Learn How to Handle a Vegan Diet

Veganism has arisen from all the labels that used to call it a fad, to become one of the most prominent forms of lifestyle pursued by many people across the world. The easiest way to define it would be as the total exclusion of animal-based products that encourage the exploitation and cruelty of any living species, whether it is for food or clothing.

A vegan diet is an act of feeding your body with meals that are devoid of any form of animal products. Meat, eggs, and dairy are forsaken in this diet. Vegans undergo this change in their habits, mainly due to environmental concerns and their ethics. Most of them also do it because they wish to improve their health.

Classification of Vegan Diets

There is no written rulebook on being Vegan. There are a lot of routes to follow if we want to embrace that path. The following are some of the most popular found on the internet:

• The Raw-food diet: As the name implies, you get to eat only raw vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, and other plants. You have the option to cook them at temperatures as low as 48°C.
• The Whole-food diet: You can choose to eat any earth-based foods such as fruits, legumes, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and seeds, but they have to be all-organic. No room for genetically modified products on this one
• The 80-10-10 diet: The unusual numerals do not refer to a date. This diet premise is an 80% consumption of raw vegetables and fruits, 10% on fat-rich greens such as avocados and nuts, and 10% on soft greens. That is a very low-fat diet that needs prep work and body resistance.
• The Junk-food diet: It may sound like something that goes against the principles of a diet, but this one relies heavily on facsimiles to meat products, as well as cheeses. There is also room to cook vegetables fried and to consume processed vegan products.
• The Starch diet: This is another low-fat regime with high-carb consumption of meals that follows the same structure of the 80-10-10 diet. This one changes the greens by cooked starches such as rice, corn, and potatoes.
• Raw until Four: A very straightforward diet, you only eat raw meals until 4 p.m. After that, you may eat a cooked meal for dinner, but only plant-based.
• The Thrive diet: A combination of the raw food diet and the whole food diet. You can only plant-based meals, either fresh or barely cooked at very low temperatures.

This is How You Get Started on a Vegan Diet

To make the transition to a vegan diet, you need to take baby steps by becoming a vegetarian first. After you are done with that step, there are three basic rules you need to follow before making it official.

• Escalate It: find a way to make dishes you enjoy without meat-based products. Add more greens, make them stir friend if you have to, and make them pleasing to your taste buds. Increase the number of vegetables you can consume. Lettuces are great, but you also have to eat kale, spinach, collards, and Swiss chards.
• Do-Over:  Take your favorite recipes and prepare them with no meat at all. Try making chili without grounded beef. Try to make a curry pot with tofu. Have Mexican food and change all the chicken and beef with tofu-based products. You will find out who easy is to substitute meats in all of your recipes in the long run as long as you keep looking for options.
• Do More Research:  Look for vegetarian menus on the internet. Buy vegetarian cookbooks. Check the vegetarian options in your favorite takeout restaurants. Check for local vegetarian groups in your city. You will be surprised at the number of options you have and the number of people who can help you build a support system.

The Long List of Benefits of Going Vegan

You might be wondering what you gain by going vegan other than a clean conscience of not abusing other living beings. The good news is that embracing a vegan lifestyle is linked to quite a few benefits for your health. The ones we can list out of the top of our head are the following:

• You will prevent arthritis. A vegan diet will reduce the early symptoms of arthritis. You will also avoid any form of joint swelling, morning stiffness, and random pain in any part for your body.
• You will reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. The low consumption of processed products will cleanse your system of any chemicals that might affect your brain in the long run. You will also reduce the impact these products have on genetic conditions.
• You will reduce the risk of cancer since you no longer will consume meat. Most of the chemicals used to process meat products are tied to an increased risk of cancer in one out of four people.
• You will improve the functionality of your kidneys. That is primarily aimed at people who have diabetes since their kidneys will perform better, and their quality of life will be improved.

Most of this information can be easily verified on the internet. Keep in mind that almost all of this data has been gathered from observational studies. There are a good number of studies proving the benefits of Vegan diets, but there are not enough of them with solid grounds in the science community. The meat industry has its foot on the door promoting the benefits of meat-based proteins.