Increasing numbers of people are opting for a vegan diet and lifestyle. Just a decade ago, it would be rare that you’d meet a vegan, but nowadays, they seem to be everywhere! Becoming vegan includes cutting out any form of animal product from your diet. This means no animal flesh (meat including seafood) or animal byproducts (eggs, dairy, and honey). There are plenty of reasons that people may opt for this kind of diet. Mostly, vegans oppose cruelty against animals and any form of animal exploitation. However, others will opt for a vegan lifestyle for environmental reasons (the meat industry alone contributes significantly to deforestation and produces huge amounts of methane which emanates from livestock’s manure). But is it possible to be vegan and live a healthy lifestyle?
Supplements
One of the main concerns that come hand in hand with the concept of veganism is being able to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals into your diet. From a young age, we are taught how to compose a meal that contains everything your body needs to function well: meat for protein, dairy for calcium, carbohydrates for energy, etc. When you limit the types of food that you can eat, it becomes a worry that you won’t be supplying your body with the essentials. But don’t worry. You can get everything you could possibly need on a vegan diet, you just need to retrain yourself in knowing the sources of each type of vitamin and mineral. Instead of getting your protein from meat, try increasing a number of nuts, seeds, tofu, lentils, beans and quinoa on your plate. For calcium, try leafy green vegetables like spinach, collard, kale and mustard greens. You can always try out vitamin supplements too. Check out these AlgaeCal reviews on Amazon to see how impressed people have been with calcium supplements. Remember to check with your GP before making any health decisions, including becoming vegan and taking supplements. They will be able to advise you and monitor your well-being as you progress through the process.
Cutting Out Junk Food
Becoming vegan inevitably means cutting out a whole host of junk foods that are readily available to you: no more fast food burgers or nuggets, no cake, biscuits, cheese. The list goes on. This is all positive. You will be consuming less saturated fats and refined sugars. But with the increasing number of vegans, there has been a rise in the production of vegan junk foods. More and more places are offering vegan cakes, vegan hot dogs, and vegan cheeses to name just a few new developments. So don’t think that becoming vegan will automatically make you healthier in and of itself. You still have to practice self-restraint and control and you should still maintain the exact same exercise regimen.
As you can see, it is perfectly possible to live a full and healthy lifestyle as a vegan. In fact, vegan diets are found to increase an average individual’s life expectancy and also encourages the consumption of healthier, green foods. So, if you were considering giving it a go, why not start today?
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