Veganuary made simple!
Lucy’s Top Tips on ‘Veganising’ Your Diet
1) Taste the Rainbow
“Get a variety of foods in your diet”, Lucy says - “It’s important to keep up with all of the different nutrients to keep you as healthy as possible”. She also recommends trying to eat foods with the colours of the rainbow throughout the day – for example, red for tomatoes, blue for blueberries, orange for sweet potatoes etc. The more colourful your plate, the better!
2 ) Simple Swaps to your Favourites
Going vegan is a great way to get more creative with spices and different flavours. To make this easier, it’s a good idea to start with the dishes you love.
For example, Lucy suggests ‘veganising’ some of your usual favourites and swapping the mince in your spaghetti Bolognese for Quorn mince and adding some tasty vegetables to bulk it out. You could also make yourself some extra servings to stick in the freezer or have for lunch the next day!
3) Chickpeas over Chicken
Lucy suggests swapping meat like chicken for other high in protein foods such as chickpeas. Chickpeas are great because they are really tasty, filling and cheap at around 49p per tin!
4) Green is good!
Vegan doesn’t always mean healthier, so next you time go food shopping, take a look at the labels – as a rule of thumb, Change 4 Life recommends opting for more greens and ambers and cutting out the reds where you can*.
5 ) Get your vitamins
“B12 is a nutrient mainly found in animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy,”, explains Lucy. “The vitamin B12 helps to keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy. Without it, the body won’t have enough oxygen in the blood, and this can cause a type of anaemia”.
Taking a B12 supplement along with your varied diet is advised for vegans to prevent this.
Adding vegan options to your diet is an amazing first step, and if you find yourself wanting to stick to the vegan lifestyle post Veganuary, there is a wide variety of tools, tips and resources available online and within our very own HLS services.
If you’d like support during Veganuary or at any time of the year, we can help. We’ve supported thousands of people in Coventry to lose weight – whether it be through making healthier changes to their diet or by being more active and taking steps towards a healthy lifestyle.
We offer FREE virtual support through health coaching on a one-to-one basis. Your coach will work with you to set goals that are manageable and be there to guide you every step of the way.
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