Considering a new diet? NEED to change your diet for health reasons? It’s not easy. In fact, it can be really tough. Whether it’s vegan, low carb, high protein or vegetarian, you’ll face some challenges.
For starters, there are so many questions surrounding this. How do you get vegan snacks? Is a low carb diet boring? We will delve into these and other questions in the article below as thoroughly as possible. Prepare for the new adventure properly and it will be easier and more effective.
Change Slowly
If you convert your diet, it can be a shock to your system if you change quickly. So, change little by little. If, for instance, you’re going to cut out carbs, then do so one ingredient at a time. As an example, first cut out sugar in your coffee and your yoghurt and add some sweetener. Then avoid bread every second or third day. Keep on reaching these small milestones until you eventually have a carb-free diet.
The same thing should occur when changing to a vegan diet. Don’t cut out meat altogether, because cravings can be very demotivating. Do one vegan meal a week. Then two, then three and so forth.
Luckily, meat is an ingredient many people are able to remove from their diet with ease. Simply make sure that you’re putting your proteins, irons and other vitamins on your plate still.
If you don’t go slowly, your body will go into detox mode, which can be quite debilitating. Your liver could become overloaded with the toxins that are released when changing diets, particularly when changing to a low carb diet. This could make you feel nauseous, weak, and irritable.
Best to just keep it slow.
Convert to Healthier Food
Whatever you do, ensure that you’re eating more healthily, and not less so. Vegans, don’t opt for a cheaper version of protein that contains trans fats, for example. This might be unhealthier than the meat you used to eat. So, be careful.
You have also got the problem that you could eat harmful substances when you go sugar-free. Sometimes sweeteners placed in products are very detrimental to your health or they can act as laxatives or even raise your blood sugar if taken in excess. This is particularly important to consider when it comes to diabetics.
So, add lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, no matter what diet you’ve chosen. There’s no sense in cutting out the most important item of our human diets.
Keep Your Treats
You’re going to need treats. It’s difficult to stay positive without them, right?
It’s best to find healthy treats, like vegan slices of cheese or bread. Or, if your diet is a sugar-free one, go for sugar-free chocolate or sweets. Just take care how they affect your insulin levels. Luckily, many manufacturers help consumers by producing healthy alternatives these days.
Buy a Diet-Specific Recipe Book and Cook for Yourself
To help keep your new meal plans interesting, buy a recipe book that is specific to your diet. You should also be able to find cookbooks for gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan diets, to help you get creative in the kitchen. Also, by cooking yourself, it’s easiest to track what you’re consuming.
Once you have the recipes, go out and find the ingredients. This may take some searching, because you don’t find certain healthy ingredients everywhere. However, in most major supermarkets there are dedicated aisles or you can go to small specialist shops.
Cooking yourself should make any diet interesting. So, even low-carb diets can be delicious.
Cook Your Own Food for Going Out
If you’re really committed to the diet, you may have to cater for going out to friends or family. Not only will they not fully understand your meal plan, but they’re sure to put in something you’re trying to avoid. Or they might simply think that vegetarian means vegetables, and so cook you a plate of veggies only. Boring!
Similarly, for gluten-free diets, you could find a plate of food put in front of you that contains spices. And most spices contain flour to decrease their strength. Rather avoid the awkwardness and cook a meal that you can take with, after informing the host of your plans. You do need to stay respectful of their hospitality.
Change Your Drinks
The second to last tip is to change your drinks. For most diets you can switch to sugar-free ones at the very least. Even better, add healthy ones like water or ginger tea.
Don’t Skip Meals
One of the most important tips is to not skip meals. The reason for this is that you will be tempted to eat the wrong food once you get hungry.
Note: if you’re doing the keto diet, then make sure you simply keep very busy while you’re fasting.
Conclusion
Changing your diet is tough, and it demands a strong mindset. It also requires a slow and steady approach if you’re to be successful. Here’s to a healthier you!!