Able to Swap to a Vegan Food regimen?

Around 1 billion people around the world have a vegetarian or vegan diet. The reasons are animal welfare, the environment and general health. A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that avoids all animal products. These are:

• Meat and meat products
• Fish and fish products
• milk and milkproducts
• Eggs
• honey

If done right, a vegan diet is simple, tasty, varied and best of all: healthy!

You may be wondering if you can lose weight after following a vegan diet. Eating only vegetarian or vegan foods seems to have a greater impact on weight loss than diets based on animal products.(1) However, this shouldn't be the only reason you choose to eliminate animal products from your diet. People who eat vegan foods have a lower risk of developing type II diabetes, lower cholesterol levels, and lower levels Body mass index than people who eat animal products.(2)

A plant-based diet is rich in a wide variety of colorful and fresh foods. The focus should be on the variety of foods rather than the restrictions in your meals.

Wondering what do vegans eat?

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, soy products, nuts, oils and vegetable fats.

Have you decided to go vegan but don't know how to start? We have the 6 best tips Transition to veganism.

Plant-Based Diet: How To Love Vegan Food

1. Find out more

One of the most important prerequisites for a successful transition to a plant-based diet is the information that enables it. Find out what your nutritional needs are before you start. This way, you can be sure that you are getting enough vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Find out on our blog Which micronutrients do you really need to look out for in a vegan diet?. When you're starting out, it can be helpful to use a food diary to determine if you're eating all of the micro- and macronutrients you need for a healthy vegan diet.

Good to know:

If you have a balanced and varied plant-based diet, it contains all the important nutrients (including protein!) You need. One vitamin that you need to supplement (after talking to your doctor) is B12. Supplementing omega 3 could also be a good idea.

Which vegan foods offer …

… protein? Soy and soy products, legumes, whole grains, quinoa, green leafy vegetables, nuts and nut butters
… iron? Legumes, cereals, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds
… zinc? Beans, nuts, seeds, oats, nutritional yeast
… calcium? Green leafy vegetables, beans, almonds, sesame, fortified non-dairy milk and juices
… omega-3 fatty acids? Flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, algae

2. Start slowly

Eliminating animal products entirely from your diet and switching to a purely vegan diet can be a big change. A vegan lifestyle is a process and it's okay to start slowly. How about one vegan meal a day? Or you can cook vegan at home but be more flexible with your food.

Take one step at a time and find your favorite vegan recipes, restaurants, and undiscovered vegetables and grains.

3. Fill your refrigerator and pantry with new food

If you want to get rid of temptation, cleaning your refrigerator will help and pantry and fill them with plant foods. Whether you decide to refine any leftover animal products or pass them on to family and friends is entirely up to you.

4. Get creative in the kitchen

Embark on your culinary adventure and experience the fun of trying new vegan recipes (sharing with family and friends). There are so many plant-based whole grains out there – eat whole foods! Which brings us to the next point …

Do you fancy cooking?

There are so many restaurants these days that offer vegan dishes and some that focus solely on vegan cuisine.

5. Avoid dairy and meat alternatives

Of course, it is possible to include milk and meat alternatives (vegan cold cuts, vegan cheese, vegan yogurt, etc.) in a balanced vegan diet. However, these highly processed foods are usually very high in calories, low in nutrients, and high in additives. You always need to read the ingredients to see if they are rich in sugar, Sodium or preservatives added.

Just because something is labeled as vegan doesn't automatically mean it's healthy. So make sure that processed vegan foods are not the basis of your meal plan, but an exception to the rule.

6. Eat enough

Studies show that vegans consume fewer calories than those who consume animal products. (3) This is good news when you are trying to lose weight. However, if you want to keep your weight and just eat healthy, make sure you are getting enough calories even if you are on a plant-based diet. Fresh vegetables contain fewer calories. Depending on what your diet was like before, you may need to eat larger meals or snacks more frequently to get the same amount of calories. If you don't eat enough You could experience food cravings.

Remember, switching to veganism is a big change. Make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. That way, you have the right mindset and can successfully move on to a healthy, vegan lifestyle.

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