14 Day Vegan Plan: Lose weight and improve your health in just 14 days (2016)

Chapter 2. Starting the Vegan Diet

Starting a new diet is not going to be easy, but it is something that with a little bit of effort, you can enjoy. It doesn't matter what type of diet you start, you'll need to make a concerted effort to try new foods, and keep going when things get a little tough.

The good news is that you can make the switch to a vegan diet a lot easier on yourself. With a little bit of time, and a little bit of effort, you will soon find that you've enjoyed a vegan diet, and started to feel better for it.

Don't assume that it's going to be easy

Unfortunately no dramatic diet change is going to be easy, but with a little will power, you can become completely vegan, or ensure you get through the 14 day vegan plan unscathed. You may make a few mistakes along your journey, including finding out the meal you've eaten contains cheese, meat or other products. This happens from time to time, but don't be alarmed, just carry on eating vegan foods and do what you can to prevent it from happening again.

Work out what you can and can't eat

At first, you may feel as if your diet is very restricted, but the truth is, it's only as restricted as you think. When I first became vegan, I thought it would really struggle, but the truth is there's a lot more food out there than you think.

Work out what you can eat, and think about those foods you need to stay away from. This will take you a while to get the hang of, but you'll become used to it. When I became vegan, I would make lists of the foods it's ok to enjoy, and those I need to stay away from. After a while, I didn't need to look at the lists any more, as with time, I knew what kind of foods would go on which list.

Find out what suitable meat and dairy alternatives there are

The great news is that there are a lot of tasty alternatives available. From your local health food store, to your local supermarket, there are vegan-friendly foods almost everywhere.

There will of course be some foods that you love, and some you hate, but it's all just trial and error. Find out what vegan foods you love, and stay away from those you really don't like. You won't do yourself any favors by forcing yourself to eat something that doesn't taste good. Eat the foods you enjoy, and you're more likely to stick with the vegan plan.

Find out where you can source your foods

As I mentioned above, you can source your foods from health food stores and supermarkets. You can also find vegan foods online too, and even at specialist vegan stores or events. The easier it is for you to get hold of the food you need, the easier you'll find a vegan lifestyle.

Ask someone to join you on your journey

Even if you're only planning to become vegan for 14 days, you should ideally ask someone to join you on your journey. This is because it will make your journey so much easier. You will be able to compare notes, and talk about your struggles. You'll also be able to recommend ways of cooking food, and what you should and shouldn't avoid.

Trust me, if you're planning to change your eating habits for two weeks, bringing someone along with you will make it a lot easier.

Reward yourself from time to time

Giving yourself a reward from time to time, is the best way to keep your motivation levels high. The sort of reward you give yourself is completely up to you, but it should be one that doesn't affect the success of your vegan diet. Eat out at a posh vegan restaurant, go to the movies, enjoy visiting your favorite place, or meet up with a friend or family member, and do something you both love.

Set yourself a goal (Such as reaching the end of the 14 day vegan plan), and reward yourself.

Learn to cook delicious dishes from scratch

Because there are so many very tasty dishes out there, just waiting for you to try them, you will be missing out if you don't learn how to cook them from scratch. There are pre-packaged vegan meals available, but they're often expensive, and they might not be as nutritional as you'd like.

Learn to cook from scratch, and enjoy creating some very tasty meals that give your body the nutrition it needs.

Shopping Guide

Not everyone knows exactly what vegans eat, they largely think we eat vegetables, lentils and tofu, but the truth is, our diet is a varied one.

Agar agar:

If you're making a dish that calls for gelatin, use agar agar instead as it's the ideal substitute.

Beans:

Beans are an excellent source of protein, they taste great and they can have a meaty texture to them as well. Buy and use all sorts of beans, and enjoy them as part of your diet. Please make sure that if you buy prepared or pre-packaged beans, that they are still vegan-friendly.

Brown rice:

Brown rice is much more nutritious than its white counter-part, so use this instead.

Butter-like spreads:

Non-hydrogenated spreads

Couscous:

Opt for whole-wheat couscous if you can, as it's a lot more nutritious than the regular stuff.

Dairy-free cheese:

You can now buy many different brands and flavors of dairy-free cheese. Available in slices, with a cream-cheese like consistency, grated or flavored, there's no reason for you to feel like you're missing out on cheese at all.

Egg substitutes:

Egg substitutes can be a great alternative, and they also taste pretty good too. You can buy vegan egg yolks, but they are hard to find, so you may have to stick with the dried substitute for now.

Fruits and vegetables:

A vegan diet can contain as many fruits and vegetables as you like. Just make sure that if you're buying prepared fruits and vegetables, that they are vegan-friendly.

Milk:

Almond

Rice

Hemp

Soy

Nutritional yeast:

Nutritional yeast is used to give foods a cheese-like consistency. It's cholesterol-free and is perfect for using in cheese flavor sauces.

Nuts:

Nuts are incredibly high in protein, and they can be added to a variety of dishes, and they can also be enjoyed on their own. If you're missing a meaty flavor and texture, I recommend eating chestnuts, as they are very meaty.

Pasta:

Pasta comes in all shapes and sizes, and it's one of those foods that can make a meal out of just a few ingredients. If you want to go extra-healthy, opt for whole-wheat or multi-grain pasta.

Quinoa:

Quinoa doesn't just taste great, but it's also very high in protein, and it can be added to a wide range of dishes.

Seitan:

This is made from wheat gluten and can be fried or baked. Seitan is a great source of protein, but it's also good if you want your dishes to be chewy.

Soy yogurt:

Available in different flavors, soy yogurt can be a real treat.

Tempeh:

This is a soy bean based meat-substitute, that is quite thick and has a savory flavor. It's absolutely ideal for grilling.

Tofu:

This can be added to a wide range of dishes, and is made from soy bean curd. It's best used as a means of soaking up flavor from other ingredients.

Vegetable burgers:

Vegetable burgers can be a tasty and nutritious alternative to meat-containing burgers. The trouble is that veggie burgers can also be high in fat, so make sure you check out the fat content before you buy them.

There are many other vegan-friendly foods available, but if I added them all, the list would go on and on. The more you delve into the vegan world, the more ingredients and foods you will discover. Don't be afraid to search the internet, and your local stores for other ingredients, as you could find something quite special.

Key Foods and Ingredients

Take a look at the nutrients I mention, and the foods that contain them. This will help you to refine your shopping list so you end up eating a wide variety of tasty and nutritious foods:

*Please note, there are many other foods you can eat, but the list below shows those foods that are particularly nutritious.

Calcium:

Almonds

Flaxseed

Soy beans

Broccoli

Kale

Sunflower seeds

Chick peas

Lentils

Tempeh

Hazelnuts

Kidney beans

Tofu that contains

calcium sulphate

Fortified breakfast cereals

Navy beans (Haricot beans)

Fortified non-dairy milk

Okra

Fortified non-dairy yogurt

Oranges

Fortified orange juice

Pinto Beans

Fortified soy products

Pistachio nuts

Figs

Sesame seeds

Iron:

Chickpeas

Navy beans (Haricot beans)

Fortified vegetable burgers

Pinto beans

Fortified soy products

Quinoa

Goji Berries

Raisins

Kidney beans

Soy beans

Lentils

Tofu

Omega 3's:

Flaxseed oil

Ground flax seeds

Protein:

Beans

Tempeh

Lentils

Tofu

Nuts

Vegetables

Seeds

Vitamin B12:

Nutritional yeast

Non-dairy milk

Fortified breakfast cereals

Vegan Vitamin B12 supplements

Fortified foods

Vitamin D:

Vegan Vitamin D supplements