“You know I would like to eat vegan but ….”

This is a sentence I always hear. All over the world. People struggle with their traditional food or the fast food which you can buy everywhere. No matter where you are, fast food is available almost everywhere from South America over Europe, Middle East or Asia. The industries are going to tell you what you need to be feeded, cool or whatever.

Honestly? You don’t need most of the stuff they advertise. You need food. Healthy food to keep your body alive, to strenghten your imunsystem and fight viruses. Besides moving your body daily and drinking min. 1.5 liters of water (no sugar!) fresh veggies and fruits are important for you. Less sugar and oil, more wholesome food. Is this what you see on the advertisments? no, of course not. Because this simple tricks help you to be healthy and independent. To support local farmers and the good stuff and… it keeps you healthy.

In this post I am going to explain you why you can eat vegan, be healthier and save lifes!

What does vegan mean?

First of all there is a difference between vegan and vegetarian food.

• Vegetarian = no meat
• Vegan = no animal products at all

Veganism is even more, it’s a lifestyle. People who eat vegan often care about other products like beauty, leather or wool products, colours, drinks, alcohol and so on. In this post I’m going to write about the food part as this is the most question I get as soon as people meet me and my diet.

It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat vegan just because you wear leather shoes. Every step is a good step for you and the world around you.

What I can eat …

Basically I can eat everything. But I don’t want. That’s a big difference 😉

I prefer eating products which do not contain animal products. That means:

Looks like I am starving? Right. Because look at the short list I can eat:

You still think I am starving? Now we can talk right?

Why a vegan diet is healthy

Have you ever heard about the food pyramid?
No matter how our diet looks like, this is what we ALL should do, eat and drink the most during the day:

• move our body
• drink enough water (min. 1.5 liters)
• eat different fruits and vegetables
• integral products like bread, pasta and legumes

This is the same for all of us. Then, after filling the stomach with this food and nourishing the body all the other foods should be eaten. If you eat meat and it is in the list above all this products listed it would make sense to rethink your diet.

You see. A healthy diet starts vegan anyways. If you add soya products, good quality oils, nuts, seeds on top there is nothing wrong with vegan food. It keeps/makes you healthy and happy.

Why a vegan diet doesn’t have to be expensive

Vegan doesen’t mean you have to buy all this substitute products for meat and cheese. You can obviously but it’s not necessary at all.

If you buy local and seasonal food it’s not only easier for you to plan your diet but also better for the environment. Local and seasonal food is mostly even cheaper.

Plan your diet with the points above and you should be fine. Just don’t buy all the offered mangos, avocados, nut milks and very important all this convenience food! You don’t need it.

No convenience food?! How to survive?

Cook your meal fresh! You can also prepare them in advance maybe one or two times a week if you have to save time!

Convenience and fast food is not only expensive it is mostly also not healthy. Just reduce it to a minimum and you will be fine. At every corner they try to tell you that you need it. Use your brain and your intuition just right before you are about to buy the next sandwich or another fast food package. Think about if you really need it and train your food and shopping habits. I am sure you can change it. Just be patient with yourself. The change doesn’t have to be quick but better sustainable.

How can I start?

Next time when you cook or eat something ask yourself how a vegan version would look like. Nowadays it’s most of the time possible to replace an animal product with a vegan one.

You can google for a vegan version of your favorite dishes or just search for easy vegan meals.

Many recepies are fancy as f… but very unconvenient to cook them because you need thousands of ingredients you never need for other dishes, they are expensive or hard to find. Just skip them because otherwise you will never start. A vegan diet definitely doesn’t need all this fancy stuff.

If it helps take this list with you for the next shopping round in a supermarket. It might give you some new ideas.

What about sweets?

Did you know that the original oreos are vegan?
If the percentage of the cacao in the dark chocolate is hight it’s most likely a vegan one. Just check the ingredients to be sure. Many supermarkets or organic stores nowadays sell vegan products.

If you like sweets eat some dates or make your own energy balls. Put dates and nuts in a blender, mix them, form balls and store them in the fridge. Enjoy your easiest vegan sweets 🙂

Vegan tag

If you can see this tag on a product, it is vegan. But be aware of the similar one which means only vegetarian.

Ready?

Are you ready to give it a try?
If you struggle or have any questions put it in the comments below!

Happy vegan journey! I know you can make it!