Thinking of A Vegan Diet? Try These Simple Steps

Veganism is slowly taking over the country, and not because it is a “fad.” The countless health benefits it provides have people sharing their stories, and encouraging others to give it a try. Many restaurants are now adding delicious vegan items to their menu. Even meat lovers can enjoy the vegan diet with the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger, mimicking beef’s signature flavor! It might sound hard to become a vegan, but it does not have to be.

Ignore Negativity

The moment you share that you’re on a vegan diet, you might hear some negative comments from friends or family members. Do not let this deter you. Focus on your goal, and achieve it. You do not have to worry about your household or everyone around you, just start with you.

Woman sitting at a table in front of a laptop with a black cup of tea on her rigt and notebook on left.
Researching is key to figureing out what you can and cannot eat. If you think it might not be vegan, research it first.

Research

Make sure to do plenty of research to find out what you can and cannot have. A vegan diet cuts out all animal products, such as dairy and meat. Pretty much anything that can come from an animal (or fish) is a no-go. For example, butter is made with milk, so you cannot have butter, and common things are made with butter. However, this should not be an issue because there are vegan options to substitute like vegan butter or veganaise. Cauliflower is a delicious alternative for pizza crust and breadsticks, and there are yummy vegan cheeses as well. If you have any doubts, you can always Google if a meal or snack is vegan before you indulge. The more you know, the more success you can have with your diet. 

Planning is Everything.

In order to be successful, planning is everything. The more you focus on organization, the easier it will be to execute! Do not simply think: “Oh, I will just eat salads every day and be okay.” There has to be more thought and planning, because you will eventually get bored with salads and want to give up. Meal prepping is your greatest ally. 

If you have the time to cook and meal prep, there are tons of recipes right at your fingertips via the internet. For busy days, there are plenty of delicious frozen vegan meals you can pop right into the oven or microwave. 

There are a lot of vegan snack options, and if you do not have the time to go buy some stick to the basics like nuts, vegetables with hummus and peanut butter, and fruits. Also, did you know that Oreos are vegan? So, if you are looking for a sweet snack, have an Oreo. It doesn’t just end there, many things you probably eat on a daily basis are

Avocado, asparagus, red tomato, green tomato, and garlic cloves on cutting board.
Meal preparation is helpful in achieving your goal of a vegan diet. It makes the transition easier.

secretly vegan!

Planning extends outside the kitchen too. When you go out to eat with your family or friends, make sure to look up the restaurant’s menu beforehand to make sure you are not limited to eating the complimentary bread.  

Start Slow

If you want to try the vegan diet, you do not have to jump into the deep end. Get your feet wet by going meatless until dinner time. Eat a plant-based breakfast and lunch, such as vegan scrambled eggs made of tofu, fruits, and curried broccoli chickpea salad. You can opt to go vegan one day a week and start there. Or you can choose to go meat-free or dairy-free and progress. Start with whichever makes you comfortable.

It is important to not look at a vegan diet as losing meat and dairy, but rather gaining delicious, healthy alternatives. The moment you think you have “cut out” animal products, you feel defeated and deprived. The simpler your meals, the better they are for you. 

You will open an undiscovered world of foods when you go vegan. The best way to start the diet is by taking simple steps, preparing yourself mentally, and making a solid grocery list. Feel out what works for you, and the hardest part, honestly, will be the psychological and social aspects. Focus on your goals and health, because eating a plant-based diet will fully support your body and mind. They say it takes only 28 days to make something a habit, so give veganism at least 28 days and review what changes.

Are There Benefits To Going Vegan?

Going full vegan is not as easy as most people think it is, but becoming a partial vegan is achievable. A lot of people consider going vegan because it has a lot of benefits for your health. Not only can a vegan diet help you lose weight, but it will help your heart, kidney, and help with diabetes and even some cancers. It can be hard to go full pledged vegan, especially for someone like me who loves cheese, or for others who love meat. But there are small changes that you can make to become a partial vegan, or just to have a better diet.

You do not have to go all out and cut meat from your diet for the rest of your life if you do not want to. That is not what this article is about, but rather considering one of your meals of the day to be meatless and non-dairy. And if you want the cheese, there are some vegan cheeses you can consider. I know, vegan cheese? Gross! But I assure you, I’ve had it and it is surprisingly delicious! Let’s talk about the health benefits of a vegan diet, and what changes you can make.

Benefits

Veganism lowers your blood pressure, and the risk of heart disease.
Veganism lowers your blood pressure, and the risk of heart disease, amongst many other benefits.

Vegan diets can help people who are dealing with some serious health issues. Vegan diets are full of a lot of vegetables, which means it is rich in nutrients such as fiber, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamins A, C, and E. The diet improves kidney function from the nutrients listed, lowers your risk of heart disease, and can even protect you from cancers.

