" Will becoming vegan make me lose weight?"

Yes

And no

If you do it properly, your fruit & veg consumption goes up, meaning they are fuller so eat less. And of course, the mineral and vitamin benefits of such a diet means they look and feel great which can often motivate you to keep eating healthily. Dairy product and certain meats are also high in calories, so if you cut these out, this means you can automatically fall into a calorie deficit

However, vegan carbohydrate consumption is often far too high- I never demonise carbs, but some are very easy to overconsume, and can also make cravings for junk foods worse.

They can also struggle to hit their protein needs. Protein is essential for fat loss– I do go through this in several posts on my Instagram page so do have a look!

Vegans also need to watch out for some major vitamin and mineral deficiencies- If you want to switch to being vegan, it is a massive lifestyle change and you MUST get EDUCATED and get HELP.

That said, for the reasons above, there’s absolutely no harm in including a few decent vegan recipes in your diet, and I have started using a few, which I wanted to share with you

Asian Tofu Stir Fry

(serves 3)

Ingredients

225g Pack Tofoo Co. Tofu ( I used smoked)

3 tsp soy sauce

2 x 2cm piece ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 lime

2 tsp sesame oil

100g vermicelli rice noodles

2 tsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp chilli flakes

200g sugar snap peas

150g Pak Choi

1 large red pepper, sliced

 Method

Mix together the juice of half a lime, 2 tsp Soy sauce, one of the pieces of ginger, 2 garlic cloves & 1tsp of sesame oil

Cut the tofu into cubes and add to this marinade. Mix well & leave for 30 mins

Meanwhile, cook the noodles following pack instructions, then drain & sit them in a bowl of cold water

In a wok, fry the tofu pieces until golden brown (about 5 mins). Once cooked add any remaining marinade and let it sizzle for 10 secs. Remove the tofu .

Heat the rapeseed and remaining sesame oils over a high heat. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger, and stir constantly for about 1 min.

Add the sugar snap peas, pak choi & pepper, stir for another 2 mins, then add the cooked noodles. Toss well, then add the remaining soy sauce and lime juice, and mix until combined

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