How To Vegan
- Johnny Footwrinkle
- Jan 7
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 19
Going vegan is easy with some simple preparation and foresight.
Over the last decade or so there has been a massive rise in the number of people opting to try a plant based diet or lifestyle. A big shift in the level of awareness around the current methods of food production and a growing desire to look after ourselves has seen huge number of people make a shift in their dietary choices. For some it was because of the animal welfare issues, others their health, some it was about environmental issues and others simply because they wanted to try something different. Whatever reasons you have for choosing a plant based diet it's important to prepare yourself and understand the process you are going through. Some people report that a vegan diet didn't work for them, they got ill or that they felt worse after transitioning to a plant based lifestyle. For the majority of these people the real issue is a lack of awareness and research prior to adopting a change in their lifestyle or diet.
Whatever reasons you choose to try a plant based diet, some simple preparation can help you avoid many of the issues others have encountered.
Food Is Cool, Feed The Body Not The MInd
Food for many people isn't just about giving their body the energy it needs. iI's a big deal, the taste, the smell, the warm satiated glow in their belly after a good meal. We do it as a social activity, we do it for comfort, food has become woven into our lives and our society in an immensely complex way. For many of us, we inherit the dietary and lifestyle choices of our parents and then add to them as we grow older and consequently we tend to develop the same kinds of health issues as well.
The television bombards us with endless marketing trying to sell you the perfect life, using clever techniques like emotional anchoring to associate certain products with certain feelings and ideas. For instance, that New Zealand Lamb advert, there's a farm, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, the lush green grass is a perfect shade of green, the animals are all happily playing, then we're in the kitchen with the family, the house is immaculately shiny, the table is set just right, everyone has pearly white smiles and spotless clothes, these people are 'living the life!'.
Then comes the big moment, they serve the lamb, everyone tucks in and their exaggerated expressions show just how amazing and wonderful this product is! You're watching this and your awareness might be focused on one thing, the curtains, the mum's hair, the tablecloth, the paint on the wall, but your mind is taking the whole scene in, and the message this scene was carefully and deliberately crafted to send out is ' eating this product = living the life '.
A few days later you visit a supermarket and think to yourself 'mmm I might try some of that', dinnertime approaches, you're looking forward to that lamb tonight, you cook it, you can feel the anticipation building up, you've been waiting all day for this moment, you bite into it 'oh my god! this tastes so good!', you finish your meal feeling full and happy because your mind is telling you 'you're living the life'. 30 minutes later you'll be back to being bored with life and wanting something else to distract you. Humans copy what they see on the television, we've been conditioned to do it since we were kids, blindly repeating whatever is put in front of us and hardly anyone notices we're all doing it.
A lot of our food choices are impulse choices from being influenced by advertising in some form, not because people want to look after themselves but because they want comfort or an escape for a few minutes, we slowly become addicted to our choices and fill our shopping baskets without a second thought. We feed our mind not our body. It's important to be aware of this because when you remove some of these products from your diet there'a always a possibility you may feel some kind of withdrawal as your body starts to adjust to not having those substances to digest anymore. If you do feel anything, it won't last more than day or two and will most likely only be noticeable if you actually have a high intake of certain food that you suddenly stop. But this is one reason why some people say the plant based diet made them feel crap.
You Are What You Eat, Literally!
Our body is an amazing piece of engineering, it houses an organic supercomputer and is equipped with its own pharmacy to fight infections and diseases, but it requires fuel to sustain and repair itself. Your body replaces 99.999999% of its atoms over an 18 month period. literally rebuilding itself. Where does it get the raw materials to rebuild everything from? The only source is whatever you are putting in your mouth, so if you're going to eat low nutritional value foods your body is going to struggle to maintain itself. Your body needs nutrients, vitamins and minerals and nowadays many foods are fortified with vitamins to help you get a little bit extra. Most peope don't realise however that they are actually already low or close to deficient in some vitamins, the most common being B12.
The Infamous B12
B12 is secreted by bateria, animals eat plants with dirt on them and they wash dirt off of themselves with their tongues, their bodies process the B12 they ingest, which you then consume when you eat animal products. B12 is actually produced in the human body but is not available for digestion as its too far along the digestive tract to be absorbed and used, it is also produced in the airways.
B12 is essential for humans and low levels of it can lead to serious health issues, it's also one of the most common complaints people have when trying plant a based diet. Many people don't get their vitamin levels checked before making a shift and when the B12 drops too low they immediately blame the plant based diet, truth is they were already low in it to start and didn't do any research beforehand.
Plant Based Multivitamins Really Do Exist!
