supplement, which is usually only found in meats.
Type of Veganism
You can choose a diet focused on fruits, or starches, as reports Healthline’s list, but be sure not to choose, for instance, a raw diet (no cooking involved) if you know you will not want to give up warm foods any time soon. First and foremost, this diet needs to feed and sustain you, and if you’re not happy about you’re eating, the diet won’t work.
Be Forgiving
If you slip up when you’re out to eat with friends or munching on some snacks you were craving, that just means you’re human. In Tara Parker Pope’s opinion piece in The New York Times, she reminds readers that there are often animal-based products that we can’t see in restaurant foods. You’ll get the hang of checking to make sure what you’re ingesting is exactly what you ordered.
Expenses
Speaking of eating out, be prepared for some finance shifts. Pope includes the opinion of a social work student in Phoenix, who comments on the way her groceries, seemingly cheap, start to add up more so than when she ate meats and other animal products. Let yourself experiment with items as you get your footing, and then set up a new budgeting system for yourself as you grow accustomed to how much certain products cost. You’ll be shopping like a pro in no time.
If you need an extra boost to jump-start your vegan diet, check out these sources:
Encouraging Words For Going Vegan
24 Recipes, 3 Ingredients Each