Transitioning to vegan is something you’ve probably thought about, but weren’t sure where to start. Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle or diet can be really daunting. It’s a HUGE lifestyle switch and change is terrifying! To make it as simple as possible, we can make a step-by-step progression and swap one thing out at a time. Doing this can make it feel more natural and easier to slip into.
LEARN as much as possible!
I can’t stress this enough. Familiarize yourself with veganism.
- Find your own personal reasons for being vegan. There are loads of them and it may be personal to you.
- Learn how to fuel yourself!
- Learn how to tackle ingredient lists. There are a lot of odd ingredients in foods that really don’t need to be there (anchovies, milk,ect)
- Being 2019, most major grocery stores, including Walmart and Target, have a good plant-based section. Special mention to Whole foods, Trader Joes, and Giant (on the east coast). They have a really good section to make good choices.
- Educate. If you want to watch the documentaries (GOOD documentaries – not ones that cherry pick info), read info, buy books, talk to vegans, or visit animal sanctuaries. It’s a huge culture and lots of friendly people are willing to help.
ADD before you minus
- Incorporate more veggies, beans, tofu, and mock meats into your diet.
- Find some recipes you like and substitute some ingredients for vegan ones such as milk for coconut milk, tahini, vegan butters, ect. Make a back log of recipes
- Switch out milk for a non-dairy alternative such as coconut or soy. This is probably the easiest to do.
Find and remember your motivation to change
Lots of people tend to treat veganism as a trend or the next cool thing to do. It has taken off hugely in 2019. First, find what your reason for going vegan is. Is it the animals? Health? Enviromental? Having that internal attachment to your cause will make it harder to stray. Sure, slip ups will happen, but once you fully get in, it’s easy to stay. Open your eyes, find your value, and commit!
Keep a positive attitude
Going vegan opens a window of cooking opportunities. If you don’t cook, there are way more options available to help. In the current day, there are apps and websites that help you find vegan friendly restaurants. International food is hugely vegan if you cut off the meat.
It’s new. Get excited!
Start Transition!
This is at your own pace. It has to work for you or it will fail. Here are some tips to transition to veganism:
1) Go VEGETARIAN then VEGAN:
- Go vegetarian and then move onto vegan slowly by cutting out items one by one.
Making the transition
- Remove all meat from your diet, this also means fish and chicken. Be wary of increasing other items in lieu of this, such as eggs. Focus on including more plant-based protein sources instead.
- Pay attention to ingredient lists. Avoid products containing gelatin, rennet, and other animal products.
- Incorporate more whole grains, beans, legumes, tofu, and nuts.
- Once you feel comfortable to move forward, you can start phasing out dairy and eggs.
2) Slow transition from omnivore to vegan:
- Slowly cut out animal products, starting with the easiest to hardest (typically cheese).
- Slowly cut your consumption of animal products while simultaneously increasing the number of plant-based foods in your diet. Continue until you’ve eliminated all animal products from your diet.
Making the transition:
- Remove any animal products that will be the easiest.
- Incorporate more whole grains, beans, legumes, tofu, and nuts.
- Cut down on all animal products or remove one food/food group at a time.
- Remove barrier foods after you feel comfortable when all of the other changes in your diet seem ingrained.
- Pay attention to ingredient lists.
3) Go full-on vegan:
- Cut out all animal derived ingredients and incorporate lots of whole grains, beans, legumes, tofu, nuts, and seeds for a healthy vegan diet.
- Swap out all of your favorite non-vegan items for vegan alternatives. Many people find that relying on vegan burgers, hot dogs, deli slices, cheeses, etc. can really help ease the transition when cutting out animal products all at once.
Making the transition:
Dive right in or take your time. This is your journey. No one elses. Here are some additional resources to aid you:
- Nutrition post
- Product label post
- Vegan FAQ
Relying on vegan alternatives and prepacked foods are very helpful in easing the transition to veganism. They’re often higher in protein, fortified, quick and easy, delicious, and taste pretty close to the original. It’s a matter of choice how deep or far you want to go, but some veggie burgers, veggie dogs, vegan deli slices, etc. are highly processed. There is nothing wrong with eating the products in moderation, but they shouldn’t be used as your main source of vitamins, minerals, and protein for the long-term.
Veganism is more than a diet. It is lifestyle of compassion. Transitioning to a vegan diet as that tends to be the most difficult part of becoming vegan. It’s also important to learn about vegan alternatives for other products, such as personal care items, clothing, shoes, and other household items.
