mdolla: Know What Vegans Can’t Eat Before Being A Real Vegan

Becoming a vegan is not just about changing the meals but it’s a whole lifestyle. You can only successfully adopt a vegan diet if you are ready to change your lifestyle. The vegan diet helps in promoting sustainable food production practices and healthy animal welfare.^[1]

It is important to understand the difference between going on a vegan diet and adopting the vegan lifestyle. Before you start going down the vegan path it is essential that you fully understand the things that you have to adopt and things that you will be giving up. Here is guide that can help in getting a better understanding of the lifestyle and what can’t vegans eat.

You should cut large amounts of calories

When you switch to the vegan diet you will be looking to cut large amounts of calories. The calories decrease because you will be cutting food products that have high calories. As you are cutting calories you should look forward adding large amounts of fiber in diet so that the decrease in calories does not affect the feeling of fullness. Make sure that you include a lot of whole grains, fruits, seeds, nuts etc.

You should quit the processed food

People opt to select the vegetarian diet because they want to eat healthy. To fully embrace this diet you should make sure that your upright fridge does not contain any processed food. You will be replacing the processed food with healthy plant based foods that are full of minerals, vitamins, fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants. The processed food loses its nutrients so ditch all the processed food and eat fresh products.

You should get enough iron

Once you are on a vegetarian diet you will need to consume more iron as compared to the meat eaters. The types of iron found in meats are different as compared to the vegetable foods. If you are doing any extraneous exercises or are an athlete then you will need to have an extensive amount of iron. Include the foods such as beans, nuts, vegetables etc. so that the body gets all the iron it needs. You can pair them with foods that are rich with vitamin C as it will improve the absorption and keep you energetic.

You should consume more idoine

Getting the right amount of iodine on a vegetarian diet can be challenging as you will not be avoiding fish meat and dairy. When you prefer iodized salt over the sea salt then it can be a little problem for you. One of the best ways of making up for the iodine deficiency is to include sea vegetables in your diet.^[2] If you are not eating seaweed or sushi from time to time then you would need to get occasional supplement. You should consult a doctor and get the supplement because little amounts of iodine is essential for the body.

You should get the essential omega 3 fatty acids

Fatty acids are critical part of healthy diet and when you are switching to the vegan diet you should know that there are only three types of fatty acids in the plants. It is important that you eat hemp, chia and flax regularly. If you are still worried about not getting the right fatty acids then you can use algae and oil supplements. If you are suffering from any heart problems or have diabetes or high cholesterol levels and you are on a strict vegetarian diet then you need to be careful about the consumption of fatty acids.

You should include the vitamins in your diet

The vitamins should also be a part of your vegan diet if you want to keep up the nutrition and energy levels. The vitamin D is considered an important part of a healthy diet. It mostly comes from supplementation and sunlight. For people following a vegan diet should get the right amounts of vitamin D because it seems to help in raising the blood levels. You should consult a physician when it comes to the vitamin D status so that you can make sure that you are getting the adequate amount. The vitamin B12 can be consumed by including milk, cheese, eggs and cereal.

A vegan should know how to make up for the nutrients

When you are switching to the vegetarian diet you should be aware about the food products that you will be giving up and how to make up for the nutrients that you will be losing because of all the foods you will be cutting. Just because you are switching diets you do not have to give up the essential nutrients.

Featured photo credit: Zeefit Health via zeefithealth.com