Finally, more and more people start giving a plant-based diet a go. That’s amazing since swapping some or all of the animal-derived foods for the plant-based alternatives is great for the environment. Unfortunately with all the processed food available eating a vegan or a plant-based diet doesn’t guarantee a healthy life.
Therefore it is important to remember about eating whole foods and paying attention to the body reaction. Here are some tips on what should you keep in mind to make sure you’re thriving on your plant-based diet.
Make sure you’re eating enough calories!
This is very important, especially if you’re only starting your journey with plant-based diet or if you feel lack of energy. Whole plant food is much less calorie dense when compared to animal products. This means it will fill you up much faster. It’s great if you have a huge appetite cause you can enjoy large meals and stay lean. It may get a bit tricky if your energy requirements are high. But in that case just make sure you’re eating a lot of calorie dense foods such as beans, lentils, rice, wholemeal bread and pasta, nuts and seeds. If you feel lethargic or have no energy despite being on a vegan diet, you may find it useful to track your calories for a day or two by using chronometer or MyFitnessPal. Just to make sure you’re eating enough.
Eat a variety of colours!
You should always aim to get as many different colourful vegetables in your meal as possible. Even if your calorie needs are high and your appetite is low you can still have a green smoothie or juice or some sort of veg-based dressing with your meal. The more colours you include in your dish the higher the variety of different microelements. Yes, you need to eat enough but remember about micronutrient density that is needed for optimal health.
Don’t be afraid of supplements!
There is nothing wrong in making sure you’re getting enough nutrients by supplementing the ones you’re concern about the most. And a lot of people is deficient in Vit D and B12. So unless you get sun exposure daily and you eat a lot of fermented foods or nutritional yeasts you should get a good quality B12 and D supplement. Both of these are essential for health. Another thing that you may want to supplement is Omega 3. But this is only if you’re not eating any walnuts, chia seeds or hemp seeds. Look for algi derived supplement.
Watch out for deficiencies
Accordingly to scientists, there are few nutrients of concern that vegans have a higher risk of deficiencies: iron, calcium, and iodine. However, all of them can be easily obtained. Make sure you’re eating a variety of whole foods and you’re not restricting any macronutrient. Nuts and seeds are great sources of the first two. In terms of iodine – seaweed is a way to go.
Pay attention to your body signals
There is no one vegan diet fits all. Some people will feel better on higher carb some on higher protein, some on higher fats and others just on more or less same amount of all macronutrients. Find what makes you feel best. Experiment with your food and keep in mind that being bloated or feeling stuffed but unsatisfied is not normal. You should feel satisfied with every meal you’re eating. And you shouldn’t have any digestive issues. If you do you need to change something or go to nutritionist or dietician and ask for a bit of help.
Remember about water
I have an entire post about water, long story short- even small dehydration can make you feel bad so stay hydrated.
Move your body
That’s not a diet related thing, but if you’re not engaged in any form of physical activity and you’re sedentary then trust me- finding what you like and moving around will make you feel so much better.
B.Strong and Healthy