What is a part-time vegan?
So as you may know if you follow me on Instagram I recently took the plunge and became what I call a part time vegan. And yes, I have already been blasted with the typical memes about waking up at 5 am and milking my almonds. But today I wanted to explain myself fully and maybe help you understand what being a part time vegan actually entails. Maybe you are thinking of doing the same yourself or maybe you are considering becoming a full time vegan.
As it stands I am currently dedicating two days a week to being 100% vegan (which is 28.6% vegan-ness in total), the rest of the week I try to eat as close to vegan as possible, but won’t beat myself up if I devour my mother’s bolognaise. As a newcomer to this world, it may seem restrictive and dull, but you’ll soon find that it opens more culinary doors than you’d of thought.
Now many moons ago I was a professional chef, so to me the new world of tofu, tempeh, and all the other wonders of vegan, high-protein foods is exciting. I get to try, test and tweak all kinds of new dishes or make new versions of traditional ones, like chili con carnie and pad thai. This also means I have failed a few times too. Please note that tofu that has not been pre flavoured is absolutely rank.
Why?
There are so many arguments as to why become a vegan but for me as a health coach it became apparent to me that in order to live the healthiest lifestyle I must try to stick to a plant-based diet. Eating a healthy vegan diet has shown to prevent a number of diseases. Check out the list below on what you could potentially avoid just by switching to a healthy, balanced vegan way of eating.
Cardiovascular disease - Eating nuts and whole grains, while eliminating dairy products and meat, will improve your cardiovascular health. A British study indicates that a vegan diet reduces the risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Vegan diets go far in preventing heart attack and stroke.
Prostate cancer - A major study showed that men in the early stages of prostate cancer who switched to a vegan diet either stopped the progress of the cancer or may have even reversed the illness.
Colon cancer - Eating a diet consisting of whole grains, along with fresh fruits and vegetables, can greatly reduce your chances of colon cancer.
Breast cancer - Countries where women eat very little meat and animal products have a much lower rate of breast cancer than do the women in countries that consume more animal products.
Macular degeneration - Diets with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens, carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes, can help prevent the onset of age-related macular degeneration.
Blood pressure - A diet rich in whole grains is beneficial to your health in many ways, including lowering high blood pressure.
Arthritis - Eliminating dairy consumption has long been connected with alleviating arthritis symptoms, but a new study indicates that a combination of gluten-free and vegan diet is very promising for improving the health of those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
Another huge reason for me is the environmental benefits it will have on the planet if I live this way. I won’t go into detail on this blog, however, I encourage you to do your own research and discover for yourself how we can help our planet with this simple swap of lifestyle.
This journey for me is just beginning and I invite you to follow me and my experiences. I will of course be posting lots of delicious recipes that I discover and create along the way. I, obviously, recommend that anyone looking to follow this diet should do so, not only for their own health and wellbeing, but the environment’s.
Until next time.
