Here’s the biggest reason to embrace living vegan…
Enhanced health and wellness.
What you put in your body matters more than you think.
We’re guessing that’s why the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.”
So when it comes to adopting a vegan lifestyle, you could look at some of the offensive things happening around the meat industry for motivation, like animal cruelty and the production of plastic-like meats.
Speaking of offensive, did you know red meat and processed meats like hot dogs and deli meats are carcinogens?
The funny thing is we’ve all thought about embracing veganism but can’t seem to fit the pieces into our lives.
With all of these things in mind, let’s talk more about the benefits of veganism and how to make small steps towards changing your health in the long run.
It’s helpful to start with some basic vocabulary so we’re all on the same page.
What is veg·an?
/ˈvēɡən/
noun
- a person who does not eat any food derived from animals and who typically does not use other animal products.
Now let’s check out the benefits of being vegan.
The Benefits of Veganism
A quick google search returns more than a few good reasons to adopt the vegan lifestyle.
Some of the most popular reasons include:
- Weight loss
- Lowered blood sugar
- Better digestive health
- Better kidney function
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Improved skin tone and complexion
- Protection against certain illnesses and cancers
- Doing your part to make the world a better place
- A vegan diet provides an array of healthy nutrients
As you can see, wellness is the BIGGEST reason to go vegan, but you have to make sure you’re opting for the healthiest options.
You can be vegan and consume nothing but junk. Sure, you’re still technically “vegan,” but not getting the full benefits since you’re not consuming a nutrient-rich diet.
This is where it gets tricky for most people.
You know you want to give veganism a try, but you don’t know how to adjust your eating habits.
It’s all about baby steps, especially since most people who try to go cold turkey lapse after a short time. To avoid this, let’s check out some tactics you can use to ease yourself into the vegan lifestyle.
Baby Steps Towards Veganism
Here are a few simple things you can do to get the ball rolling.
Start by replacing your current milk and butter options with vegan options. Some people don’t tolerate cow’s milk very well in general, and let’s not forget the US allows 750 million pus cells into each liter of milk.
Appalling, right?
There are several milk alternatives to choose from—soy, almond, coconut, oat milk, and pea plant protein. Since more than a few options are available, it helps to try a few out and see what your taste buds are feeling the most.
The butter swap is easier to adjust to since it closely resembles the look, feels, and taste of real butter.
It also helps to decrease the number of days you consume meat. Some like to call this “Meatless Monday,” but you can easily extend this to any other day of the week or have multiple meatless days.
Aside from the slaughter process’s inhumanity, the reality of the meat industry boils down to meats riddled with superbugs, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, meat glue, and possible fecal contamination.
Think it’s too hard to “replace” meat?
There’s plenty of meat alternatives, or you can utilize ingredients like mushrooms, cauliflower, pecans, and jackfruit. All of these ingredients make fantastic meat substitutes, especially jackfruit (check out this vegan pulled pork sandwich recipe).
Overall, when you’re making vegan meals, make sure you put nutrition at the forefront.
But wait, we have more (vegan) food for thought.
What Type of Vegan Will You Be?
There are four different types of vegan lifestyle options: ethical vegans, environmental vegans, health vegans, and religious vegans.
- Ethical vegans hold strict beliefs against animal cruelty.
- Environmental vegans believe in going vegan to help the plant by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Health vegans adopt veganism for the health benefits it provides (what we’re talking about in this blog).
- Religious vegans choose veganism for spiritual beliefs.
Some of these vegan lifestyles are more strict than others, so it’s all about aligning your values and beliefs.
Once you get used to the vegan lifestyle’s ins and outs—cutting out meats and dairy—you can start exploring different vegan diets.
A few examples of different vegan diets are the raw vegan diet, gluten-free, vegan diet, and fruitarian vegan diet, whole food vegan diet, and the junk food vegan diet (not the best option if you’re trying to enhance health and wellness).
Some of these diets are more extreme than others and take more discipline, which is why we suggest taking baby steps first and then working your way up to some of the more disciplined areas of veganism.
Take it slow, and think about health, wellness, and nutrition, and you’ll be fine.
Things to Take Into Consideration
If you’ve ever tried to go vegan before, there are probably a few things you wished someone would have told you ahead of time.
With this sentiment in mind, we decided to lay out a few things to be mindful of on your journey.
- There’s a vegan alternative to just about anything. You may have to look a little harder for it sometimes.
- It’s okay to be vegan-ish for a while—baby steps, remember?
- Make sure to take vitamins since it’s hard for beginners to get all the nutrients they need, especially B12.
- Stay strong when eating out with friends as they chomp down a double cheeseburger.
- Understand eating on the go as a vegan is hard—packing snacks and meals helps.
- Seek support groups online when you need a little encouragement.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you slip—it’s bound to happen if you’re adjusting the way you’ve been eating your entire life.
Why You Should Embrace Living Vegan
If you’ve been thinking about ways to boost health and wellness, adopting a vegan lifestyle could be what you’re looking for.
There are many reasons to embrace living as a vegan. It’s all about matching it with reasons that make the most sense for you. Besides, making a change like this adds years to your life, and you’ll see various wellness areas improve.
Give it a try, see how it makes you feel.
Something tells us that if you choose to embrace living vegan you’re in for a pleasant surprise!