healthy eating vegans

THE BALANCED VEGAN PART 2

Let’s explore how to make sure you are getting every nutrient required to thrive in the vegan lifestyle.

Omega 3’s:

  • Omega 3 oil are long chain fatty acids EPA and DHA found in algae, fish and plants. These omega 3 oils cannot be produced in the body making them an essential part of our dietary intake.
  • Vegans instead of fish oil would take algae oil or chia seed oil on a daily basis. I personally take Nordic naturals algae omega 3 capsules every day.
  • These oils help with your brain function, transporting nutrients into the cell, joint health, heart health, and immune system support. I don’t recommend taking flax seed oil or hemp seed oil as they don’t have enough omega 3’s to support the body’s daily requirements.

Probiotics:

  • Good bacteria usually we will get this from fermented foods naturally like Kim chi and sauerkraut. I don’t know the last time I had a major craving for a jar of sauerkraut or Kim chi. We can go ahead and eat these foods and receive plenty of good bacteria but it is so easy to find a high quality supplement as well.
  • Probiotics means life giving bacteria these bacteria feed your immune system and create b vitamins. B vitamins are one of the most critical nutrients missing in most people’s diets but more so in the vegans world.
  • 70% of your immune is located in your gut when you repopulate with these good bacteria you notice right away a reduction in infections and increase in energy. I recommend good quality probiotics such at HLC High Potency Capsules, Flora Source by Golden Products or HMF Forte by Klaire.

Vitamin B Complex:

  • The most important nutrient in the vegan’s diet is vitamin b 12. I am not a fan of taking isolated supplements so I recommend taking a complex instead.
  • B vitamins help support your central nervous system and how your body responds to stress daily. If a vegan has inadequate b supplementation they are usually really nervous twitching and hyper.
  • B vitamins also play a big role in blood sugar support and being a vegan you tend to eat more complex carbs like rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and fruits of all kinds. Adopting a higher carbohydrate diet is not a bad thing as long as you have a balance with you b vitamins and are eating plenty of fiber.

Vegan Recipes

  • Coconut oil bliss balls
  • 1 half cup coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp of Cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp of raw honey
  • 1 half cup hempseeds
  • Half cup of fresh mixed berries
  • Melt the coconut oil place in a mixing bowl add the hemp seeds, cocoa powder, honey and berries. Mix everything till you have kinda of a goopy mixture and then load this into a silicone of ice tray and put in the freezer for 10min. When you take out of the freezer let them thaw for about 2min then enjoy.
  • Vegan ALT
  • 2 slices of sprouted bread
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 bunch of lettuce
  • 1 tomato
  • 2 tbsp veganaise
  • Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
  • Start by toasting the bread and you can prep your veggies by chopping them to fit your sandwich bread. Just apply the veganaise and cracked pepper and salt. This is a simple and delicious sandwhich with an endless variation on what you can put on it try it smoked paprika or chipotle seasoning.

I hope I have inspired you to at least try this lifestyle or incorporate it into your daily lifestyle.