How To Be Vegan And Stay Healthy?

Being a vegan or non-veg is totally the choice of the individual. However, compromising on health can be crucial no matter if you are vegan or not. Therefore, regardless of the type of diet you follow, it is important to ensure you are taking in all the nutrients that your body needs to function optimally.

Vegans avoid meat and dairy products and only eat plants and plant-derived food, such as fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. In such a restrictive diet plan, it becomes difficult to keep a track of the nutrient requirements of the body. Although vegans can take in supplements from many popular supplements brands like Vegetology, it is still important to ensure that the body is getting the required nutrients through natural food sources.  

If you are a vegan too and want to ensure healthy living, follow the below-mentioned tips:

• Eat different fruits or vegetables for 5 or more times a day
• Prepare meals using rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, or other items containing carbohydrates
• Use a few dairy alternatives, such as vegan yogurts or soy milk
• Fulfill protein requirements by utilizing pulses and beans
• Use unsaturated oils, that too in less quantity
• Increase the intake of fluids. For example, try drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water per day  

You might be thinking that these are very limited options. Well, don’t worry. Sit calmly and read through the article to explore the food items you can eat in order to fulfill the requirements of different kinds of nutrients.

Vegan sources of calcium and vitamin D

• Green, leafy vegetables for example cabbage, broccoli, okra
• Unsweetened soy, oat drinks, and rice
• Tofu
• Tahini and sesame seeds
• Pulses
• White and brown bread
• Dried fruits like figs, prunes, dried apricots, raisins (should eat at mealtimes)

Vegan sources of vitamin D

• Sunlight exposure (as per the intensity of the sunlight and ensure covering your body to avoid skin problems)
• Cereals, fat spreads, unsweetened soy drinks
• Vitamin D supplements without traces of animal content  

Vegan sources of iron

• pulses
• whole wheat bread and flour
• nuts
• breakfast cereals containing iron
• dark green, leafy vegetables for example broccoli and watercress
• dried fruits like prunes and apricots

Vegan sources of vitamin B12

• breakfast cereals containing B12
• unsweetened soy drinks having vitamin B12
• yeast extract fortified with vitamin B12 for example Marmite

Vegan sources of omega-3 fatty acids

• rapeseed oil
• walnuts
• flaxseed (linseed) oil
• soy oil and food containing soy, for example, tofu

So, these were a few healthy vegan snacks that you can eat in order to stay healthy. It is a common saying that “health is wealth”. This means nothing is as important as health is, so why compromise on it? Regardless of your food choices, it is important to fulfill your body’s nutrient requirements. It is best if these requirements are fulfilled by organic food sources, however, if you cannot do so for some reason, you can definitely go for supplements. Stay fit, stay healthy!