Health
WHAT SHOULD YOU CONSIDER BEFORE
BECOMING A VEGAN?
BY LEISA GRACE WILSON
I
s it just me or is everyone becoming
vegan lately? In the last six months,
I can count as many as four of
my friends who have decided to
become vegan. It is almost a fad. What
made me take the topic seriously was
the fact that my “meat loving” sister in
law exchanged her meat cleaver for a
vegetable peeler permanently. She
decided to become vegan and she did
it “cold turkey”. She simply came home
one day and declared that she was
no longer eating meat or any animal
bi-products. The news shocked us all,
but it also made me very curious, so
I began to do some research. What
should one consider before deciding
to become vegan especially in this part
of the world (The Middle East)?
As I began to scour the world wide
web, I discovered that there is a
mountain of information available on
the subject and a lot of it is not really
rooted in science. There are several
blogs and many vegan vloggers
on YouTube. After trawling through
the information, I have managed to
narrow down the following things that
one should consider when becoming
vegan.
1. Consult a doctor before
you begin
So, I mentioned earlier that my sister
in law simply woke up one day and
declared herself as vegan, well turns
out that this may not be the way to go.
All the research suggests that before
making such an enormous change in
one’s diet and lifestyle, you should
consult a doctor. You will be well served
in getting expert guidance in making
the transition and you will also benefit
from the knowledge and expertise of
a dietician, who will be able to guide
you on how much of each nutrient your
body needs to function optimally and
which foods you ought to be eating to
get them.
2. Vegan food is far from
boring
If like me, you enjoy a steak and
a hamburger as much as the next
guy or girl, you may be thinking of
all the things you have to give up, if
you become vegan. After watching
hours of vegan YouTube vloggers and
researching hundreds of vegan recipes
online, I have discovered that I will be
spoiled for choice, on what to make
next for dinner or even a snack. You
will have to give up some of the foods
you love, but you gain so many more
interesting foods in return, so instead
of thinking of all the things you will be
giving up, think of all that you will gain.
3. Give yourself extra time
for food preparation
Ok so you may have spent the majority
of your life eating meat and you have
mastered a hundred different ways of
preparing chicken. When you become
vegan, initially all the recipes may be
new to you, so give yourself extra time
to master this new way of preparing
your food. You may be the only vegan
in your family, so taking time to prepare
and pre-pack food, will save you from
going hungry when there are no vegan
options available in your home. It is
also wise to take time to prepare food
beforehand, if you lead a very busy
life and want to make sure you have
something to eat while on the go.
4. Stock up
This ties into the point above. Your
cupboard and pantry are going to
look dramatically different when you
become vegan. You may need to
dedicate a day or two to throwing out
the things that no longer fit in with your
new diet. Read the labels of everything
you have, animal bi-products can be
hiding in the ingredients list of the
most unlikely snacks and foods, so
read everything. Once your clear out is
done, it is time to go shopping. Most