7 Things I wish I knew before I went Vegan

As I tell you on my about page, I am absolutely not a nutritionist - even if I plan to become one. Although, I have read lots of articles and books about nutrition, I have my own experience and have seen a professional which gave me some advice. Here are the things I did not necessarily know before I went vegan - but really wish I knew. Tell me if you are interested in reading more about nutrition, I will be very happy to do that. So leave a comment below, and share with us your own tips.

1. Soak and rinse your legumes. Soaking your beans overnight has many issues. First, your beans will cook in about half the time, you will be able to buy them dry and cook them, which is more economic and eco-friendly, as you can buy them in bulk, or anyway not in tins. Then, the most important issue is that you legumes will be much more digestible (here i an article that explains it in detail) and avoid gassy situations. Lots of people decide to go vegan, but "must" their new diet because they start to suffer of a tummy ache or poor digestion (gas, bloating). The tip to avoid this is to start progressively eating beans, and to soak and rinse them.

2. Balance between raw and cooked. I know some people go for a raw vegan diet. I have lately seen a nutritionist (that's why I allow myself to speak about nutrition on the blog, even if I am not a professional at all - just a passionate), and have been told that maintaining a good balance between raw and cooked diet is the best to avoid fermentation, bloating and all that stuff. I love too much cooked food, as well as raw food. So it is easy for me to balance my meals, even if in the winter I prefer cooking and hot food.

3. In a omnivorous diet, you should not eat different animal proteins together, but in a vegan diet, changing or mixing your protein sources allows you to have all the amino acids you need. In fact, plant-based proteins do not contain all amino acids you need, so it is good to vary. What is important is the association of all the amino acids, not their amount. Here is a breakfast recipe that gives you all the amino acids you need. Then, you're fixed for all day.

4. Eat more : I had a really slow transition to veganism, but if you become vegan overnight (which is possible and not dangerous or anything), you will need to eat more. I explain myself: whole plant based food can be really satisfying, if you get all you need.

First of all, the more your diet is varied, the more micro-nutrients you get. Then, plant based food has a lower concentration of calories. As an omnivorous your stomach is smaller, because you don't need much food to reach your minimal calories income. As a vegan, you will be able to eat much more, and not gain any kilo! Give the time for your stomach to get bigger by eating high-concentrated foods during the first month, for example nuts, seeds, avocado or sweet potatoes.

5. There is vegan and vegan. You can easily eat vegan, but not healthy. Pay attention to processed foods, which are very high in calories and bad fats just like any processed food. These foods will make you reach your calories income very fast, but not give you enough micro-nutrients. You will still be hungry, because your body needs its micro-nutrients. And by eating even more processed foods, you will gain weight.

6. In the beginning, it will be hard for you to overcome non-vegan cravings. Stay focused on your WHY and eat as many whole plant foods as you want. Do not private you, let the time to your body to get used to this new lifestyle, and you will feel better and better as time goes by. It can be interesting to understand why non-vegan food can attract, even if we have decided to change our lifestyle. The first reason is that you are (probably) used to eat all these foods. It takes an average of 21 days to break a habit, so don't give up!

7. Cheese addiction: cheese has been the most difficult thing to give up on, during all my health journey. And so is it for most vegans. If I had known that we were all addicted to cheese, I would probably have overcame this earlier. As you all know, cheese is made from milk. Cow's milk. Cow's milk is naturally made for veal. As a natural instinct, the veal is attracted to its mother's milk, to survive, grow healthy, beautiful. That's why (nature is so perfect), in every milk, even breast milk, there is casein, contained in the fat of milk. It is an addictive substance, made to attract the baby again so that he can survive. Well, cheese is fat of milk. And casein contained in cheese attracts us, just as it does with the veal, as it did with us. That's why all omnivorous are addicted to cheese - and difficultly give up on it. Vegan cheese are a nice option, if you really like cheese. It ate them for a while, and then overcame my "addiction" - I don't need them anymore. Now I promise you that if I eat a piece of cheese, or any other milk products, I will hate it.