I went vegan on 1st August of 2016. It’s a precise date because it was planned, as I was at my father’s until 31st July and he’s not okay at all with veganism. So when I came back home (at my mother’s) I directly went vegan. I started to learn how to cook during August but as soon as I entered my last year of high school I couldn’t cook a lot as I was always at school to prepare my graduation and final exam. As I passed my exam and graduated, I took a break and now work at home so I have all the time I need to cook.
I started with the basics, pasta. I wanted to learn how to cook something quick and easy first while still doing my research about veganism and nutrients. I learned that the only thing you need to look after is your vitamin B12 intake. The Body By Nature B12 Supplements are a great way of getting your daily intake but I also use nutritional yeast reinforced with vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is important because it helps make your DNA and red blood cells. Also, it needs to be consumed regularly as the body doesn’t produce it and can’t store it for a very long time. The amount you need to get depends on your age but infants need 0,4 mcg (micrograms) and adults need 2,4 mcg (2,6 if pregnant and 2,8 if breastfeeding).
You can get vitamin B12 by consuming animal products (well, of course, because they are from a living being) or you can take supplements or consume food fortified with B12.
If you have a B12 deficiency, you can have the following symptoms:
- Weakness/tiredness
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Pale skin
- Constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite or gas
- Nerve problems such as numbness, muscle weakness or problems walking.
- Vision loss
- Mental diseases such as depression, memory loss or behavioural changes
This deficiency can be reversed with B12 shots at first then supplements.For most people, the shots will resolve the problem but any nerve damage can be permanent.
Being a vegan makes you cook a lot and you can find a lot of different recipes, but personally I kinda always eat the same thing. It’s often pasta or rice with tons of vegetables and legumes, I always add nutritional yeast, sesame seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds. As I love spicy foods, I also always add tabasco or harissa.
For example yesterday I ate rice noodles with chinese cabbage, mung bean sprouts, red bell pepper, oignon,, carrots, all the usual seeds, tabasco, nutritional yeast and soy sauce. And today I ate pastas with zucchini, beans, mushrooms, oignons, all the usual seeds, nutritional yeast and tomato sauce.
I used to never drink water because I don’t like the taste, but now I’m addicted to it. Well, I still don’t like the taste so I only drink sparkling water with lemon juice, green tea, orange juice and smoothies.