Veganuary is the trend of January and while many people are aiming to adopt a healthier lifestyle being a vegan is not for everyone and for some they just want to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet.
If you are not sure what the difference is between eating plant-based foods vs being vegan?
I can advise that those on a plant-based diet mostly consume or only eat foods that come from plants, and may occasionally, consume meat, fish, or dairy products. While being vegan means you refrain from all forms of animal products.
While it's true both ways of eating have many health benefits some question whether they are the best diets to follow if you are on a weight loss journey because they are perceived to be high in carbohydrates. When it comes to weight loss we all know one of the key rules to get successful results is to stay away from carbohydrates {starchy carbohydrates in particular} and eat more protein.
I am happy to advise you can obtain protein from eating non-animal products. Foods such as Lentils, Chickpeas, Quinoa, Beans, Tofu, Mushrooms, Nuts, and Seeds are all high protein foods. If you add vegetables such as Green Peas, Spinach, Asparagus, and Broccoli you'll also be getting an extra source of protein.
The only watch out is unlike animal proteins, plants do not include all 9 amino acids. This means you would need to combine 2 of the foods e.g. legumes with grains to make them a complete protein which will give you all of the amino acids needed by the body.