{"id":1749,"date":"2017-04-02T07:30:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-02T07:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myvitaminpacks.com\/mvp\/?p=1749"},"modified":"2022-12-05T07:58:17","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T07:58:17","slug":"how-to-go-vegan-and-maintain-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/how-to-go-vegan-and-maintain-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Vegan? How to Make it Work for You"},"content":{"rendered":"Samuel L. Jackson declared recently that he\u2019s going vegan \u201cto live forever.\u201d\u00a0 Or at least to \u201cfinish out my Marvel deal,\u201d he quipped; a deal for which the 65-year-old actor still has a few movies to shoot as S. H. I. E. L. D. Agent, Nick Fury (1). Having healthy public figures \u201ccome out\u201d as a vegan is helping to dispel old stereotypes of the skinny, pale, sallow-eyed vegan of yesteryear. Done right, a vegan diet can help you lose weight, improve your blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol levels, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, and may even improve your energy and stamina (2).If you\u2019re thinking of following Samuel L.\u2019s example and joining the vegan lifestyle, follow these simple guidelines to become a healthy, happy vegan:Avoid Processed Foods \u2013 There are lots of vegan-friendly foods out there that are not so healthy for you.\u00a0 Highly processed \u201cmeat analogs\u201d like faux sausage, chicken-less nuggets, and veggie \u201cbacon\u201d top the list.\u00a0 They\u2019re high in sodium, preservatives, and refined proteins\/starches, all of which promote free radical damage and inflammation in your body.\u00a0 Read the ingredient label:\u00a0 if it contains ingredients your grandmother wouldn\u2019t have recognized as food (like methylcellulose or soy protein isolate) skip it. \u00a0Instead, try marinated tempeh, tofu, or seitan, which are less processed and have a long-standing tradition of promoting good health in traditional Asian cuisine.Variety is Key \u2013 Eating a wide range of foods will not only keep you from getting bored with your new dietary patterns, but it will also ensure you get all of the essential nutrients and beneficial antioxidants you need.When choosing fruits and veggies, think in a rainbow of color!\u00a0 Try to eat at least five different-colored items from the produce section every day.For starches, think whole: whole grains (like brown rice, quinoa, or bulgur wheat), whole potatoes (skins on!), 100% whole grain bread, crackers, tortillas, or pasta – make sure it says 100% whole grain on the label.\u00a0 Whole grains are also a good source of protein.For other proteins, mix it up with a variety of legumes, nuts, and seeds to be sure you\u2019re getting all the amino acids you need.Think Complete \u2013 Protein, that is.\u00a0 Protein from animal sources (meat, dairy, eggs) is complete, meaning it contains all of the amino acids you need.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to eat animal products to get complete protein.\u00a0 If you\u2019re getting your protein solely from plant sources, you just need to strategize a bit.\u00a0 In order to obtain all of your essential amino acids, you need to eat a little protein from each main group of plant-protein sources: whole grains, legumes, and nuts\/seeds, over the course of your day.\u00a0 Examples of these complementary protein foods include whole grain pita with hummus, rice and beans, peanut butter and whole grain crackers, or an oatmeal cookie with walnuts \u2013 dunk that cookie in soy milk, and you\u2019ve got a dessert that covers all three protein groups! Who knows, you may even be intrigued to ask “is collagen vegan”?\r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r \r Try our Vegan DHA\r Our Vegan DHA is sourced from algae and encapsulated in a vegan softgel, perfect for special diets.*\r View Our Vegan DHA\r \r \r \r View Our Vegan DHA\rSupplements \u2013 Vegans tend to run low on some nutrients found mostly in animal products, like Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and the essential fatty acids, EPA & DHA (3). To ensure yourself against deficiency and achieve optimum health, dietary supplements are your best bet.\u00a0 Look for high quality, pharmaceutical grade supplements that guarantee purity and quality.\u00a0 It should say \u201cVegan\u201d on the label; if it does not, ask the manufacturer where they source that nutrient.\u00a0 Vitamin B12 is generally vegan-friendly and in the form of a tablet which you either swallow or place under your tongue.\u00a0 Vegan Vitamin D comes from lichen and is usually in a vegetable capsule made of cellulose, or in the form of a liquid, you take with a dropper.\u00a0 EPA and DHA often come from fish, so read labels carefully when looking for a vegan source; vegan EPA and DHA come from algal oil and are usually encapsulated in a veggie soft gel.\u00a0 Individual needs vary, but general recommendations per day are as follows:\u00a0 1 mg Vitamin B12\u00a0(4) and 1,000-2,000 IU Vitamin D3\u00a0(5); for the essential fatty acids men should shoot for around 1600 mg, women should aim for 1100 mg, per day of combined Omega-3 fatty acids containing both EPA and DHA\u00a0(6).\u00a0 Round those out with a high-quality vegan multivitamin, and you\u2019ll be on your way to optimum health!\u00a0 Always consult your health care provider before trying new supplements, especially if you are currently taking any prescription medication or being treated for a medical condition.Going vegan isn\u2019t difficult, it just takes a little planning.\u00a0 Chances are if you\u2019re health conscious enough to want to try the vegan lifestyle, you\u2019re already paying attention to what and how you eat, so following the tips above won\u2019t be much of a stretch.\u00a0 Think whole foods, be creative, get complete protein, and take your supplements.\u00a0 Easy!","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Samuel L. Jackson declared recently that he\u2019s going vegan \u201cto live forever.\u201d\u00a0 Or at least to \u201cfinish out my Marvel deal,\u201d he quipped; a deal for which the 65-year-old actor still has a few movies to shoot as S. H. I.","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":13537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,247],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-nutrition","category-health-and-diet","category-wellness-2","tag-vegan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14265,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions\/14265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}