During the last couple of years, one of the best things that I have done is move my diet towards a more plant based one, also known as a vegan diet. The reason why I say this is because since I’ve made the transition, I’ve managed to find plenty of benefits physically and mentally, allowing me to go to the “next level” and there are so many other real world examples of other people who have done the same.
I’ll be honest that the reason for me doing this was completely selfish. I realise that a lot of people’s main reason for going to a vegan diet is due to animal welfare and the environmental considerations but for me, it was mainly to do with improving my health. Since educating myself, the other elements play a bigger part than initially and moving towards this kind of diet has a plethora of positives, both to the individual and world wide.
I feel though in a world that is so highly reliant on quick fixes, over processing of food and nutritional sources, and finding the next addictive substitute to keep you hooked on the next best thing, moving to a plant based diet can through up a few that can easily catch you out, leaving you to not reap the benefits of making such a change to your lifestyle. That’s why I created this blog to not only talk about my experiences but to help guide people to do it the right way, that’s good for you and the planet as a whole.
In this blog I’ll be talking about the following to help guide you to those healthier lifestyle choices:
- Resources that I used to both inspire this change for me and then what I’ve used to become knowledgable on the right nutrition required.
- What to avoid when it comes to picking what you’re eating.
- What benefits I have gained and felt from going to more plant based meals.
- What supplements that I sometimes use and why I used them.
Resources I've Used
If you’ve not been brought up on a vegan or even vegetarian diet then including more plant based food in your diet can be tricky as you have to learn about what you need to eat to get the right nutrition. Where the concept of meat consumption has become the norm in the western world, it can seem confusing taking the step and not realising what you need to eat instead for your protein on a macronutrient level as well as on the micronutrient level in the shape of iron or B12.
Choosing the sources that you use to educate yourself on what the human body is key and requires you to ensure that you use the right resources that covers off everything, giving you the complete diet you need. It may sound tedious but the way I see it is undoing the X number of years people have been brought up on the concept of meat, carb source and veg. This is something people don’t think twice about now. The same goes with plant based eating, where once you’re used to it, it becomes second nature and you learn the foods, the same way you know meat = protein, you’ll learn that legumes, beans, tofu or tempeh = protein. These are some of the resources that educated me on this path and continue to support me everyday when I need them.
Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
One of the inspirations for me to move to this diet was after reading one of the books that changed my life Finding Ultra by Rich Roll, which talks about how and why he moved over to a plant based diet and details the health benefits he gained by making this move, whilst also talking about the environmental side of things. I found his book thorough, talking not only about what food you need to get the right macro and micronutrients but handy tricks to ensure you hit those requirements each day.
Finally, he finishes off with a detailing which foods are deemed good aren’t actually so good due to things like pesticides and the like. The finale fo the book is a great set of recipes to get you started with for all meals and snacks during the day. With this book, you do get the added bonus of the inspiring story about how he turned his life around and assistance with training guidelines for sporting endeavours too. This is an all round must have in my eyes!
In addition to his book, Rich Roll has his own podcast that not only covers some elements of food and nutrition but an array of things to bring you to a healthier and highly fulfilling lifestyle with so many interesting and inspiring guests, you’d be silly to not add him into your daily listening!
Cooking For The Quarantined by Janis Bilston
I had the knowledge from Rich’s book but sometimes the lack of creativity to really embrace the colours and flavours plant based food can bring to you. This is where Janis and her cookbook comes in, taking my cooking to the next level, providing a great resource that I have used for meals and inspiration. Written by one of my friends whilst in lockdown, they had the idea to create a vegan cookbook that is simple and easy to follow, allowing people to make the dive without having to think too much and does the work for you! Not only do you get to eat well but it saves you from consuming over processed food and those high charges for getting takeaways.
For a very reasonable price, this book provides you with not only some guidance on nutrition and getting the right micronutrients but also gives you recipes for:
- 5 starters
- 20 main courses
- 4 snacks
All of these are simple recipes, giving you all the key information you need before you get started, such as time to create, price, how easy it is to prepare and how many are served.
Contact her at her Instagram @janisbilston to purchase an e-book. If you would like a printed hard copy, they’re on their way. Release date announced next week.
Social Media And Online Resources
Simply using a search engine for meals and recipe ideas with give you a plethora of options and inspiration for all skill levels and budgets, allowing you to indulge in pleasures of eating more plant based food. Alongside this, there are plenty of social media pages that are centred around plant based eating, giving and sharing recipes, tips and tricks.
If all else fails though, just get creative! What’s the worst that could happen?!
What To Avoid
Going plant based is all well and good but I definitely feel that you have to do it properly. By that I mean that just eating vegan substitutes instead isn’t the way to do it. These tend to be all kinds of food that are heavily processed, with potentially a tonne of additives that aren’t actually very good for you and push out the benefits of the vitamins and minerals we were going to gain. You see this with things like “meatless chicken”, “vegan cheese” or “meatless sausages”. Rather than using these, you’d be a lot better using legumes, beans, tofu or even cheeses that are made from nuts, should you need that fix!
A perfect example of a change that I’ve made is instead of having “vegan meatballs”, which are mainly soya based along with other additives, I have used something like falafel balls instead, being made from chickpeas and spices and are less likely to be just a processed substitute.
