The Vegan Weight Loss Diet

People often ask me how they can start a vegan weight loss diet. I have a simple, easy answer for a guide on what you should be eating. People are sometimes resistant to my vegan weight loss diet concept simply because they have been taught differently.

They are positive that they need to control their caloric intake and that if they eat until they are full they will overindulge. They don't want to learn to cook because they don't have time. They think it's too hard to eat a healthy vegan diet, so they give up before they ever try.

Instead, try to focus on eating whole plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans.

Don't bother counting calories, but eat as much of those foods as you like until you are satisfied. Take time while eating and chew thoroughly, thinking about the flavors with each bite.

Avoid eating processed or "junk" vegan food. Learn to cook at least enough to have good variety in your meals, and learn to order food out that complies with these rules. Additionally, control your stress levels and exercise regularly.

Our weight-loss driven society has taught people not to believe in themselves enough.

Ever notice that almost every commercial on TV is either for fast food or medicine? They are saying to eat certain foods, and then take certain medicines to alleviate symptoms caused by those foods. We can't forget that those companies are trying to sell us a product and that they are not advising us on our health. You don't need to believe them. You can control what you eat and how you eat. You are in charge of your body.

Commonly, people are convinced that they are overweight because they overeat, they eat emotionally, they have a genetic predisposition for obesity, they eat too many carbs, or they lack will power. Some of these might factor in to the problem, but the biggest problem is that they are simply eating the wrong foods.

Diet, nutrition, and weight loss are relatively recent struggles and studies for the human population. Only a hundred years ago, people ate what they had available and could afford. The problem started when societies started getting wealthier and had access to more animal products and the technology to bottle everything up and distribute it. Not surprisingly, the wealthier the society, the more access to animal products they had, and the more overweight they became.

Many people are convinced that they need to count calories and avoid eating fats to lose weight. However, most cultures have been eating high amounts of calories for thousands of years while retaining thin physiques.

This puzzling phenomenon is detailed in The China Study. On a typical day on the standard Asian diet (before they started eating Westernized foods), the Chinese would consume around 2600 calories, whereas Americans only eat about 1900 calories.

Why are Americans (who eat fewer calories) typically so overweight and Asians are thin? The difference is the diet. The Chinese ate mostly whole plant foods and very few animal foods, and only a small percentage of their calories came from fat. They ate tons of fiber and complex carbohydrates, as well as soy protein. American diets are the exact opposite-- very low fiber, very high protein, simple carbohydrates, and added fats from animal products.

Why do animal products lead to obesity in humans?

Very simply, human bodies were never biologically designed for eating other animals. We come with flat teeth made for grinding grains, not canines for ripping and tearing. We have long digestive tracts for breaking down plant materials to get plenty of nutrients. Animal-eaters have short digestive tracts to avoid having rotting meat in their bellies for too long. We have long fingers and short nails for holding onto plants and eating around them with very little protection. True carnivores have talons.

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If you are trying to start a vegan weight loss diet, you are on the right track. The biggest thing you can do for yourself is focus on eating whole foods like whole vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans.

Many people experience vegan weight loss simply by switching over from eating a standard western diet, full of meat and dairy products. They can afford to eat some of the junkier foods and the processed foods. These people are often those with the least amount of weight to lose, and are often the younger ones.

The older we get, as our metabolism slows, we need to go a step further. If you are older or more overweight, you will need to avoid junk foods. Just because they aren't made with animals doesn't mean they are healthy. Yes, they may be better for you than those made with cholesterol, but they will not help you to achieve your goals. Now, if you do happen to eat a vegan junk food, don't bother feeling guilty about it. Recognize it for what it is and move on.

As with any diet change, moving to a whole foods-based vegan diet will be a big change at first. You will probably need to develop a taste for many of the new foods, and while at first you may not like them, they will grow on you. Within a few weeks, your tastes will change. Your cravings for sugar and greasy foods will subside and eventually you will be unable to eat them.

There are many vegan weight loss diet books with great meal plans and recipes that you might want to check out. One of my favorites is Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life, which is written by a doctor who studied the benefits of a vegan weight loss diet.

A vegan weight loss diet is an effective way to lose weight, but keep in mind that it should be more of a life change than simply a way to lose weight. Animal products are hazardous to our health and cutting back or eliminating them will improve our health. Yo-yoing from diet to diet is not going to improve your well-being.

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