Step 3 | Research Your Diet

You are already more than half way through this course.

Well done!

Step #3 is all about researching where you are going to buy your food from and how you are going to make your meals.

Planning ahead + getting organised makes life easier for you in the long run.

Additionally, it’s about understanding your nutritional needs. You may have some personal concerns or doubts about this – or be facing questions from concerned friends or family.

Nutrition

Many vegans and non-vegans don’t use any supplements, and you should be able to get all your nutritional needs from a varied plant-based diet except for Vitamin B12. However, Omega 3 is also recommended for brain health.

I really like to take care of my physical health so I supplement. I would do this whether or not I was vegetarian/vegan.

I buy a Vitamin B12 complex from Cytoplan (UK) and Pea Protein Powder from Nature’s Sunshine (US). I also take vegan Omega 3, Magnesium and Acidophilus for my gut.

Both of these suppliers produce and sell the highest quality products, and ship worldwide (at extra cost).

Always consult a qualified nutritionist, naturopath or doctor for individual dietary and health advice. My UK favourites are Deborah Walker’s Passport to Change and Kerry Madgewick’s Vitality Lifestyle Formula.

Chronometer is a web app for tracking your nutrition and health metrics.

In April 2019, I recorded this exclusive Masterclass: How to go vegan the healthy, sensible way with Naturopathic Nutritionist Deborah Walker. It’s an enlightening discussion, covering the myths and misconceptions about plant-based food.

Please excuse the sound ‘pops’: we had some problems with the sound unfortunately and this was our second attempt to record it. 

Watch Masterclass: How to go vegan the healthy, sensible way

Ingredients + Alternatives

Because you are swimming against a tide of non-vegan foods, thinking about ingredients and where you will buy your meat/fish/dairy/egg/cheese substitutes?

Does you local supermarket have a good selection or will you have to shop in a health food store or consider buying online? What are the selections like?

(For example, in the UK – Sainsburys, Tescos, Waitrose, Wholefoods Market, Aldi or Lidl; or in the USA – CostCo or ThriveMarket).

I recommend moving towards organic fruit and vegetables if possible, especially for making juices/smoothies.

I appreciate buying organic is extra cost, and may not always be possible due to supply problems.

Free recipes online

I made this vegan cheesecake from a recipe by TheTastyK.

Cheap Lazy Vegan – ‘What I eat in a day’ and other clever recipe videos on her channel.

The Full Helping – Recipes, ethics, body image, eating disorders, emotional eating and self love.

Cooking with Plants – Anja’s easy ways to vegan-ise your favourite dishes so you won’t miss ‘em.

Deliciously Ella – Ella shares the plant-based, allergen-friendly diet that helped her get healthy.

Keepin’ It Kind – Chris and Kristy’s excellent blog and recipe book.

Mouthwatering Vegan – Award winning recipe blog by Miriam Sorrell.

OhSheGlows – Beautiful recipe blog and book.

Pickles ‘n’ Honey – SEO expert and dog lover Amanda’s seasonal recipes.

The Flexitarian – Recipe blog for those who want to eat less meat.

Vegan Corner – Raul and Miriam make very good vegan recipe videos.

Vegan Richa  – Award-winning chef makes ingenious ethnic concoctions.

Vegan Starter Kit – Simple steps and recipes to help you adopt a vegan lifetstyle.

See also The Academy of Culinery Nutrition’s Top 50 Best Vegan Blogs.

Step #3 Actions:

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with research information at this stage.

This week:

1. Check out these B12 links (from pages 13 + 14 of the eBook )

For focused learning and planning, use this printable / fillable PDF:

>> Download / print / fill worksheet PDF<<

Go to Step 4: Get Support!

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