A common misconception about the vegan community is that vegans do not get enough
protein. While living a plant-based lifestyle can present challenges to obtaining certain nutrients, vegans thrive once they understand which foods contain the necessary nutrients and which supplements support your diet.
Protein is essential for those living an athletic lifestyle and looking to add muscle tone or muscle mass. But as they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Sharie Michalec’s vegan journey proves it!
Plenty of Protein
Sharie is a San Diego native currently living in the Bay Area and has been vegan since 2019.
She is visual proof that a person can successfully maintain a high protein intake by living a vegan lifestyle. Because Sharie is a serious weight lifter, making sure that she gets proper protein intake has been a crucial part of both her vegan and weightlifting journeys.
She says that it was intimidating to embrace a plant-based lifestyle. However, like anything, trial and error helped her find a balanced meal plan to help her continue reaching her fitness goals. She says that the transition was actually quite easy for her because of how many alternatives there are available to the vegan community. Some of her favorite high protein meals to prepare include, oatmeal with vanilla pea protein and peanut butter (35g protein), modern table macaroni and cheese made with lentil pasta and beefless ground broccoli (39g protein), and vegan pizza made with vegan cheese, tofurkey chicken tossed in pesto and yellow onions (26g protein).
Sharie’s weightlifting training pushes her to make sure that she’s getting plenty of protein, and she currently consumes 130g of protein every day. While not everyone needs that much protein, she proves that obtaining even a normal level of protein on a vegan diet is definitely not as hard as others make it out to be.
Words of Wisdom
For others out there who are interested in adopting a vegan lifestyle, Sharie suggests having fun with it instead of being hard on yourself when you make a mistake or have a bad day. She says, “Remember that veganism isn’t a diet, so don’t feel bad about getting some vegan ice cream every now and then.” In fact, Sharie encourages these two mindsets: “enjoy finding what works for you, and don’t complicate things.”
For people looking to change the way they live, Sharie says that it’s important not to worry about what other people might say or think about your decision. “Someone will always be a jerk, and that’s okay!”
As long as you know what you stand for and the reason behind it makes sense to you, that’s all that matters. She suggests doing as much research about the benefits as you can!
Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys. We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.
Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us? Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.
