Thinking About Going Vegan: Beginners Guide For Switching To Veganism

From thehealthsite.com

Janvi Chitalia, Gut and Functional Nutritionist, shares her insights on veganism and how to start a vegan lifestyle

Owing to health and environmental benefits, veganism is gaining popularity especially among young people. For all those thinking to start following veganism but unsure of how to go about it? Janvi Chitalia, Gut and Functional Nutritionist, and creator on Koo App shares her insights on veganism and how to start a vegan lifestyle for the beginners.

She says, "A vegan diet is based on plant foods like vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits. It excludes foods that are produced from animals such as dairy products, eggs, and meat. Plant-based food sources are an excellent source of complete protein. It contains all the nine essential amino acids required in the human diet. Moreover, vegan foods are rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, Vit C, Vit A, Vit E, and phytonutrients,"

Choose best plant-based protein sources

According to the nutritionist, best plant-based protein sources include:

• Legumes and pulses: These foods are an important part of a vegan diet. Green peas, lentils, chickpeas, moong can be included in the diet as they are rich sources of plant-based proteins. They are also an excellent source of complete protein, containing all the nine essential amino acids.
• Buckwheat: It is a good source of protein, fibre and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, zinc, folate, and vitamin B6
• Tempeh: It is made from fermented soybean which is high in protein and also a great source of prebiotics.
• Nuts and seeds: Almond, peanut, walnut, and flaxseed can be added to a vegan diet as it contains a considerable amount of fibre, protein and antioxidants in it.
• Quinoa: It is a good source of protein and contains all nine essential amino acids that the human body requires. Also, quinoa is rich in minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

You need to consume a lot of fruit and vegetables

Chitalia recommends that as vegans you should consume great amount of fruit, vegetables which are packed with fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals like anthocyanin, lycopene which are associated with lowering blood cholesterol level LDL (low density lipoproteins) that are also known as bad cholesterol which makes most of the body cholesterol.

"High levels of LDL increase the risk of heart disease. Diet consisting of fruits and vegetables tend to have a mixture of phytochemicals antioxidants like Vit C, anthocyanin, flavonoids that are known to protect against cancer. Phytochemicals inhibit cell proliferation, a process in which the number of cells increases as result of cell growth and division, increases apoptosis, a process in which abnormal cells are destroyed," she adds.

How to get ready to shift to a vegan lifestyle

If a vegetarian/non-vegetarian person is looking to shift to a vegan lifestyle, they need to be motivated and ready to adapt to the changes that come with it. Changing dietary or eating patterns isn't always an easy task but the benefits that one can get by adapting to these new habits are worth it.

The nutritionist suggests a few tips to prepare yourself to shift to a vegan lifestyle:

• Firstly, one needs to decide why they need this change. Why are they opting to follow veganism? After this, a statement of purpose can be made maybe by maintaining a journal or noting it down in laptop/phone notes.
• Secondly, few personal goals and targets can be set. For example, eliminating eggs or seafood twice a week, or consuming chicken just once a week, to once a month and then slowly and gradually giving it up in entirety. Patiently following this method can eliminate the animal sources, while replacing it with vegan substitutes can help one's diet and adapt the new changes and achieve dietary goals. One can also seek help from specialists or look up for some restaurants, cafes that provide vegan foods and explore new dishes that are specifically made for vegans. Nowadays many cafes, and restaurants are becoming inclusive and have added vegan dishes in their menu.
• Thirdly, while adapting to the changes, one must consume all the key nutrients required for the body. Vit B12, Vit D and calcium are few nutrients that you may get deficient of while following veganism so you can take these vitamins through supplements only after taking consultation with a doctor/dietitian.
• Lastly you can communicate and share your feelings and views about the changes with your family members and get some social support.

Cons of a vegan diet

Chitalia, however, points out there are few nutrients which are of concern in a vegan diet like:

Omega 3 fatty acids: Generally vegan diets exclude fish, eggs that are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids which plays an important role in cardiovascular function, eye, and brain function. A vegan can have plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids such as flaxseed, and walnut on a regular basis.

Vit B12: Vegan diet doesn't allow animal food sources, so to avoid the deficiency of Vit B12, one should take vitamin B-12 supplement daily.

Dairy products substitute for vegans: Milk can be replaced by adding almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk and oat milk. While switching to this alternative instead of the regular cow/buffalo milk one should learn which works out for them.

Cheese: Who doesn't love cheese? Shifting to veganism and worried you won't get to eat cheese? Nutritional yeast is one of the best alternatives for cheese, it resembles parmesan cheese with nutty rich flavour.

https://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/diet/thinking-about-going-vegan-beginners-guide-for-switching-to-veganism-942738/