Heart disease is lowered from this diet because of the fruits, vegetables, and fiber your body is receiving. It helps lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which in turn helps your heart from having to pump harder than it should. Blood flow increases throughout your body, and the chance of blood clotting lowers. Your risk of colon or rectal cancer can be reduced by almost 18%, and lower your risk of dying from cancer by 15%. Vegan diets consist of soy products, which can help protect a person from breast cancer.

Studies have shown that a vegan diet produces more energy, and we all would like some of that. It may not necessarily just be a full vegan diet that produces the energy, but a healthier diet will. Avoiding sugary treats and processed foods will help your body regulate your glucose levels more, and prevent blood sugar from spiking or crashing. This helps your body produce more energy, and prevent diabetes.

A vegan diet speeds up your metabolism, which aids in weight loss. It even helps with arthritis pain. Certain vegetables and fruits contain nutrients that help reduce inflammation within the body. This happens mainly by getting rid of the bad bacteria in your stomach, and increasing nutrients.

Small Yet Powerful Changes

 You can start a vegan diet by making one of your meals a vegan one.
You can make small changes towards a healthier lifestlye. Start by making one of your meals a vegan one.

Making small changes is easier than trying to just cut off meat and dairy from your diet forever. As stated before, becoming a vegan is not as easy as some may think. However, you can take some steps into a healthier diet. Try cutting out meat and dairy from your diet for one of your meals. Over time, you can increase it to two meals if you want. Some people go vegan one week every month.

Taking these small steps will help your body absorb nutrients better. You will see the change in your body, mind, and overall health when you begin eating one vegan meal a day, a week, or every other month. Your face will glow, your energy will increase, and you will even begin to make more health conscious decisions when cooking or ordering food.

Vegan diets are becoming very popular, especially with all the research to back it up on why it is great and preferable. You do not have to say goodbye to meat forever if you do not want to. However, I do recommend you to consider adding a vegan meal in your day, and see how you feel over time. If you feel better (which I think you will) then great, and if not, then you can stop. Better to try something that will benefit your body greatly, than to just dismiss it.

Insurance Company Offer Discounts to Vegans

Veganism has become a mainstream lifestyle and has been becoming more popular within the last couple of years. There are many health benefits to becoming vegan and now there are financial benefits. An Israel-based health insurance company, Clal Insurance, offers discounts to people who are vegans. The trend has caught on in America with an insurance company offering discounts for life insurance to vegans.

You have to sign a declaration stating you are vegan to receive savings.
The insurance company requres you to sign a declaration of health to qualify for vegan savings.

The Israeli insurance company began a Vegan Pay Less, VPL, initiative for life and health insurance plans for vegans. The discount will be available to member sof vegan associations who provide a signed declaration of health to qualify. The company is hoping that more people will choose to make the diet change to become healthier which will reduce health issues and costs.

Benefits of Vegan Diet

Plant based diets have become popular due to how well it ranks in healthiest diets in the world.. Studies have shown that a vegan diet has been shown to aid in the prevention and treatment of major diseases. These studies from the Public Health Nutrition Journal have shown what the benefits vegans receive. Their hypertension reduced by 63%, type 2 diabetes reduced by almost 50%, cardiovascular issues reduced by 20%, and a 15% lower chance from all types of cancer.

A lot of fruits and vegetables can help your body from high risks of cancer, alzheimer’s, and diabetes because of the antioxidants and phytochemicals provided. The National Cancer Institute believes that antioxidants can prevent certain forms of cancer because these antioxidants prevent cell damage.

A person is less likely to become obese or have a high BMI if they are on a vegan diet. A meatless diet will help you to have less body fat. This in turn will keep you from having high blood pressure and cholesterol issues.

A meatless diet has many benefits for your health.
A meatless diet has many benefits from maintaing your BMI, to lowering your chances of cancers and high blood pressure.

People who eat fish are exposed to mercury in their diet and high levels of it can damage your kidneys and lungs. A large intake can impact your cognitive skills because it is damaging to the nervous system.

An insurance company in America has joined the bandwagon of giving discounts to Americans who practice a healthier lifestyle by going vegan. Health IQ made the shift in order to help people save money. They base premiums on a person’s lifestyle rather than family history. The likelihood that other insurance companies will join the vegan discounted rates are high because vegans are healthier than non vegans.

Insurers want healthier customers so they do not have to pay a lot to insure them, in other words, the healthier a customer then the more the insurance company saves. Insurance companies do not want to take on sick customers. This will not only benefit the insurance companies, but also the customers. Bottom line is the more greens you eat, the more green you save in your pockets.

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