Becoming A Vegan: What it Means, What to Eat and How to Start

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Have you ever thought about becoming a vegetarian?  I know that I have and I am sure that many of you at one point or another thought about becoming one too. Looking at my diet now, I mean, I really don’t eat much meat anymore. But every once in a while, I could really go for a filet. So, if you are sort of like me, where you do eat meat and meat-based products on occasion, how do you fully jump that fence to becoming a vegan?  Well, after some research and talking to some of my vegan and vegetarian friends, I found out that it is relatively easy to become a vegan and make that lifestyle change.

What is a Vegan?

I never knew how many levels of vegetarianism there were and how many terms were used to describe those levels. We all of heard of the term “vegetarian”, which essentially means someone whose diet consists of not eating meat, fish, poultry or any dairy with animal rennet.  Now, what does the term vegan mean?  This term is used to describe the strictest form of a vegetarian diet, where one completely eliminates both animal and animal byproducts (such examples include: cochineal, casein, gelatin and whey). Even if any animal could be harmed in order to produce a food product, vegans steer clear of those foods as well.

We now know what vegans do not eat, so what is left for them to eat?  Since vegans follow plant-based diets, fresh fruits and vegetables are always on the grocery list.  Other vegan staples include: beans, flour, grains, oats, rice, and seeds.  It is important to discuss becoming a vegan with your doctor before hand. The doctor can physically assess you to see if there may be any potential complications with your health and the vegan diet.  If eating a complete all-round vegan diet, there should not be any health complications.  There are many wonderful cookbooks, which include delicious vegan food recipes.  It is important that you are eating a wide range of vegan foods to get the proper nutrition that is needed for your body. Being a vegan and eating a raw food diet will increase your energy and you’ll feel good about what you’re eating too.

How Do I Start?

• Why do you want to become a vegan?  Since this is a major lifestyle change, you need to justify to yourself why you will be doing this.
• What to know what it is like to be a vegan?  Ask fellow friends who are vegans or have a friend join you to experience the vegan lifestyle.
• Take it slow.  With such a drastic change to your diet, becoming a vegan should be eased into, since this will more than likely be a permanent change to which foods you consume.  Your body needs time to adjust to what is being put into it and should be given the change for that transition, going from a meat-based diet to a vegan plant-based diet.
• Become familiar with new vegan diet foods and how to prepare them.  Don’t be afraid to try something new or cook in a new way.
• Become familiar with spices and herbs as they will help enhance the flavor of the vegan dish.

As you can see, becoming a vegan may not be for everyone.  But understanding why you want to become vegan will help you maintain your new lifestyle.  You will need to be vigilant when reading food labels and will also need to make the time to cook to ensure you are adhering to a vegan diet.  If are not sure if becoming a vegan is for you, give it a try and experiment slowly. There are even detailed blueprints available for how to go about becoming a vegan.  Not only will it benefit your overall health, but you will feel good about what goes into your body and you’ll be more energized too.