Going vegan can be intimidating, especially when your diet has included animal products and by-products for your entire life. You want to try out the lifestyle, but you’re not sure how to get started.
The best thing that you can do is go slow. You don’t have to cut out meat, dairy and eggs right away. You can make small, simple changes until you get comfortable transitioning into a completely vegan lifestyle. Here are some tips that will help you get started:
Treat Yourself!
One way to make transitioning into veganism easier is to find yourself some amazing vegan treats to substitute your favourite non-vegan ones. That way, you won’t miss those favourites and feel tempted to drop the lifestyle.
Maybe you love to eat gummy candies. The problem with most gummies is that they contain gelatin, an animal product. You can swap out those gelatin gummies for vegan gummies from Better Bears so that you can keep eating your favourite sweet treat. These are naturally sweetened plant-based candies that come in delicious flavour packs, like mixed berry and tropical citrus. You’ll find that they taste just as good, if not better than those other gummies.
Maybe you go to your neighbourhood café for an expensive espresso drink every time you need a pick-me-up. Start asking the barista to swap out the cow’s milk in your drink orders for vegan-friendly alternatives. Your lattes will taste just as creamy with oat milk, and your mochas will be just as decadent with soy milk.
Try Meatless Mondays! A small change that you can make is to try a Meatless Monday — on that day of the week, you only eat meals without meat. Challenge yourself to use alternative proteins in your recipes. Replace your sandwich’s sliced ham with grilled mushrooms. Substitute the chicken in your stir fry with firm tofu. Have a Beyond Meat burger instead of your usual beef burger.
As time goes on, you can increase the days when you go meatless. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself skipping meat every day of the week.
Get Inspired!
Lots of people are worried that going vegan will take the fun and flavour out of their diet. That’s anything but true! Going vegan doesn’t mean eating sad salads and plain grain bowls. There are countless vegan meals that are exciting, wholesome and delicious. You just have to learn where to look for inspiration. Start by checking out the top vegan cookbooks on the market and get one that grabs your interest. Read through it and pick some recipes that you can whip up in your kitchen. Follow vegan foodies on social media to see what mouth-watering meals they’re making. You’ll quickly develop a long list of incredible recipes to try out.
Research Restaurants!
One of the hardest parts of adopting a vegan lifestyle is going out to eat. You might walk into a restaurant, take a look at the menu and realize that you can’t order anything on it. You don’t want to spend your night wondering whether you should go against the boundaries of your new lifestyle or go hungry at the table.
So, take the initiative to look up vegan-friendly restaurants, bakeries and cafes in your area. Whenever you have a hankering to eat out or order in, you’ll know exactly what places will cater to you.
Going vegan doesn’t have to feel like a terrible struggle. Follow these tips to make the transition into the lifestyle easy and guilt-free.
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