If you have been questioning your eating habits, both for a health issue and for an ethical reason, you will surely have reached a point where you considered the possibility of being vegan.
Health issues can range from too much fat accumulated in the body in the form of obesity or cholesterol, difficulty in eliminating food or constipation, liver problems, among others.
As for the ethical issue, perhaps you have learned about the exploitation that animals suffer before being slaughtered to serve as food, and you do not want to be a participant in that exploitation.
Whatever your reason, being vegan is a healthy and friendly option with the environment and the environment, as long as it does not become an obsession that prevents you from being happy.
“Veganism is not about giving up anything or losing something; it is about winning peace within oneself that comes from embracing nonviolence and refusing to participate in the exploitation of the vulnerable. ” Gary L. Francione - Professor of Law at Rutgers University of New Jersey (United States), specialist in legal rights of non-human animals.
Below you will find a list of the best tips from experts to make the transition to a vegan diet:
1. Go at your own pace
There are different ways to face the shift towards a vegan diet. You can start by removing one kind of animal product from the diet at a time, it is the advice of Victoria Moran, author of the book "Main Street Vegan" . For example, you could stop eating pork or chicken for several weeks while adding more legumes or vegetables to your diet.
Another way to start small is to be vegan at home, or vegetarian for now, and when you socialize or go out with friends, eat animal products. This style is also called "social carnivore . "
A third recommendation, from Mark Bittman, culinary writer of the New York Times, is to be "vegan before dinner . " That is to say, have breakfast vegetable shakes, fruits, cereals; have pasta or rice lunch with vegetables of different colors, or some vegetarian taco. The snacks can also be dried fruits, or rice crackers. But when dinner arrives you incorporate a portion of meat, chicken or fish along with a non-meat garnish.
Finally, a simple and delicious way to start the path to veganism is to replace a product derived from animals with its vegan version. For example, milk is one of the simplest products you can start with. Replace cow's milk in smoothies or shakes with coconut milk or almond or oat milk, which you can even prepare yourself. You can find the recipes on Google, of course!
2. Don't tell everyone your decision
People are prejudiced and determined to criticize everything that does not conform to our internal norm. Therefore, it may help at first not to tell everyone that a transition is being made to a diet based on food that does not come from animals .
Yes tell people you know they will support you. You may find them in your yoga class or in the natural products store.
When you are just beginning, you are not prepared to answer the questions of people, the reason for their own decisions has not been raised.
3. Don't worry where you will get the proteins
The vegan diet has great sources of concentrated proteins that come from products such as seitan, quinoa, nuts and hemp seeds. “These foods, along with protein-rich vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus and cauliflower, will give you the proteins your body needs to maintain health, ” says Moran.
One of the mistakes of the laziest vegans in the kitchen is eating too many white flours. Avoid flours, especially wheat, in excess, and consume more fruits and vegetables.
Of course, if in doubt, consult a nutritionist or a health coach to make sure you receive all the necessary nutrients. |
4. Being vegan is not synonymous with food that is unsafe
Well, you won't have animal fat, but you can use all the other resources of nature! Nuts, avocado, pine nuts, dried tomatoes, olives, sea salt, basil, oregano, olive oil, curries, countless spices and delicacies are waiting for you to discover them.
5. Vegan food enters your budget
You should know that the basis of this diet is beans, beans or beans, lentils, rice, cereals, all can be bought in bulk and stored. Do not go crazy thinking that you have to buy soy substitutes for everything that is not meat, it is not necessary.
6. If it gets very complicated, at least become aware
If you really can't leave animal-derived foods, you can start by consuming animal products that come from ecological farms, where their vital times are respected without the addition of hormones and antibiotics in an exaggerated way.
7. Get resources and community
I already talked about Google, right? If you google the word vegan you will find 21, 600, 000 results, from cooking recipes, tips, social media groups, introductory courses, whatever you can think of. Take advantage of these resources!
But don't get overwhelmed, start small. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is not difficult but you have to learn.
Changing eating habits implies changing the lifestyle. Take the time you need, learn along the way and keep moving forward.
DRAFTING: Carolina, editor of the great family of the White Brotherhood
REFERENCES: Perry O. Blumberg. (2016). How to Become a Vegan: 12 Tips from the Experts. 09/26/2017, from Readers Digest Website: https://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/becoming-vegan-tips/
Brittany and William. (2017). Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. 09/26/2017, from I Love Vegan Website: http://www.ilovevegan.com/resources/transitioning-to-a-vegan-lifestyle/