A vegan diet is not automatically healthy because it can be easy to fall into an unhealthy routine trying to eat the same foods you did before you went vegan. Since there are vegan alternatives like vegan “meat” and vegan “cheese,” that are not actually nutritionally the same as having actual meat or cheese. They can be filled with additives that aren’t actually that good for you. Also, you can fall into habits eating vegan snacks like cakes, cookies, biscuits, chips, etc which do not provide good nutrition for your body. In fact, dairy-free milks can be filled with sugar and vegan protein bars can be filled with corn syrup! Reading the ingredients and focusing on building a plant-based whole food diet is the way to ensure a heathy diet. Moreover, a healthy vegan diet includes a wide range of healthy foods, with lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Diversity in diet is needed to ensure you are getting all the macronutrients and micronutrients you need for optimum health and wellness. Having a vegan nutritionist on your side is vital to ensuring your nutritional needs are met.

While there are hundreds of scientific articles out here, I’ll share just one.  Oxford analyzed 40,000 farms from 119 countries and Joseph Poore Oxford found that a “vegan diet is the biggest way to decrease your impact of greenhouse gasses, global acidification, enthropication, land use, and water use.”

Well, this is where having a nutritionist can be extra handy. There are a lot of hidden non-vegan ingredients in foods. Take for example refined sugar. There can be an ingredient in it called, “natural carbon” which is sourced from cow bones. Another example is white bread which can have L-cysteine in it. This is a softening agent made from human hair, poultry feathers, and hog hair. Surprised? Me too. There’s a lot to learn about going plant based and I’m happy to help you along your journey steer clear of these traps!

Veganism is not a new-age fad, nor simply a trend. Veganism is actually thousands of years old with Jainism being practiced in India since the 7th century BC. Taoism and Buddhism also  advocates for a meat free diet— practicing the principle of non-violance. Moreover, in Hinduism, a non-meat diet is considered a positive spiritual choice. However, it wasn’t until 1847 that the vegan society in England was founded, and in 1850 the vegan society in the USA was founded.

You may find it surprising how many people will pepper you with questions or spout off their own opinions or judgements. While some of the questions and reactions can come from a good place of curiosity, some of it can seem like an attack. It’s best to be aware of the different types of reactions that can occur when people learn that you are now a vegan. Some common reactions can include: curiosity about your diet, curiosity about your reasons/justification for going vegan, hostility, mocking you, or tempting you with non-vegan foods. Having someone, a vegan coach and nutritionist, to help you plan responses for these reactions can make the transition a lot easier.