Written by Lenka Govender, Plant-Based Nutritionist
Lenka Govender is a plant-based nutritionist passionate about helping people embrace a nutrient-rich plant-based diet. She offers small group programs and one-to-one personalized coaching sessions to help her clients balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and create loving relationships with food and themselves.
I remember the storm of thoughts going through my head when I first thought of going plant-based. Deep down, I knew that was something I’d always wanted to try, but the realistic me was concerned about the practicality and comfort of what I’d known. On top of that, I also feared the judgment I’d receive from my family and friends.
At first, I went on quietly. I was introducing more vegetarian days in my weak, switching dairy milk for plant-based alternatives and replacing meat with beans so others wouldn’t notice. But the more I knew about animal vs. plant foods, the more conflicted I felt. Then one day I decided.
I embraced a vegan diet 100% and haven’t looked back.
It turned out over time that if I had thought through the following few points before making the final move, the whole process would have been much easier.
1. Let it be a conscious decision
What you eat goes beyond calories or taste.
Every breath, move and thought in your body is created from what you eat. It isn’t only about nutrients but about the biochemistry these nutrients create inside you. At every meal, you make a choice about how you’re going to feel after that.
To start your journey, become clear on why you want to do it. Ask yourself how you want to feel every day. Why do you want to change the way you’ve been eating till now? What’s pushing you to go out of your comfort zone?
Your reasons equal your motivation. They will support you when you feel like quitting and carry you over some challenging times you’re going to face.
2. Natural vs. processed
Now, when you know your why, let’s see what you are going to eat day in and day out.
At first, you might enjoy meals like veggie risotto or stir-fries, pasta with tomato sauce and bread with pesto, vegan cheese, and some salad. If you are more of a health enthusiast, you’ll enjoy smoothies, green juices, lentil chillies, and bean stews.
However, as the novelty wears off, you may feel more attracted to soy-based meats, burgers C sausages made from meat analogues, vegan ready to eat dinners and pizzas.
Convenience is important; it saves energy and precious time. However, it comes at a price, as these vegan processed foods are far from healthy. At least most of the time.
If you choose to eat them, keep them to a minimum as a quick fix when literally there is nothing to eat. That way, you allow the majority of your meals to come from whole plant foods, keeping your taste buds adjusted to their natural flavours, where all the magic is.
3. Focus on what you include, not exclude
Do you have a friend who avoided meat for some time but eventually quit? Did she say why? The reason for going back to animal foods is often difficulty breaking the old habit, lack of food choices, and not feeling the expected benefits.
You can avoid these setbacks by using one simple trick. Focus on what you include. Forget about what you don’t or shouldn’t eat. It’s creating negativity and setting you back before you even started. Instead, enjoy every day these wonderful foods:
legumes
green veg any broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Asparagus, Back Choi, kale, collard greens
other fresh vegetable C fruits
natural nuts and seeds
starch potatoes C whole grains
If you stick to these simple foods, you’ll have plenty to eat and get an ideal mixture of nutrients supporting you through your busy day. You’ll feel energised, shine out positivity, and feel happy about yourself.
4. Stand by your own principles
Making a change isn’t easy. You change your hair colour, the clothes you wear, or your political
convictions, and only a few people react. But what if you change what you eat? This isn’t as simple because, in the eyes of others, you’re indirectly making a statement about them. And depending on the values and principles of the people who noticed, their reaction can hit you hard.
You can feel uncomfortable, sometimes it hurts and takes away the wind from your sails. It can even undermine your determination and make you give up on the new lifestyle you chose.
In these moments, it’s crucial to realise your own worth and have the right to choose your own path. Standing by your principles isn’t something to be ashamed of. If done with respect and love to others, it’s something to be admired and inspired by.
Rehearsing different scenarios and various answers to give to people around you can prevent awkward silence and sometimes even tension, allowing you to fully enjoy your new lifestyle.
5. If in doubt about going plant-based, seek professional help
Your health is a big deal.
You were born with the full heap of it, and you ought to cherish and enjoy this precious gift. Whenever you’re unsure about your diet, don’t feel great, or feel stuck with food choices, look for professional help.
Sometimes there is resistance, I get it. Or a belief that you’ll eventually figure it out or that it’s not such a big deal. But it’s funny how much research we do before we buy a car or a house, yet the only true house we have to live in, our body, needs to get by with our guesswork.
Seeing a professional can bring relief, more confidence, and ease into your plant-based lifestyle. It can help you with a simple mindset shift or shape your focus in such a way that your health and whole experience get to the next level. By talking to a professional and someone who has experience with plant-based living, you’ll save time and, eventually, money you would have spent trying to figure out these things by yourself.
Are you ready to take the next step?
Read more from Lenka Govender
Lenka Govender, Plant-Based Nutritionist
Lenka Govender is a plant-based nutritionist who was inspired to study nutrition after she worked as a nurse in a hospital and experienced firsthand how food choices and lifestyle impact our health. She believes that the human body has inner wisdom and strives to create harmony and balance when it's fueled right. When we create an ideal environment within and around our body by eating foods we evolved on and through an active and harmonious lifestyle, our body has no choice but to thrive.