Many foods nowadays are fortified with B12 and there are plant based multivitamins which can help you get plenty of everything you need. One source is phytoplankton, it's a full spectrum multivitamin and contains EPA and DHA plus over 70 minerals. When you cook with plant based oils such as coconut, vegetable, palm, olive etc the heating damages them on a molecular level, this in turn makes it harder for the body to absorb them. EPA and DHA help to break down long chain fatty acids into medium and short chain fatty acids which are easier for the body to absorb. Phytoplanktons unique polar bound lipid structure allows the body to absorb 3 times more of these oils, normally only avialable for about 45 minutes after consumption, with phytoplankton the body can store them and access them later on.
Creatine: The Athletes Friend, And Yours!
Another compound that is likely to be low when you cut out animal based foods is creatine. Creatine is not an essential nutrient. It is naturally produced in the human body from the amino acids glycine and arginine, with an additional requirement for S-adenosyl methionine (a derivative of methionine) to catalyze the transformation of guanidinoacetate to creatine. About half of your body’s creatine stores come from the food you eat, especially red meat and seafood, the rest is produced in the body. About 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in the muscles, mainly in the form of phosphocreatine. The other 5% is found in the brain and testes. When you supplement, you increase your stores of phosphocreatine. This is a form of stored energy in the cells. It helps your body produce more of a high energy molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is often called the body’s energy currency. When you have more ATP, your body can perform better during exercise. Creatine also alters several cellular processes that lead to increased muscle mass, strength, and recovery. When you have less creatine due to dietary restrictions, your physical performance will suffer, you will feel like you have less energy, this is another common complaint from people when they switch their diet.
Look As Good As The Food You Eat!
The vegan diet is one of the best ways to stay looking healthy and younger, all that fresh produce really does wonders for your wellbeing but it won't make much difference if you skip the collagen. Collagen is the primary building block of your body's skin, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues, essential for your hair, nails and joints and low levels of it can lead to health complications. Most people get their collagen from the meat and fish they eat but if you switch to a plant based diet, obviously you're going to need to find an alternative source for it. Thankfully there a wide range of collagen supplements available and many plants can actually help with collagen synthesis within the human body.
Trust Your Gut
Many people don't realise that up to 85% of their immune system is actually in their stomach, their gut flora, so it's important to make sure you look after it. Modern diets are full of ultra processed foods (UPF), they contain additives like flavourings, colourings, sweeteners and preservatives which can upset the delicate balance of the gut biome. Many health issues can be traced back to an imbalance in the gut bacteria so it's vital to be aware just how much of an impact food can have. Processing the UPF's once eaten can drain the body's resources filtering and removing these unecessary ingredients, resources that are diverted away from other bodily processes such as the repair of cells or generative growth.
One way you can look after all those friendly bacteria in your gut is to use probiotics or fermented foods, to compliment and boost your body's own defences. Probiotics can help introduce good bacteria help support a healthy gut microbiome. Fermentation can improve nutrient bioavailability and digestibility, as seen with tempeh. Rich in nutrients too, fermented foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber to help your body work at it's optimum efficiency
Common Vegan Fermented Foods:
Vegetables: Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, radishes, green beans, garlic) are great in salads.
Soy-Based: Miso can be incorporated into soups and marinades or Tempeh as a meat substitute in stir fries
Beverages: Kombucha, water kefir, coconut kefir, beet kvass, and ginger bug sodas.
Dairy Alternatives: Non-dairy yogurts (oats, coconut, almond) and cultured almond cheese.
Grains: Fermented oats or rice.
Your stomach also produces an enzyme called mono-amine-oxidase which eats neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, some diets can cause an increase in MAO and some diets can cause a reduction in the amount produced. MAO plays a role in the regulation of moods and too much or too little can result in a person's moods being affected leading to depression or mania. Everybody knows not to give children sugar because it's makes them hyperactive and overly energetic, but for some reason we think as adults our diets will not affect us.
There are many more supplements available that you may choose to add into your lifestyle such as calcium, spirulina and algaes, probiotics etc, the list would be quite comprehensive and would make this post extremely long and time consuming to read.
It's Not Just The Animals Who Are Being Exploited
The rise in the popularity of veganism over recent years has also, obviously, led to greater demand for vegan products and this is an area where people need to be cautious, just because something is labelled as 'vegan' doesn't mean it is automatically going to be healthy and good for you. In response to this rise in demand manufacturers have created all manner of processed vegan alternatives that unfortunately are high in sugars, salts and fats in order to claim a slice of the vegan market share. Putting profit before health just the same as they do with animal based foods. It's important to be aware of this and not allow your choices to be exploited. Going vegan will benefit the animals, make sure it benefits you too by choosing organic whole foods as much as possible and saying no to being manipulated and used a cash cow for big food inc.
Making any change in your life can take a little bit of time to adjust to, it's ok if you forget and buy things or eat things without thinking, nobody is judging you and there are no rules. There is no right or wrong way to be a vegan, just do what feels right for you and simply enjoy eating one of the most colourful healthiest diets available!
Hopefully this blog has helped give you some insight into how to make the transition to a plant based diet. Comment below or contact us if you have questions or looking for more info
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