Are you a vegan that suffers from hunger? You don’t have to. The vegan diet can be a rich and satisfying diet when you approach it wisely. The fact that the vegan diet is very nutrient rich can absolutely work in your favor. Also, the manner in which you eat has a large impact on your satiety as well.

One very effective way to curb your hunger is to eat several small meals during the day. This is fun because you get to do more of a favorite thing – eating! When your body gets the message that you are consistently feeding it energy, it will no longer store the calories as fat. Your blood sugar levels are also more stable, keeping insulin levels stable. When your blood sugar levels are rising and falling, the low levels cause hunger cravings.

In addition, frequent meals allow your body to absorb nutrients more easily than when you eat large meals. Your cholesterol levels are positively affected as well.

“Studies have shown that those who split their total calories into 6 small meals a day significantly reduced both their total and LDL cholesterol levels.”

Consuming a balance of important nutrients brings true satisfaction. You should aim for a balanced intake of proteins, complex (not simple) carbohydrates and healthy fats. A nice variety of foods that offer these nutrients will give you “nutrient fullness”. Along with fruits, eat all types of vegetables; leafy green, orange and yellow, cruciferous etc. Add to this, some protein packed legumes and beans, nutrient rich nuts and seeds and delicious whole grains.

Supplements with these nutrients are great to add as well. Micro algae such as spirulina and chlorella are great protein sources and full of vitamins and minerals. Flax seed oil is a source of essential fatty acids that harmonizes the body. Eating these on your food increase your chances for feeling full and satisfied.

One thing you don’t want to do is to gorge yourself on carbohydrates in order to feel full. Many vegans tend to fall prey to this habit and it has adverse effects. Eating extra portions of rice, potatoes and pasta is known to cause insulin resistance, because the excessive starches turn into excessive sugars in your blood. Insulin resistance actually causes more hunger.

“Of special concern is how insulin resistance disrupts fat metabolism. When the cells won’t absorb the extra glucose, the liver has to convert it into fat. Fat cells are loaded with glucose receptors, so this is a vicious cycle. Ironically, while the insulin-resistant (sufferer) is gaining weight, their cells are actually “starved” for glucose, so they feel exhausted and tend to eat carbohydrate-heavy foods in search of energy.”- A natural approach to insulin resistance

Eating processed and refined foods causes insulin resistance as well, including some processed health foods.

The vegan diet can provide more than ample energy for your life’s affairs. You don’t have to suffer hunger or any lack of energy. There are even vegan athletes that have enjoyed a vegan diet and continued to find success. They employed variety and taste enhancement to be successful.

Like baseball player Pat Neshek:

“ By substituting items such as brown rice and beans, tofu spiced to taste like different meat dishes, and flaxseed oil and various legumes, he found that his body held up even better than expected. Though Neshek admits he’s hardly a demon in the weight room, he has put on seven pounds of lean muscle since switching to his now-vegan diet and a refined workout program last off season. ”

And marathon runner, Scott Jurek:

“As a strict vegan, he goes through his grueling training regimen on a diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. This seems completely impossible when you consider Jurek’s typical calorie intake during peak training periods: 6,000 to 8,000 calories a day. Despite all that calorie loading, he packs just 165 pounds on his super lean, 6-foot-2 frame.

‘For breakfast it’s a dense, caloric smoothie,’ Jurek explained. ‘Then you’ve got lots of fruits and almonds. People assume it’s all carbs. But there’s also fat — avocados, rich monosaturated fats, almonds, olive oil.’

He’s just getting warmed up.

“For protein you’ve got beans, lentils, combining whole grains. Tofu and tempeh. Then for carbs: whole grains, breads, cereals, fruits and veggies, whole foods, unprocessed foods. There are three main meals, then lots of smaller snack foods and mini-meals throughout the day.”

So whether you are leading a normal active life or a more demanding active life, you can have success and fullness as a vegan.

Be sure to include plenty of tasty snacks so you don’t feel like you are missing out on anything. There are all kinds of treats vegans can enjoy; from dried fruit with nuts and seeds, to creamy smoothies and refreshing juices, to sweets made with healthy alternative sweets and oils.

Your own thoughts and perspective about your vegan diet are important too. If you view this lifestyle choice as restrictive, you will block the creative juices needed to make it a success. A certain level of faith and positivity is required to meet with success and satisfaction. Allow yourself time to develop healthy choices and habits. If you believe you can only be satisfied with the taste and bulk of meat, then you will be hard pressed to ever experience satiety with your vegan diet.

Believe in your decision and commitment to improve your health with a nutrient-rich vegan diet. Make the best effort to eat wisely, assuring nutrient fullness and balanced sugar levels, and you will enjoy and benefit immensely.

Veganism allows us to experience improved health, void of the ill-effects of eating meat and meat by-products. Since we have made such an important commitment to improve our health and wellbeing, we must be vigilant to align ourselves with practices that will safeguard our health from serious illnesses that befall vegans and non vegans alike. One such practice is to eliminate refined foods from our diet; inclusive of refined sugars, grains and oils.

