Veganism is a trend that has seen greater and greater acceptance in the dieting and lifestyle community. If you’re interested in switching up your diet or simply seeing what the whole vegan thing is about, this blog post has you covered with seven tips to help you embrace the vegan lifestyle. Whether you decide to go vegan permanently or try it for a season, you’ll find many useful beginner tips for going vegan:
1. Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once
As with any new diet or lifestyle change, you’re probably super excited to take the step toward total veganism. With that enthusiasm comes to the desire to immediately kick any non-vegan foods from your diet and plunge right in. But if you do that, you’ll probably end up right back where you started because groundwork needs to be laid first.
By swapping out a couple meals each week for a vegan alternative, you’ll start to train your brain to accept this new change. And it will make going full vegan so much easier in the next few weeks or months.
2. Make sure you have a support group
One of the best tips for going vegan is by making sure you hang out with the right company. Not everyone understands the appeal of veganism so you’re probably going to run against some questions and even criticism as you go deeper into the vegan lifestyle. It can be easy to get discouraged, especially when it’s your friends or family who question your choices.
That’s why it’s vital to find a support base of fellow vegan enthusiasts who will help you on this journey. There are plenty of vegan groups on social media sites like Facebook that will welcome you and help you transition as a new vegan.
3. Invest in some new footwear
You may (or may not) be surprised to learn that veganism isn’t just about what you eat – it truly is a whole lifestyle that permeates every area of your life. And one of those areas is the shoes you wear. Leather shoes, while often quite beautiful, are definitely non-vegan. When you opt for vegan shoes, made of firm microfibers that are incredibly wear-resistant, you’ll be taking another step in your vegan journey (no pun intended). And there are some pretty cute vegan shoes out there!
4. Include everyone in your new lifestyle
If you have a family, don’t just make vegan food for yourself – instead, share the goodness with your loved ones by cooking delicious vegan meals for all of them. And if you live by yourself, whip up some vegan appetizers or a dessert for the next party you’re invited to. Remember, talking about your new vegan kick probably won’t bring people over to your side, but serving a great vegan meal just might. Or at the very least, it’ll convince the people closest to you that veganism isn’t some crazy, weird fad.
5. Learn where your local grocery store keeps their vegan products
While you could conceivably make do with ‘normal’ ingredients for vegan meals, your life will be a whole lot easier if you check out your grocery store’s vegan offerings. Sure, it might be a bit more expensive, but you’re worth it. Tofu is one of the more popular vegan foods (just substitute it for whatever meat is called for in a given recipe) but you’d be surprised at the other vegan foods available at a regular grocery store. Cheese, butter, egg substitutes…all the things you used to enjoy, now vegan!
6. Don’t be afraid to branch out
Picture this: you’re a couple months into going full vegan and you’re about to scream if you see another square of tofu or some celery. Why? It’s probably because you aren’t getting enough variety. Diverse food choices are essential in any diet and because veganism is such a disciplined lifestyle, it’s even more important. You can quickly get sick of the same vegan dishes over and over again. You might even be tempted to give up. But don’t! All you need is a few web searches and a couple trips to the grocery store and you’ll be able to make more varied dishes.
On a side note, one of the great thing about going vegan and having to branch out in order to make each meal unique is that you’ll end up discovering new, ethnic dishes. You’re on an adventure, so make the most of it!
7. Don’t panic (or quit) when your body detoxs
Most people who decide to go vegan experience headaches and sudden changes in energy. If this has you discouraged because you’re wondering how such changes could possibly be healthy, stick with it! As you cut foods out of your diet and eat more vegetables, your body will start to detox and that will lead to these seemingly negative changes. But headaches and such, in this case, are actually a good sign because it shows that your body is healing. However, if your headaches persist and you become extremely lethargic (and stay that way), you should visit a doctor. Usually, though, these symptoms will pass in about a month as your body becomes accustomed to the vegan lifestyle.
