5 Tips for a successful Veganuary
1.Add chia seeds to your smoothies
Chia seeds are a great plant-based source of omega 3 - an essential fatty acid which is hard to get in a vegan diet (the best source is oily fish)
A tablespoon of chia seeds could cover the RDA so have them daily for Veganuary!
If you don’t like smoothies, you can make a chia seed pudding instead.
2. Drink coffee and tea away from your meals
Coffee and tea (and other caffeinated drinks) can reduce iron absorption so it is key to drink them away from meals.
Although vegans should get all the iron needed from a varied diet (pulses, beans, cereals, nuts and fruits) it can be tricky to get enough especially because plant-based foods are less bioavailable than iron from animal sources.
To aid iron absorption, try to eat vitamin C rich food at the same time as iron rich food. For instance, tomatoes with tofu or kiwi and sunflower seeds are good combinations.
3. Soak your grains
Soak your grains overnight or for a few hours but don't put them in the fridge. This helps break down the phytic acid. Not only will this make the nutrients more available to your body but it will also make them more digestible and therefore less bloating.
It also reduces cooking time for the following day. Make sure you rinse well before cooking.
Soaking is a good way to improve zinc absorption.
Content in plant-based foods such as lentils, cashews and soy is generally much lower than animal sources and also has lower bioavailability because of their phytate content.
4. Avoid vegan alternatives
Beware of fake cheese and highly processed vegan sausages. Avoid ultra processed foods where you usually can’t understand half of the ingredients listed unless you’re a food scientist! They contain additives (sugar, preservatives, artificial flavors etc...) and your body doesn’t need them.
Choose whole foods and try to cook your meals from scratch as much as possible. If you need some help and don’t have time to cook, ‘all plants’ is a good company that delivers delicious plant-based meals to your door.
5. Take a good-quality multivitamin and mineral
If you’ve started Veganuary already you probably already know that vitamin B12 is the only nutrient not directly available from plants and therefore vegans are at risk of deficiency. Therefore supplementation is recommended for all vegans.
Instead of buying a B12 supplement on its own, take some within a multivitamin and mineral so you can cover all the basics.
On top of that, I would recommend consuming yeast extract and nutritional yeast on a regular basis to increase B12 in your diet.
Enjoy eating differently this month! There is so much food to discover on a plant-based diet.
If you’re on a vegan diet and need personalised support for your health, click here to book your free 20 minute health review.