For the last few weeks, you’ve probably noticed your timelines filling up with people going cold turkey and transforming into vegans overnight. Whether you’ve watched a certain documentary, or you’re just curious about changing to a vegan lifestyle, here’s what you need to know about the plant-based life before you take the plunge.
What is a Vegan Anyway?
As with most things in life, there are levels to this. Being vegan on the most basic level, means eating only foods that grow from the earth, and avoiding any animal products. This includes byproducts like eggs, dairy products, and even BUTTER! In its most extreme form, being vegan means you don’t consume as in buy, eat, wear, etc., anything from an animal. This could include fur and leather products. If you decide to make this lifestyle change, keep in mind that you get to decide where on the vegan spectrum you want to fall.
Why Do People Become Vegan?
People turn to the vegan lifestyle for multiple different reasons, from food allergies, to animal rights, or just to cut out certain “bad” foods from their diets. Most recently, a number of people have explored a vegan lifestyle after watching the documentary “What The Health?” which exposes the industry behind meat products and its impact on animal and human health. Whatever the reason, people decide to avoid animal products and instead get all their nutrients from plant sources like vegetables and nuts.
What About My Protein?
While meat, eggs, and milk are excellent sources, proteins can also be found in plants like nuts and even vegetables like broccoli and spinach. Since plant-based proteins are usually incomplete proteins, you’ll have to be careful to get a good mix of proteins to support healthy bones and strong muscles. There are plenty of vegan body builders and fitness enthusiasts who find a way to maintain their protein levels and keep their muscle mass nice and high.
Will This Help Me Lose Weight?
Although commoners and Queen Beys alike, turn to a vegan diet for weight loss, it is not guaranteed that you will lose weight simply by avoiding animal products. You can get plenty of calories from a plant based diet, so you would still need to watch your portions. This is especially true if you’re eating a lot of nuts and other fatty foods. 10 vegan cookies can do just as much damage to your waistline as 10 non vegan cookies, don’t get it twisted.
But the good news is that removing animal fat, which is usually saturated fat, from your diet, you might see weight loss benefits at the outset of your new lifestyle. You just have to continue to be careful not to binge on vegan junk food, which absolutely exists. Sugar is still vegan!
So What Can I Eat?
Removing all animal products from your diet can leave a huge gap in your food options, that’s for sure. To stick to the plant-based lifestyle, without going hungry, you have to get creative and explore cooking with vegetables, beans, and nuts in different ways. You can still have rice and most of your sides, but vegetables will become the main course now. Think of ways to spice up hearty vegetables like eggplant and cauliflower the same way you might season your meat.
You can also mimic some of your favorite meat dishes with tofu, which is soy-based, and comes in a variety of textures to best fit the meal you’re craving. Before taking the plunge, download the free African American Vegan Starter Guide, or you could check out vegan recipes on Pinterest, and cookbooks like Courtney Keen’s “Unexpectedly Vegan” for more inspiration and useful tips on manipulating vegan ingredients for your favorite dishes.
Do I Have to Do This All The Time?
The most important thing to keep in mind is that only you define your lifestyle. If you want to go all the way and avoid all meat products 100% of the time, great. If you want to do an 80/20 plan, and be vegan 80% of the time while eating a “regular” diet the other time, that’s fine too. If you just want to be vegan when it works for you, or you’d rather stick to your meat, it’s all up to you. As long as the goal is to live your healthiest life, you’re making the right decision!
Sharita Jennings is a health policy attorney, ACE certified group fitness instructor and nutrition specialist. She leads fitness classes in Washington, DC and provides online coaching and tips on her site, GetFitLikeThat.com.
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