10 top tips for going Vegan

Whether you’d like to try vegan for the ethical sides of things or for adopting a healthier diet (as I did primarily) here are 10 tips to help you on your way…

1. Baby steps

Quite often, people take the leap and get stuck right into it without a second thought but others take a little longer to adapt to the big change. Don’t worry if you need to take baby steps to get there. Gradually replace meat in your meals with protein-rich, plant based foods and see how you feel. Increase your fruit and veg intake and see what happens to your energy levels. Every little helps!

2. Protein?

Yes, you get protein from foods other than meat! A healthy vegan diet consists of protein rich foods such as beans, lentils, quinoa, soya, tofu and many more. Nutritionists recommend a daily intake of protein of roughly 0.8 grams per each kilogram of body mass.

Here is a list of protein rich foods:

. Veggies

. Hemp

. Non-Dairy Milk

. Nut Butter

. Quinoa

. Tofu

. Lentils

. Beans

. Tempeh

. Sprouted-grain bread

3. Do it the healthy way

Just because you are vegan, doesn’t mean you are super healthy as there are vegan alternatives of pretty much all junk foods out there. For example, you could just eat a tonne of crisps, chips, chocolate, cake etc but just because it is vegan, doesn’t make it healthy. Make sure you are not missing out on essential nutrients to keep your body fueled up by eating as much whole food plant based meals in a wide variety as you can. This will make the planning of a healthy diet that includes all the vitamins and nutrients, way easier than you think. Check out my "Vegan Family Favorites" eBook for some delicious and healthy vegan recipes for all the family .

4. Have snacks handy

You will probably get hungry without animal fat in your diet therefore you should try to have snacks handy wherever you go. Fresh and dried fruit, vegetables , roasted nuts and seeds are fab for snacking and are easy to carry around.

5. Try new things

This is one of my favourite things about going vegan! The amount of new foods I have tried has been unreal. Treat your taste buds with new foods and flavors and let your imagination go when making new meals. There are thousands of vegan recipes to try that will blow you away! Don’t worry, you do not have to be an amazing chef to cook vegan. Just give it a go and enjoy discovering new foods. See our Vegan Family Favourites for some quick simple vegan recipes for all the family.

6. Ask for help

Can I really thrive as a vegan athlete? How do I talk to my friend’s family about veganism? How do I bake cake without eggs? Can I eat chocolate as a vegan? Do not worry- you’re not alone. There is a huge amount of information and resources out there covering all these kinds of questions. Try searching for vegan groups of social media sites for example facebook, Instagram and twitter to find others in your area. Youtube is also another platform where you will find a huge amount of vegan fitness vloggers. Search Coralie Dee on Youtube to see my fitness videos and here is a list of some of my other favourite Youtubers:

Naturally Stefanie

Jon Venus

Triathlon Taren

Earthy Andy

Light Twins

Vegan Speak

Plant Based News

Nimai Delgado

7. You can still eat out

You will be surprised how many restaurants offer vegan options. Even fast-food places have options on their menus. Quite often it's just a case of asking to have soya milk instead of dairy milk, or take out the cheese and get extra chips or no mayo in your veggie burger. Many meals say vegetarian but often they are completely vegan. Just ask your waiter if you are not sure or have any questions.

8. surely it is too expensive?

There seems to be this myth that living on the vegan lifestyle is super expensive. Well as a vegan family of five I can vouch that this isn’t true at all. While products like fake cheese and meats can be an amazing aid to transitioning into veganism, they can be on the pricey side. Legumes on the other hand are very inexpensive and full of protein. Fresh whole foods are not only healthier but are super cheaper than ready meals. Grains such as pasta, quinoa, rice, oats or legumes will form the basis of large meals for the whole family.

9. Do I know anyone vegan? 10

You may know a few vegans but you will surprised at how many there are out there. There are at least 542,000 people following a vegan diet in Britain alone! Here is a list of some you may know of:

Vegan Ultraman, Rich Roll

The ultramarathon runner, Scott Jurek.

Professional road cyclist, David Zabriskie

Tennis -12x Grand slam winner, Novak Djokovic

The Olympic rower and tumour survivor, David Smith. Olympic track and field athlete, Carl Lewis.

10. Enjoy it!

Although this is the tenth reason, it is probably THE most important! You need to enjoy the experience. Once you become vegan It is very common for the benefits to reveal themselves to you in a very natural self-sustaining way. Put simply, you feel great, have a lot more energy and enjoy being nourished and sustained with healthy plant based food.

Coralie Dee Arthur.