Living vegan does not only include following a vegan diet but also keeping in mind to stay ethical in many other ways like what you wear or how you recycle and minimize your waste, etc. Vegan concept excludes all animal-related products, like dairy, eggs and all kind of meat. It is also against any animal cruelty, whether for clothing, entertainment or food.
What we have on our plate influence not only our personal health & well-being but also our planet and all living beings on this world!
I've become vegetarian since I turned 17 and went vegan in 2018. I wish I made my transition to a completely plant-based lifestyle so much earlier!!
Before I moved to Germany, I had mostly hard times eating plants and I was often told that this kind of diet will make me sick as I'll be lacking essential vitamins and minerals. Which is absolutely wrong! Since I stopped eating meat, my immune system got better, I was getting ill less often, my sport performance has been drastically improved and my general well-being has never been better!
Plant-based lifestyle results in various health benefits, like improving your heart health, stabilizing your blood pressure, lowing your blood sugar levels, preventing cancer and so much more!
Below you'll find what food you need to include to have your vitamins and minerals covered by being vegan and what supplements you can consider to take:
Foods to eat:
Fruits, vegetables & leafy greens
Legumes (beans, peas, lentils)
Nuts & nut butter and seeds (flaxseeds, chia, hemp)
Whole grains, cereals and pseudocereals (amaranth, quinoa, brown rice, buckwheat)
Calcium-fortified dairy alternatives (soya milk and yoghurt, almond milk, etc.). Try to choose no added sugar options.
Protein-rich alternative to meat (tofu, tempeh, seitan). Try to choose lower-fat options.
Sprouted and fermented plant foods (miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, Ezekiel bread)
Herbs, spices and nutritional yeast
Algae (spirulina, chlorella)
Drink plenty of water
Supplements to consider:
Vitamin B12 (a must!)
Vitamin D
EPA & DHA
Iron
Iodine (only if you have a deficiency!)
Calcium
Zinc
Before I've switched from vegetarian to a vegan diet, I thought that it will be very difficult for me to stop eating cheese or eggs. After watching a few documentaries on Netflix, I've realized, that my willingness to choose non-cruelty food which not only improve my health but also positively impact our environment, is so much stronger than my addiction to cheese.
Give yourself a challenge - try a vegan lifestyle for 1 week. Step by step and you'll get there. Take it slow and don't get too hard on yourself! ;)