Despite what you may have read, vegan doesn’t always means healthy. A quick Google search for “vegan junk food” reveals that Oreos, certain Pop Tarts, Nutter Butters, Sour Patch Kids, certain flavors of Doritos, and Fritos all pass the animal-free test. (Oil and sugar? Vegan!)
So yes, it’s quite easy to indulge on vegan treats and skip out on whole, unprocessed foods. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 87 percent of Americans don’t meet recommendations for fruit consumption, and 91 percent don’t meet recommendations for vegetable consumption. And while a vegan diet, in theory, means you’re eating more fruits and vegetables than someone eating the standard American diet, it’s easy for produce intake to take a backseat in favor of delicious, highly processed vegan foods.
So in the spirit of springtime renewal and the impending summer training for fall races, here are a few ways to spring-clean your plant-based diet to help you run strong.
Go Green (Again)
If I’ve found myself straying too far from veggie-based meals, the first thing I do is try to include leafy greens at every meal. This usually takes the form of adding two giant handfuls of spinach to my morning smoothie or tofu scramble, having a gigantic salad for lunch, and roasting or sautéing kale to have with dinner. Even one day of intentionally including leafy greens at every meal is enough to shock my body out of whatever non-veggie eating funk I’m in.
RELATED: How to Make Scott Jurek’s Super Veggie Bowl
Health & Injuries
Added sugar (even natural added sugar like maple syrup) can be found in seemingly healthy foods, like whole-wheat bread, pasta sauce, and your plant-based yogurts. Eating too much added (processed and natural) sugar can lead to negative health effects and prevents you from filling up on nutritionally dense foods.
Find ways to ditch some of that extra sweetness. I eliminated coffee creamer and noticed the immediate impact on my energy levels throughout the day: Instead of needing a sugar fix via my 3 p.m. cup of java, I started reaching for fruit to power me through. Bonus points for keeping your teeth happy and healthy, too.
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My husband and I started a challenge at the beginning of the year after realizing we’d been relying too heavily on packaged snacks. It’s easy to make excited impulse buys when you see a new yummy vegan snack, but it’s better for you and your wallet to treat yourself to treats.
Now, we load up on fresh fruit, sliced veggies hummus, salsa, or peanut butter, homemade popcorn, and even homemade crackers. If we’re craving cookies, we make a batch instead of buying them.
High-Protein Snacks for Runners (many of which are great options for when you’re in a pinch!) are truly a staple in your diet, try cutting back at first. Every grocery trip, try to cut out one packaged item.
