5 Tips for Adopting a Plant-Based Lifestyle
There is a lot of information out there about health, wellness, what to eat, what not to eat, and it’s exhausting and confusing. One thing that nearly everyone can agree on is that eating more vegetables is the easiest way to improve your overall health and wellbeing. Over the past 2 years I have adopted a plant based diet to not only improve my own personal health, but help out the environment as well. Plant based doesn’t mean you have to be full-on vegan, it just means the base of your diet is made up of plants and whole food ingredients. Labels suck and sometimes dairy filled ice cream, cheesy pizza, or grilled fish is what I want, so I allow myself to have those things. Life is about balance, and eating one thing is not going to make or break you. Eating more vegetables is undoubtedly good for you, so here are some of my tips on how to live a successful plant based lifestyle, or just to get into it.
1. Find plant-based alternatives to your favorite foods
Oftentimes we feel like we’re missing out on our favorite comfort foods when we remove things like dairy and meat from our diet, but there are some amazing alternatives out there. My favorites are: Violife for vegan cheese, NUGGS makes some amazing vegan chicken nuggets, NadaMoo and Van Lewuen vegan ice creams, Whole Foods Plant-Based Meatballs go great with spaghetti and pasta sauce too! Find what you like and slowly start swapping them in.
2. Try new recipes
Eating more plants doesn’t mean purely salads and green juices. There are a ton of amazing food bloggers out there who have a plethora of amazing plant based recipes. I love to cook and experiment with new dishes and I always make Pinterest boards to organize all of my findings. It doesn’t have to be boring if you don’t let it.
3. Ask a friend to join you on your plant-based journey!
It’s always easier to stick to a goal if you have a friend to hold yourself accountable, cook with, and share your experiences with. Having someone along for the ride with you makes the whole learning process a lot more enjoyable and easier.
4. Don’t skip on supplements
You don’t need to go crazy, but there are a few supplements that you should be taking in order to feel your best while being on a plant based diet. B12 is an essential vitamin found in dairy products and some animal proteins and they are necessary to function. Magnesium is also highly recommended because it helps with muscle function, migraine prevention, anti-inflammation. Vitamin D is also important for calcium and phosphorus absorption. Iron is one more that depends on your health history, a lot of iron is found in plants like beans, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc.
5. Find your why!
Don’t just dive into a different lifestyle without any motive. For me, I wanted to adopt a more plant based diet because I knew that it would help the environment, and be even better for my personal health. Having a direction and a specific purpose helps to remind you why you started in the first place and keep you going when you might be struggling. In the end it's not an all or nothing approach and it never should be. Anything is something and small changes add up! With anything that comes to health, consistency is key.