If you’ve recently decided to make the switch to veganism, congratulations! You are helping the planet, tiny animals and your own body thrive a little better. It’s a personal choice to switch to a plant-based vegan diet, but even eating this way a few times a week is incredible for your health and your environment. That being said, there are a few takeaways you need to remember if you’re eating this way 24/7. There are a few important ingredients we get by consuming meat and animal products (all that can easily be replaced in a vegan diet). There are also a few pointers we’ve learned about going green. We’ve done some research to find out some of the top tips for switching to an all-vegan diet. Keep reading for more!
How to Switch to a Vegan Diet with Your Health in Mind
1) Take B12 and Iron Supplements
Because vitamin B12 only naturally occurs in animal foods, you’re going to want to make sure that you have a good B12 supplement to take. After all, you’ll be consuming no animal product at all. The B12 supplement keeps your body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA. Not having it can make you tired, weak, constipated, and lead to depression. Iron is found in animal protein as well, which you can find in Vitamin C-rich foods like sunflower seeds, raisins, and dark, leafy greens.
2) Make Sure You’re Getting Your Protein in
According to Healthline, you want to make sure that you’re consuming enough protein. Protein is the building block of life. It basically breaks down into amino acids that promote cell growth and repair. The best sources of vegan protein are soy, lentils, beans, quinoa, and seitan!
3) Make sure to read labels
A lot of food products use animal ingredients that we’re not aware of, like different types of sugar and other items. You’ll need to be careful about what items do so by doing some research and making sure that you read labels on the items you purchase.
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4) Eat enough
The thing about being vegan is that a majority of the time you are eating food that is less caloric in nature, which means, you can eat a whole lot more! Make sure that you are getting enough food in your body to stay healthy and give you the energy that you need to go about your day.
5) Get creative
There are so many amazing vegan products and replacements that you can find in grocery stores as well as recipes online that are delicious. We love Goodful’s YouTube channel for giving us great recipes to work with. But we will say, be careful with them because there are usually pretty unhealthy, filled with lots of sodium and stuff that’s not very good for us. Everything in moderation!