How to Start Living a Healthy Vegan Lifestyle: 10 Steps + Tips (Instructional)


 

Hello all new subscribes and welcome to Nature's New Nook! I am so excited to be guiding all of you through this new health journey in your lives. I want to start off by saying that each person adapts to big lifestyle changes at different paces. Don't discourage or get down on yourself because you are not seeing the results you want right away. I have listed 10 steps to help guide you when getting started with this new lifestyle. 


1. Set realistic goals and and share them with peers 

Anyone can have set health goals when trying out a new diet or lifestyle change, but there are many obstacles that can make meeting our goals unsuccessful. Setting goals can be intimidating because we        tend to view them as win or lose. Thinking about what you want to change, why, and what's going to        motivate you and the changes you are WILLING to make to stay on track. Your level of willingness to    change is what accompanies the reality of your goals. After deciding what you want your goals to be,    write them down and try to set up a timeline for when you hope to achieve these goals. My own personal tip is to share these new health goals with your close family/friends whom you trust. That way they can hold you in a sense of accountability and motivation. 

2. Education 

This is one of the most important steps and is one of the main reasons I switched to a vegan lifestyle. Consuming animal byproducts from the factory farmed meat industry indeed contributes to the environmental matters of climate change, air pollution, water pollution, water scarcity, global warming, and non-renewable energy costs. There are many different layers to consider in explaining this complicated matter. I will have more blogs in the coming days that expand on this topic into smaller subtopics. To keep it short and concise, there is a vast amount of scientifically proven evidence showing that the consumption of animal products is bad human health and the environment. I remember coming across the well known documentary called What The Health (link to documentary below), this documentary completely changed my perspective on food and the big food corporations in America. By subscribing to Nature's New Nook we will provide you with the credible resources and knowledge to help get you started. 

3. Don't quit cold turkey   

Don't get me wrong now, I am all for the "the time is now" notion of going vegan but for most it is not that easy and especially was challenging for me at first. Going cold turkey overnight really will not give you any added health benefits so what is the hurry? Remember it's all about being realistic, by just making one or two small transitions a week is already progress. Whether it's switching from drinking cows milk to a plant-based nut milk or even trying to incorporate meatless monday into your meal prep is a great start. I started out by being a pescitarian for 3 months then switched to vegetarian for about a year and a half, before fully committing to veganism. I like to compare going vegan like learning a new language, if you don't understand the basics of it you'll constantly be struggling down the line. You have more realistic shot of succeeding if you have a good thoughtful transition. 

4. Vitamins and Supplements 

Before I elaborate further, I want to clarify I am not a medical professional. You should always consult with your primary care doctor before incorporating supplements into your diet. This is one of the most common reason for people to not want to go vegan. To this day I am constantly asked, how are you getting all the proper nutrients? What about protein? Isn't veganism unhealthy because there are so many vitamin deficiencies? I will have a seperate blog post expanding on this idea as well but I want to address this topic really quick here to help get you started. For one, no you do not need to take vitamins/supplements on a vegan diet, genetic factors mostly determine your level of need for vitamins. But I do recommend incorporating vitamins in when just starting out just to make sure your getting all the correct daily nutrients. The most vitamins that vegans lack is: B12, Iron, Vitamin D, and Omega-3 DHA. Lacking these important vitamins in your vegan transition can cause some to feel tired, sluggish, fatigue, and muscle soreness. 

5. Fill up on the food 

The second most common reason that people chose not to go and stick with the vegan lifestyle, what do you eat? You go decades of your life being fed meals that usually center around meat, dairy, and eggs. To just remove those from your diet can be intimidating and leave people unsure of what to cook. Here's a little secret: the food really isn't the hard part...it's 2020 people, we have self driving cars for cry out loud! Any meal or food you enjoy that is non-vegan, can easily be veganized especially in our modern technologically advanced society. Some examples: plantbased deli slices, veggie burgers, cauliflower bbq wings, and the list goes on. You get the same flavor and textures from the same old foods you love but without the animal exploitation or harm to environment. I recommend stocking up on plenty of your favorite fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Again I will have more blogs in the upcoming days that will expand on how to veganize your pantry and fridge.  Always remember to double check ingredients when shopping! 

6. Engage and build your own community of vegan friends!

If you have gotten this far down the list then you are already progressing through this step! Assuming those around you will not be making the same transition as you, it really does help to join vegan related groups across the various social media platforms. Yes Nature's New Nook is here for my fellow subscribers to network and communicate with one and other for ideas, motivations, recipes, and more. The vegan community is not as hardcore as the stereotypes that society associates with them. I also recommend following vegan chefs, activist, and bloggers on your social media platforms that you frequent. You are not alone on this journey, so many struggle with the transition and that's what us and these communities are here for. 

7. Kitchen Appliances are key! 

Kitchen appliances I think make going vegan much easier, not saying you need have all this fancy equipment. A simple blender and food processor are two appliances staples all transitioning vegans should have, assuming you already have a stove and oven. These appliances are great for creating many creative recipes that you never thought were possible. Desserts, smoothies, dips, dressings, burger patties are just some of the many way you can utilize these appliances. Below are links to some reasonably priced quality appliances. 

What use to be seen as just a radical lifestyle fad diet has progressed to becoming more accepted as a food choice norm. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but your also entitled to debate the argument. When I first became vegan, people made fun of me, were not understanding, and always wanted to stir up a debate. Veganism is no question a very controversial topic so prepare for a lot of hate and debate, but remember there are two sides to every argument. When people did try to argue with me I saw this as an opportunity to enlighten and educate them about what really goes on in certain food industries. This issue touches on personal beliefs, and beliefs and personal values coexists with each other. Values are things that give our opinion a sense of direction in terms of what's right vs. what's wrong. This in turn causes many arguments that lead to people disregard what vegans say as actual facts. I don't want Nature New Nook to be based on my personal beliefs and values of animal rights. Although that can certainly be a motivating factor, my goal is for all of you to make the CONNECTION. Every blog post and consultation will bring you a step close to making the connection of our catch phrase, "change the plate before it's too late". 

9. A Consistent routine to going green 

Mapping out and planning is important to staying on track towards your health goals. Nature's New Nooks is not only here as a blog but we will be providing diet services such as personalized meal plans and workout routines that fit your health needs. But for those who want to develop their own, start by knowing your realistic goals with a timeline like a month, 6-months, 1-year, etc. An example could be by start by incorporating one weekly vegan meal for a month, then the next month start by doing a daily vegan. Go at your own pace and remember to keeping this consistent routine realistic. Incorporating other healthy lifestyle changes into this routine like trying to give up smoking, drinking more water, and getting a full rested night of sleep can help build this motivation to stay on track with your diet. 

10. Begin to love cooking 

I know you can't rely on vegan takeout forever, no matter how good it tastes. Before going vegan the only cooking I knew how to do was opening and closing the microwave. Honestly vegan cooking is not only easy but it's actually really cool. Learning the techniques to vegan cooking is honestly one of the most satisfying mouth watering feelings. Everytime I cook a vegan meal I learn something new that brings me closer to loving this lifestyle everyday. The stereotype that all vegan food taste bland and bad is a complete myth. Even my non-vegan friends love so many of the meals I make. Just because veganism requires a little bit more kitchen work shouldn't discourage you from adopting it. Knowing what exactly you are putting into your food and how much of it is the reason you should develop your love for cooking, also so you can show off to your family and friends a healthy good cooked meal. 

    

    

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