VEGANUARY SURVIVAL GUIDE: It's all in the proteins

The decade may be over, but we can't say goodbye to the 2010s without inducting one more shithead into the Sick Phoque Club. December 2019's induction is plant-based diets. They're not what they're cracked up to be.

Dietitian Susie Burrell has revealed what you need to know before you go vegan - and why you shouldn't automatically assume a food is healthy just because it's plant-based. The Sydney-based expert said she has seen many people affected by the new Netflix documentary, The Game Changers, in recent weeks, but the truth isn't so simple. 'It is very, very important to know that plant-based varieties of specific foods are not the same thing as the non-plant alternatives and this has significant implications for our nutrition and ultimately our health long term,' Susie wrote on her blog. So if you're contemplating going vegan, what should you know in advance?

The most important thing to get to grips with before becoming plant-based is that animal-based protein (protein that comes from eggs, meat, fish, chicken and dairy food) contains 'high biological value protein'. This means it's very similar in structure to proteins in the human body and is easily processed and assimilated. Not only do animal-based proteins contain protein, but they also include other nutrients that are essential for health - including calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, choline and Vitamin B12. Susie said it is quite difficult to get these in a 100 per cent plant-based diet, unless you are ready for some 'careful food selection, the addition of fortified foods such as nut-based milks and even supplementation'.

The second thing is just because something is vegan, it doesn't mean it's healthy. Susie highlighted the 'growing range' of plant forms of shellfish, salmon, and chicken that are now readily available in the supermarkets. Made from a range of vegetable proteins, powders, flavour enhancers, and colours, the plant versions of prawns and smoked salmon among others is a cause for concern. Likening a plant-based food, made from a vegetable or protein powder, does not create a food anything like the original, nor does it mimic the nutritional profile of these foods in any way.

That said, you can do veganism healthily, but this never starts with just swapping out regular foods for their vegan alternatives. Instead, you need to think about where you're going to get your protein from - and make sure you're getting protein in every single meal and snack. And thats why I'll just stick to meat, thank you very much.