How to switch to a Vegetarian/Vegan Diet

From the garden by Patty Northman

Many people find that changing their diet to vegetarian or vegan is helpful for their health.

When I was younger, I had significant health challenges. Changing to a vegan diet and adding herbs helped me cleanse my body of the illness I had at the time. I continued to eat this way for 13 years.

Like anything else, people choose to change their diet based on their health and/or belief systems. Many religions conform to vegetarian diets, and many people find general health benefits switching to this way of eating.

What does Vegetarian/Vegan mean?

The term vegetarian means different things to each person. Traditionally to be vegetarian meant not to eat any meat. Individuals often tailor this to “eating nothing with a face,” to no meat, but do eat eggs, no meat, but eat fish; the options are endless.

The term vegan means not eating any animal products at all and not wearing any, including leather, fur, etc. Vegan purists also do not consume any products of animals, for example, milk products or honey. Once you have determined which combinations of food will be best for you, it is important to make sure you are getting the correct nutrition.

If you have read any of Michael Pollan’s books, such as The Omnivore’s Dilemna, you may be ready to switch to a vegetarian diet. For those who have not read them, Michael’s books discuss many studies and information from around the world where diets include meat and those that do not, and each’s health results. If you are looking for a good starter cookbook, I recommend The Self-Healing Cookbook: Whole Foods to Balance Body, Mind and Moods.

Before you change your diet, you may choose to ask yourself what your goals are? Are you trying to get toxins out of your diet? Are you trying to lower your cholesterol? Are you trying to get more energy?

Switching to a vegetable-based diet is one way some people achieve these goals. Just for the record, it is possible to achieve these goals while eating animal products also, but that is for another day.

Difficulties

Once you choose to change your diet, it can be challenging to find things to eat. This isn’t because they aren’t available. As humans, we are creatures of habit, and we get into patterns of eating a certain way.

Changing those patterns can be challenging for people, especially when they are not aware of the many options available. It may require you to learn to use different kitchen tools or take more time to prepare food that fits into your new standard.

There are many books available either online or at your local library to help you. There are community classes, or some health food stores offer classes to educate consumers on their products and hopefully on eating well.

Meeting Dietary Guidelines

In my work, I see many people that have switched to vegetarian/vegan diets. Unfortunately, I find that too many people use this as an excuse to eat more junk food instead of healthier foods such as vegetables. If you are serious about using this way of eating to better your health, it can be important to keep other information in mind also.

Some find it valuable to see how many calories you burn in a day. This can be done by getting your resting metabolic rate (RMR) in your local gym (or some health food stores offer it). This shows how many calories your body burns while at rest.

Once you have your RMR, you can look at your weekly exercise to determine how many calories you burn during the week/day. Once you know what your calorie intake is for the day, you can start planning your meals accordingly so that you don’t actually gain weight from the change (unless that is your goal).

Another important factor is the specific nutrients. For example, B12 is a nutrient that is only found in animal products. If you are not eating animal products, it is important to augment your diet with a B12 supplement or vegetarian foods high in B12 like spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae.

It is also important to get good fats, such as olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado. Good fats are important to feed our brain, help our skin/hair, and nourish the circulatory system. Protein is also important and is available in vegetarian foods, but the latest research actually shows that meat is richer in nutrients than most vegetarian foods. A good guideline is to monitor your blood work to see how your diet is affecting your health.

It is important to not just load up on carbohydrates like grains and fruits. These foods are important, but they should be balanced with nuts, seeds, beans, and of course, vegetables.

When eating grains and nuts, it is optimal to purchase them sprouted (or even better sprout them yourself) because they are easier for your body to digest and assimilate the nutrients. Some people find they prefer the flavor better.

Junk Food

The biggest issue I see with people switching to a vegetarian/vegan diet, is that they use it as an excuse to eat food that is not nutritious. People navigate towards, packaged foods with all kinds of fillers, binders, unnatural ingredients. This includes chips, and processed foods. Many vegan/vegetarian products sold in the stores and restaurants are not considered healthy. Read the ingredients so you know what you are getting. You might be surprised how much sugar, synthetics and other unhealthy ingredients most of these products contain.

Blood Type

Another factor that some health professionals find important to consider with a vegetarian diet is blood type. To learn more about diet and blood type, Dr. Peter D’Adamo wrote a book called Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type. You can even purchase a blood type kit to find out your blood type if you don’t know.

When I owned my health food store in the Pacific Northwest, I had so many people walk into my store and tell me how much eating the Blood Type way had improved their health.

O blood type is the most common, and per his book, D’Adamo discusses how people with O blood type should eat meat. For people with O type blood who prefer not to eat meat, it is important to augment your diet with amino acids as would be received from a diet with meat. A “free amino acid” supplement can be a good choice; also, we have found that a combination of spirulina, chlorella, and blue-green algae helps to provide amino acids and B vitamins and help control sugar cravings.

From my experience the people that do best on vegetarian/vegan diets are blood type A. They seem to benefit the most overall.

Regardless of which diet you choose, it is best to check with your health professional to determine which diet would be best for your health.

And pay attention to your body. When you listen, you can uncover what your body would benefit from the most.

This article includes affiliate links to Amazon.

About the Author

Kasara is educated as a Mental Health Therapist, Master Herbalist, Traditional Naturopath and Energy Worker with over 35 years of helping thousands of clients find alternative health options that work. She writes articles on Medium, and on her website http://truhealth.com. You may subscribe to her Medium account or her newsletter to stay connected.