If you want to go vegan, you couldn’t have picked a better time. Today, going vegan is easy, with most grocery stores offering a wide assortment of plant-based foods. Here are eleven ways to go vegan without missing the meat with so many healthy vegan choices.
Is a plant-based diet healthy?
If you want to go vegan but are concerned about this diet’s health, you are in luck. A vegan diet has been proven to help you:
Lose weight Lowers your risk of heart disease Lower your cholesterol Manage your blood sugar Reduce the number of medications you take Decreases your risk of cancer
11 tips to help you go vegan
When you talk about getting healthy, avoiding terms like vegetarian or vegan, eating more plant-based foods, and eating less meat, dairy and eggs may be helpful. This shift in language makes the whole idea of eating this way feel less of a significant life change.
1. Make your regular recipes vegan friendly
If you want to do away with meat, it’s not that hard, especially if you choose good vegan alternatives. Take your favorite recipes and make them vegan friendly by using plant-based meatless options such as:
Vegan burgers Vegan chicken nuggets Faux bacon Beefless strips Veggie hot dogs
You can also come up with unique ways to make your recipes vegan. You can swap out regular ingredients for vegan-friendly ones. Try these:
Butter: Vegan butter or olive oil Milk: Oat, almond, cashew, hemp, and coconut milk. Jackfruit: It’s a good substitute for chicken or beef. Use it in pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, or gyros. Aquafaba: This is the liquid from canned chickpeas. It’s a good egg white substitute for mousse, meringues, sponges, or brownies. Mix it with sugar and lemon juice to create a vegan royal icing.
2. Don’t rush into your new plant-based diet
One of the biggest mistakes people who want to go vegan make is going all out all at once. It’s best to take it slow. You may want to stop eating as much meat and eat more veggies. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. But focusing on eating more plant-based foods is an excellent first step. Other things you can try are these:
Eat meat-free at least one or two days a week Increase the plant-based foods in each meal Lower the amount of meat you use in a meal. If you used 6 ounces of red meat in a spaghetti sauce, lower it to 4 ounces in the spaghetti sauce. Eventually, you can substitute a meat alternative. Be patient. You may fall off the wagon and eat a beef taco, but that’s okay. Start fresh again tomorrow.
3. Think more about what you can eat
When you’re eating a new diet, it’s easy to ruminate about what you miss. But eating plant-based isn’t a big sacrifice when you focus on what you can eat rather than what you can’t eat. If there’s a food you miss, take a bite of it and ask yourself.
Is this food as good as you thought? Do I need another bite? Why do I miss it so much? Is it a texture thing or a flavor issue? What vegan alternative would taste good right now?
Before you know it, you won’t miss non-vegan foods …
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