Refined Sugars are Dangerous

Because refined sugars have no nutrients, in the process of their digestion, they use up the minerals and vitamins in our bodies. One of the biggest problems this causes is calcium and magnesium deficiencies and their resultant bone problems. Also, the unnatural passage of refined sugars into our bloodstream is too quick, which throws off our insulin production and blood sugar levels. Hypoglycemia and or diabetics can be the result. Refined sugars also suppress our immune systems, increase our cholesterol, and upset our digestive systems due to the acidic environment they proliferate.

“Because refined sugar is devoid of minerals, vitamins, fiber and has such a deteriorating effect on the endocrine system, major researchers and major health organizations (American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association) agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the three major causes of degenerative diseases.”Healing Daily

The fact that we are vegans is not going to change this reality.

We can, however, enhance our veganism and better secure our health by addressing our sugar cravings and our consumption of sweets. The blood sugar imbalance caused by refined sugars, is part of what causes our sugar cravings. Consuming unrefined sugars and more healthy alternative sweeteners will help in this regard. Inadequate protein in our diet also causes a desire for more sugary foods, because protein metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism directly regulate one another. So, likewise, eating too much refined sugar will cause a desire for more concentrated protein; such as meat. It is a vicious cycle. Complex carbohydrates such as fresh vegetables, whole grains and legumes are foods that provide balanced amounts of carbohydrate and protein nutrients.
(- Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford)

So many convenience items we purchase, such as mayonnaise, ketchup, salad dressing, cereals, fruit drinks, soft drinks and more, can have added sugar in them. It is important to avoid these additions by purchasing items without the added sugar (or harmful artificial sweeteners) or even by producing our own fresh versions of them. Some less harmful sweeteners are barley malt, brown rice syrup and maple syrup. The most nutritious sweeteners are Stevia and Xylitol.

“Even though Xylitol is derived from fruits and vegetables, it is not the same as fructose. Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar, which means that it is anti-microbial (prevents the growth of bacteria), whereas all the other forms of sugar (sucrose and fructose) are six-carbon sugars, which cause bacterial and fungi overgrowth.” Natural News

Stevia is a plant; a whole food. “…stevia actually suppresses dental bacteria growth rather than feeding it as sugars do. Other studies have shown a beneficial relationship between stevia and the regulation of blood sugar levels…Japanese and Latin American scientists have discovered other attributes of stevia including tonic, diuretic properties; stevia also treats mental and physical fatigue, harmonizes digestion, regulates blood pressure, and assists weight loss.” (Healing With Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford)

Stevia powder can sometimes have an herbal after taste, which can be remedied by using it along with xylitol.

Dangers of Refined Grains

The ill-effects of consuming refined grains are closely related to those of refined sugars. Refined grains have been stripped of the parts that provide their nutrients; namely their germ and bran. What is left is pure starch, which converts to simple sugar and enters the bloodstream like refined sugar and causes the same ill effects. The nutrition-less starch does not move through the intestines very easily either. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates with natural sweetness and they provide great nutrition; protein, B vitamins, Vitamin C, bioflavanoids, essential minerals and fiber. It is the fiber of foods; the grain’s bran, the fruit’s peeling and the fruit juice’s pulp, that slow down the sugar release into the bloodstream.

Beware of Refined Oils

Refined oils, such as commercial soybean, safflower and corn oils are so devastating to our health. They are over processed with heat and chemicals that remove their natural nutrients and cause oxidation, which makes them become rancid and full of free radicals. By becoming vegans, we want to distance ourselves from cancer and other degenerative diseases caused by free radicals. The refining process of oils also uses cancer causing materials such as the metal nickel, and petroleum-based solvents. The result of continued refined oil consumption is rampant inflammations throughout the body, cancer and heart disease. Heat processes from 320 degrees Fahrenheit and above, transform beneficial fatty acids in oils, into synthetic trans-fats that raise cholesterol levels in the arteries.

Replacing these oils with cold-pressed unrefined oils adds years onto our lives. They are excellent sources of essential fatty acids. (Oils from Olive, Sesame, Sunflower, Safflower, Almond, Avocado, Flax, Chia seed, Pumpkin seed) Fatty acids, (Omega 3 and Omega 6) influence so many aspects of the body’s functions. We need them for healthy skin and hair, for a strong immune system; specifically the thyroid and adrenal functions, for healthy blood, nerves and arteries and to break down cholesterol in the body. Including high quality fatty acids into our diets is one of the best things we can do to boost our health. For those who are suffering from the ill effects of too much saturated fat in the diet, and the resultant high levels of cholesterol, Omega 3 fatty acids actually work to eliminate these fats and cholesterol from your body.

Replacing refined sugars, grains and oils with more nutritious, unrefined versions, truly enhances our vegan quest for improved health and longevity. They not only increase our nutrient intake, but they also help to correct the damage done during our meat-eating years. Let us be encouraged to begin now to implement these healthy practices into our happy, vegan existence.