Whether you are driven by a love of animals, concern for the planet or simply on a quest to optimize your health, you might consider what a vegan lifestyle can do for you.  For some, the idea of permanently cutting out all animal products including meat, fish, eggs, butter and milk, might be a little bit daunting, however, it is something that virtually all of us could do for one week out of every month.  Since November is “The World Goes Vegan Month”, what better time to give it a try?

A word of caution, just because we adopt a vegan diet, does not automatically mean that the diet suddenly becomes healthy – we must make a conscious effort to adopt a healthy vegan diet.  The first step, which always points you in the right direction, is to take a trip to the farmers market and stock your basket with a range of colorful fruits and vegetables.  Each additional serving of fruits and vegetables you consume daily has a proven benefit in terms of reducing your risk for a tremendous range of degenerative diseases, from diabetes to cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke.  The value of the colorful antioxidants in these foods can not be underestimated not to mention the tangible benefits that result from consuming increased amounts of fiber.

Now that your larder is stocked with lots of fresh goodies, make sure that you have a supply of a variety of whole grains such as organic brown rice, quinoa, millet and teff for example.  Add to this a selection of beans such as black and pinto varieties, some lentils of choice and a range of healthy nuts and seeds, including hemp, chia, sesame, walnuts and almonds.  Keep a supply of healthy oils in your refrigerator, these may include flax, hemp and borage, and you are set to start creating some healthy and wholesome vegan dishes.

Just to be sure you don’t miss out on essential nutrients, there are a few key MegaFood whole food supplements that you can keep on hand and take daily.  These include Blood Builder, our exceptional non-binding iron formulation, which is extremely gentle on the stomach and a cinch for the body to assimilate.  Iron, which is often supplied in the diet by red meat, is essential to keep your red blood cells efficiently delivering oxygen around your body.  This supplement can help ensure that your energy levels don’t fall during a vegan transition.

Balanced B12 or Balanced B Complex, which also includes B12, is invaluable for ensuring that, as a vegan, you don’t fall short of this nutrient which is otherwise primarily delivered through animal sources.  Essential to maintain healthy homosysteine levels and therefore healthy cardiovascular function, it is important to supplement since deficiency can often take years to make itself known.

Often, when considering vegan challenges, the first thing that comes to mind is a potential shortage of calcium.  Surprisingly, leafy green vegetables and seeds such as sesame are a wonderful source of bioavailable calcium.  To supplement these whole food super stars you can consider taking MegaFood Calcium or Calcium Magnesium Potassium on a daily basis, just as added insurance that your body is getting everything it needs in order to maintain and build ideal health.

As we know, it’s good for the animals, it’s good for the planet and it’s good for our health – I wonder what would happen if we all decided to go vegan one week out of each month for the next year?