Nowadays, more and more people are opting for a plant-based diet to stay healthy and help the environment. However, committing to this practice can pose many challenges, especially to someone who has no idea about it.
If you’re trying to convert to a plant-based diet, it’ll help if you understand what you’re getting yourself into first. After all, you don’t want to give up midway just because it wasn’t what you expected.
Here are some details about this eating practice that may help convince you to try it out.
Remember These Things Before Adopting A Plant-Based Diet
1. You Can Take It Slow
When transitioning to a plant-based meal plan, you don’t have to immediately remove all meat and dairy products from your meals. Each person’s experience when changing their lifestyle is different. Some may find it easy to get rid of all animal-based foods simultaneously, while others prefer to eliminate products one at a time.
When changing your eating habits, you should think about your health and how you can improve your overall well-being. If you’ve been eating meat your whole life, it may be best that you make a gradual change so you can sustain the diet for a long time.
For example, you can slowly say no to meat products, like turkey or lamb, since you probably don’t eat them regularly. You can also start exploring vegan alternatives to ingredients you usually use when cooking and gradually stock up your pantry.
You’ll also find it easier to convert into a plant-based diet if you understand the benefits you’ll reap from it. Fortunately, there’s a lot of extra resources that can guide you during your transition period.
2. You Can Still Get Enough Protein
One misconception about a plant-based diet is that it’s not a sustainable eating practice since you won’t get enough nutrients to power your body. Those who are physically active often eat a lot of meat since they need protein to retain their muscle mass. Since a vegan meal doesn’t contain animal products, they think it won’t fit their lifestyle and hinder their improvement.
However, going vegan doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll cut out essential food groups from your meals. There are a lot of plant-based foods that are rich in protein, just like chicken or pork. Beans, tofu, or various seeds, for example, are excellent sources of protein. These alternatives also have fewer calories than meat products. So, if you’re trying to control your portions to lose weight, these options are better choices. You’d get the same, if not more protein, without going over your daily recommended calorie intake.
Due to the rise of veganism, there are now many meatless products that taste just like regular meat you can easily purchase. Thus, you won’t struggle to find foods to cook at home since most can be sourced from your local food store.
3. It Is Not Restricting
Many people shrug the thought of going vegan because they don’t want to feel restricted every time they eat. But contrary to what most people think, veganism actually opens a lot of doors for you to explore endless food options.
Switching to a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you can only eat salads every day. If you really dive into it, you’ll see that there are many vegan and vegetarian recipes that are just as good as regular dishes. You’ll open your palate to numerous food combinations that you may not have tried before. You’ll eat more variety since you need to ensure that you’re supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to function correctly.
4. It Does Not Need To Be Expensive
Since dairy or meat-free products aren’t as popular as standard food supplies, many people assume that they’d need to pay more to sustain their diet. However, switching to a vegan lifestyle may help you save up on your food costs in the long run. Fresh produce, like vegetables and grains, are some of the most affordable vegan staples you can purchase from your local supermarket or some other sustainable supplier.
If you know how to prepare your meals and purchase your supplies from reliable and cheap sources, you won’t need to put a dent in your wallet to sustain your eating habits.
5. It Will Not Be Easy
Since a plant-based diet isn’t something that you’re used to, you may wobble at the beginning of your transition. You may also have days when all you can think about is eating a juicy steak or burger. When this happens, you should remember that it’s okay to allow yourself some flexibility.
Making drastic changes to one of the most critical parts of your life isn’t easy. You’ll encounter many obstacles and you may even doubt that you can stick to the diet. When that happens, try to give yourself some leeway and slowly go back to eating vegan once you’re ready.
Don’t punish yourself every time you slip up. Instead, try to figure out how you can do better the next time.
Final Thoughts
You need to think about some things before you decide to switch to a plant-based diet. You should consider how it’d impact your life and carefully study the challenges you’ll face once you undergo the transition. Remember that you can always take things slow when making food decisions so you can sustain your new eating habits for a long time.
