I remember when I always associated eating healthy with eating a salad. The problem was that my salad had ranch, bacon bits, ham, cheese, and other processed foods. I was eating a burger without buns. Changing your eating habit is hard. Can we keep it real? I still think about Chick-Fil-A dipped in Chick-fil-a sauce with that sugary lemonade and waffle fries. Oh, and I used to get that yummy chocolate chip cookie too. What stops me from wanting Chick-Fil-A? My willpower is stronger! I also remind myself of how Chick-Fil-A has over 50 ingredients in its sandwich and contains toxic ingredients, and MSG, which is highly addictive. We already are exposed to so many toxins on a daily basis, the least I can do is try not to eat them. Look up the ingredients for yourself to see what you are putting into your body. Don’t just count the calories, count the toxins.
You know after I found out about this, a part of me still wanted to eat Chick-Fil-A? Wow, food is so addictive to where I can read clear as day that something is bad for my body, linked to cancer, yet I still want to eat it. We must stop being a slave to unhealthy food and take control of our health. I used to eat chitterlings, tear up some Bo-berry biscuits from Bojangles about 3x’s a week, and loved me some processed hot dogs. When I had my daughter, I wanted the best for her, so I started reading more and discovered how what you eat plays a big role in your health.
Furthermore, I will post some advice on transitioning to a healthier lifestyle for beginners and what you need to know about this new journey you most definitely should embark.
1. Cut Out All Processed Foods
The first step to eating healthier is cutting out processed foods. Cereal, cookies, cakes, and other foods that aren’t made from Whole food ingredients should not be in your body. “But it tastes so good!” You may say. The processed foods, trans fats, and additives found in fast food can place great stress on your immunity and digestive systems. This means that you will get sicker often. I know that processed foods are convenient, but so is fruit. It is also inconvenient for you to get sick or go to the doctor and spend money on medicine. If you prioritize your eating habits, you will get sick a lot less.
2. Don’t Forget To Eat Your Greens and Fruit
This is a mistake a lot of people make including myself at first. I wanted to diet, so I went vegan for a day and did not consume any vegetables! I felt bloated and overall terrible. This is why I like to say that I am a plant-based eater versus vegan because just because something has the label “vegan” on it does not mean that it is healthy. A lot of foods are “vegan,” but are still heavily processed and have no nutrition value. So many of us today aren’t getting enough fiber in our diet, and it’s important for us to maintain a healthy digestive system. Also, remember vegan is ethical and a belief to not torture animals. There are still a lot of unhealthy vegans.
3. Read Your Ingredients
You must get in the habit of reading your ingredients so you can see what is going into your body. If something is processed or artificial, it will tell you! We have ignored these signs for so long. If it has a lot of ingredients of words you can’t pronounce, then it probably shouldn’t go into your body! Here’s an example of something processed vs. a real foods product
4. Meal Prep or Fail
Most people do not do well transitioning to a healthier lifestyle because they fail to plan their meals. If you have a goal to read more books, but never plan the time to accomplish that goal, it’s never going to happen. When you plan your meals for the week or a couple of days ahead, you won’t be tempted to eat something unhealthy. You may starve because you do not know what to eat and then just some fries that has no nutritional value just because you don’t know what to eat. Plan and prep your meals for the so you won’t fall into temptation.
5. You Need To Learn How To Cook
Unless you want to eat out the of the time which can get pricey, you need to learn how to cook your food. Don’t worry, vegan food is not hard to cook at all! It’s going to take some trial and error if you are new in the kitchen, but YouTube is your best friend during this journey. There are a lot of that show you how to make easy vegan food. One of my favorites is Pick Up Limes. You also have to accept that there are a lot of you must stop eating. You don’t go to a burger king to try to eat . Look up “vegan” near your area and start trying out different if you love eating out. , Indian, and food are my favorite to eat!
6. Make Sure You Are Getting an Adequate Amount of Fiber, Protein, Vitamin D, B12 and Iron
YES, plants have protein!!! We love eating hummus, lentils, Kamut flakes, quinoa, and so much more! They all have protein. We will be getting a B12 supplement soon, but we have been drinking cashew and hemp milk with B12 fortified. Here are some charts to help you out
7. Be Patient With Yourself
This health journey is a process, and it takes the time to adjust. Just like how it takes the time to transition to a new job or any life change, it’s the same with eating healthier. For most of my life, I ate good home-cooked meals with a large consumption of meat and cheese. Currently, I do not eat dairy, meat, and cook most of my food. My family and I probably eat out 1-2 times a week. It took me about a year to get to where I am today.
8. Don’t Let Food Fear You; We Only Fear God
Don’t transition to vegan just because you think it is going to save you from disease and you will never get sick. We only fear and we put our hope + trust in him. Eating plant-based reduces the risk of many diseases, but don’t treat it like it’s a God. The truth is, God wants us to take care of our temple, so he provided us with healing food to prevent sickness. We are glorifying him by taking care of our bodies. We shouldn’t fear but prevent it.
Guess what? I have created a FREE starter guide for you to start your journey. You can download it here
GROCERY-LIST-MEAL-IDEAS.pdf (328 downloads)
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I hope this helped guys! Let me know any other questions you have about transitioning to a plant-based diet. God bless you!