So you think you want to clean up your diet but you’re not sure how to start, right? Been there, done that! The first question you should ask yourself is, “How fast do you want to change your diet?” If the answer is yesterday, then you have a month or more of hard core bloating in your future. If you choose to abuse your body I promise you will survive (I did!) and you will be a full fledged veganasaurus that much sooner.
However, for most people, I would recommend a gradual approach to this stage in your development. Vegan gas can be very obnoxious, smelly, and occasionally uncomfortable. It’s not for everyone. When you’re switching over to a plant based diet, this gas can be out of this world. The main cause is all of the fiber in your new diet. If you’re a person who is already incorporating a large amount of soluble and insoluble fiber into your current diet, the switch to a vegan lifestyle will be much easier and less noisy. However, if you’re like I was and are currently eating a low carb, high protein diet your body is in for a major shock! Slowly adding complex and starchy carbohydrates, in the form of potatoes, beans, legumes, and tofu will make the process more bearable.
As you begin, I would choose only a few meals that are strictly vegan for the first week. This will help with the stress of finding and trying new ingredients, as well as give your body the ability to slowly adjust to new types of foods. After a week or two of this, you can start eating one meal a day of vegan food. I would recommend breakfast. This should be the easiest meal to consistently eat, and there a lots of tasty options. I recommend trying my homemade Muesli breakfast cereal. You could also make a batch of my Protein Cookies. Either option is packed with protein, fiber, and taste and will make breakfast nearly instant.
As you progress, in confidence and experience you’ll notice that your body reacts to certain foods more often. I would recommend waiting to add any foods that you find cause major bloating and discomfort until after the first month. I have found that my body reacts differently to foods now than it did in the beginning.
For those of you who like to learn from other’s mistakes, I’d like to tell you about two of the major issue I had. As we started eating vegan foods, I was excited by all of the recipes for asian food that used cauliflower instead of greasy, breaded meat. Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE greasy, breaded asian food dripping in scrumptious sauces! Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef, General Taos, the list of tastiness goes on and on…BUT, I have always tried to avoid eating these types of foods because they are not very good for you. SO, my brain decided that if the meat is replaced with cauliflower and you aren’t frying the food it MUST be better! Wrong! Not only did ALL of these recipes make me extremely bloated, I’m pretty sure they still weren’t much better for me than the originals. Tasty, but not healthier, so what’s the point? Another gut bomb ended up being nuts, specifically almonds. As we transitioned into eating vegan, I began to snack on nuts, especially almonds. And by snacking, I’m talking one to two cups of nuts depending on the night. I know, not smart for many reasons, but they tasted soooooo good, and I was still feeling like I was loosing weight so I figured, why not?! Well, after a while that amount of nuts can do weird things to your stomach and gut. I started to feel really bloated all the time and had the worst heartburn I’ve ever had. I did a little research and found out that you really should only eat a handful of nuts a day. You’ve been warned!
If you do find that any of the foods that you’re eating tip the scales of your delicate digestive system, you can take action! I swear by drinking a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar when I’m feeling bloated or my stomach feels slightly irritated. I wouldn’t recommend drinking it straight. Not only will it burn like whiskey on it’s way down, but it could damage your esophagus. I like to dilute it with 8oz or more of water. I’ll also add some spices for taste and overall health. Turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, and cayenne all help to reduce inflammation in your body. These spices make Indian food is so good for you! I also recommend finding a source of probiotics that you enjoy. There are many bottled drinks in most stores that contain probiotics. You could also try vegan yogurt, though be prepared, it does not taste like regular yogurt. Kombucha is another option for those of you who prefer to tasty beverage. Kombucha has been credited with many health benefits, so if you’re trying to clean up your food choices this may be a good substitute for any carbonated drinks you’re currently enjoying. My husband and I have also found probiotic supplements to be extremely helpful. There are many options to choose from, but I would recommend finding a capsule that contains as many different strains of bacteria as possible. We have had the most success with pills containing 10 different types of probiotic bacteria.
I hope that your transition into clean eating is smooth and enjoyable. If you have any question you can always ask! Just post your questions and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible!