So make sure that when going to a plant based meal/diet, you have to make sure you’re using as fresh as possible and as pure as possible foods, whilst making sure that things are organic to avoid nasty pesticides. The best way of doing this would be shopping around for your protein sources, look into what you’re picking up and for your fruit and veg, go and get yourself an organic farmers box, which also helps support your local farmer and doesn’t fill the pockets of big corporations.
What I've Found Going Plant Based
Since going plant based more, I’ve found that I’ve experienced quite a few health benefits that have made the move completely worth it. I note that some of these could be placebo but they certainly can’t be ignored:
- Not feeling tired after meals – When I was eating meat products, after meals, particularly at lunch, I was facing a heavy stomach and with that, a very lethargic and sleepy afternoon that I tended to push through with a caffeinated drink. Noting this yends to be natural with humans, the effects were definitely reduced.
- More vitality – This may have been a placebo but I felt that with having a better balance of micronutrients from eating more plants, I felt healthier and my vitality felt higher. Things felt a lot more in balance and how they should be. This could also be down to more plants supporting a healthier microbiome, something that I’m starting to get to grips with but vital for our own health.
- Recovery – I feel that since going to a plant based diet, that my recovery times between workouts and sessions has been quicker. This could be down to the fact that plants are easier to assimilate into the body rather than complex proteins from meat, as we aren’t optimised for that.
- Performance – The final thing that I noticed from having a more plant based diet is that fact that my performance improved when training. Thinking about it, this could be due to that better recovery, having a healthier balance of nutrients and not as much energy going into digestion. Or this could be just down to a placebo effect but it was something I noticed and definitely embraced.
Of course, there’s one downside from doing this, outside of the initial confusion of what to eat and how to cook it, and that was the banter that I received from people around me when I was going out for food and asking for the vegan menu but don’t let this put you off! It’s something that I feel is being more globally accepted.
Don’t just take my word for it, there are many accounts from people across the world that have benefitted from eating a plant based diet, with some incredible testimonials on how it has turned their life and health right round! I’ve read and heard some truly extraordinary stories, which left me thinking about some bigger picture stuff but that’s for another time; another blog.
Supplements I Use
As part of what I consume, supplements are used. My reason for this is due to the amount of training that I do everyday, trying to get out all the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that I need from a standard diet would mean eating a lot and allows me to keep things diverse too. Diversity is a surprisingly important thing that I’ve learnt, especially in the plants that you consume. One of the other reason I use supplements is ease and convenience at times.
Finding the right supplements for you can be tricky. This is one thing that I found as I shopped around both, brands and kinds of shakes. I’ve tried MyProtein, USN and now landed with The Protein Works. Finding the right one for you may take some tinkering as we all have unique bodies, with varied diets and what works for me may not work for you.
With MyProtein, I found this very good value for money and the results were good but the downside was that their whey shakes really didn’t agree with my stomach that well. I’ll leave you to work out what I mean by that… My general health and well being during was reasonable throughout, especially with their multivitamins, pretty much keeping me built proof during Freshers Week at uni! Not even a cold.
For a while I ditched, the supplements before returning but this time was with USN, which is a pricier brand however, I found that the results were better than what I previously found with MyProtein, with my general health and vitality feeling higher. Again though, their whey based shakes didn’t completely agree with my stomach. It wasn’t as bad as I found with MyProtein, with me just always feeling sluggish after drinking a USN shake. Their casein shake that I tried was a different story…
Now I’ve settled on The Protein Works and their vegan range. Since I’ve made this move, it may be coincidence that it’s their vegan range but my stomach has definitely agreed with their products a lot better. My reason for making the dive with this company was seeing how well Ross Edgley used these products during the Great British Swim and a company with a philosophy that aligns better with me. I feel like I have better balance vitality wise and the results I’ve seen are good too. Here are what I’m currently taking, though this does ebb and flow in the future and as I educate myself further, a change in company or method of nutrition may happen:
This is blended mix of 20 different green superfoods to allow you to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system and keep everything in the right balance to have an engine that’s purring nicely. The flavours are great (I am loving the summer berries!) and it’s a great light drink to throw into your diet without having to think about it.
Use the heading above for a link to their product site!
This is an all in one shake containing not only protein but a blend of carbs and micronutrients. This can be used if you’re needing an easy way to get in a clean dose 450 kcals in one go when trying to gain muscle mass or if you’re like me, I’ve used it alongside fruit to have an easy and quick breakfast. Definitely a flexible shake and again, the flavours are great with strawberries and cream my favoured on, and this shake, given the density of it with the calories and ingredients, it’s surprisingly light.
Use the heading above for a link to their product site!
That finishes this blog off and hopefully gives you plenty of food for thought (pun intended) about a potential diet change to vastly improve your life and health and give you some of the benefits that I have gone on to enjoy from doing this. Of course, don’t be selfish and keep this information to yourself, be sure to share it with your family and friends and collectively, we can all level up.
If you’re wanting to read more from me, check out my other blogs on improving your health and fitness by clicking on one of the recommended blogs or using the category navigation tabs at the top of the page. Finally, the best way to hear about the blogs that I publish as well as getting other insights into my life is to follow me at the social media links you’ll find below.
