Cravings and Vitamins

Being vegan is definitely a change that requires a deep inner motivation and those who decide to go about this new lifestyle you also need a good support system. Cravings for non dairy foods were diminished with the more I educated myself about the reasons to be vegan. Not to say I don’t still think about things like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but it is different. I have let that part of my life go, re-wired my brain and when I crave those things at the same time I remember my reasons for becoming vegan and do not indulge myself. 

Being sure you are receiving the proper nutrition is a valid concern. I have found through research that unless you are an elite athlete, body builder or take part in intense physical activities protein deficiency usually isn’t a problem. For the average person who works out to live healthily and fit a normal vegan diet without protein supplement is adequate. If you feel you fall into the other category as you work out heavily or exert a lot of energy throughout your day you can calculate your protein need. To calculate your protein need divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. This will give you your weight in kg. Then multiply your weight in kg by 0.8-1.8 gm/kg. This will give you the range of the amount of protein you require per gram. If you consider yourself sedentary use the lower number (0.8-1.2), if you are an intense athlete or body builder consider eating on the higher end (1.2-1.8). It is also important for a vegan or vegetarian to be sure they are getting enough vitamin B12. B12 can be found supplemented in energy bars, and are sometimes fortified in vegan and vegetarian staples like tofu and soy milk. To be understand what the best food distribution is for a vegan is be sure to check out a vegan food pyramid, here is a link to one I found on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_nutrition. If you still feel concerned you aren’t getting proper nutrition I strongly encourage you to consult your doctor. There is a simple blood test you can take and the results usually come back within a week to tell you if you are getting the right doses of important vitamins. Be sure to learn to listen to your body it will always tell you what it needs.