Saying goodbye to meat and dairy, and hello to plants

Vegan diets are becoming more popular each day.

So much so, that Health Canada’s newest food guide is expected to steer people away from meat and dairy products and in the direction of plant-based products.

Plant-based, vegan diets have been on the rise as of late. A restaurant consultancy group in New York has named “plant based” the food trend of 2018, and with Netflix documentaries like Forks Over Knives, What The Health, and Cowspiracy revolutionizing the way people both consume and interact with food, people have been turning to plant based diets more now than ever before.

Ryan Sluban has been a vegan for a year and a half. After feeling dragged down and exhausted each day, she knew she had to change something about her lifestyle. After watching a documentary and having a conversation with a fellow vegan, she made the decision to rid her diet of meat and dairy.

“Going vegan changed my life in so many different ways and I honestly believe that anyone who does it will feel the exact same way.”

But transitioning into a plant-based diet is not always easy. And for something that is advertised to be so healthy, it is very easy to be unhealthy.

Paige Cascanette-Boucher is a nutritionist and urges anyone who is considering a plant-based diet to do the proper research and educate themselves so they can have a positive experience.

“The one main thing that vegans have to take is B12, that’s the one for sure. It’s something you can’t get from plants, it has to come from animal products. Iron is crucial too, and something that people tend to forget about. Pairing the proper food groups together to get your essential amino acids and your complete proteins is really important as well.”

Sluban has made conscious efforts to ensure these elements make it into her diet each day. However, it’s about the bigger picture for her.

“The information is coming to us more nowadays. Before, things were a lot more controlled and messaging was a lot more controlled. The truth of what we eat and what we have been told to eat for so long is available to us now. I think as the messaging of veganism is becoming more available to society, society is going to be changing. People who are eating vegan but are not the healthiest about it are still going to reap the benefits for their health. I think if you’re vegan no matter how you’re doing it, it’s still a step up.”

Each day, Sluban just hopes to spread the message of why veganism is so important.

“Just like I was given the truth about food, I also want the people I love and the people around me in my communities to learn the truth about food and be liberated the same way that I have.”