Veganism is becoming popular and a large number of people are turning vegan. Do you wish to try it?
Wondering how to go vegan the right way but not sure about the right way to do it?
Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle may seem quite intimidating as you may constantly worry that your food options have become limited.
While transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, it is very important to first focus on making just one change at a time that will make your journey smooth and easy. Also, you should decide your pace and the method of transition that works best for you. Here’re some ideas on how to become a vegan for beginners.
1) Go Slow and Plan your transition – Most people make the mistake of thinking that they have to give up eating foods on the avoid list all at once. This is not true!
Rather one should take enough time to make the transition. While some people can make the shift overnight, others may take longer to change. But it’s definitely better to start reducing the consumption of animal products.
If you are a non-vegetarian, taking small steps at a time like going meat-free one day a week or one meal per day can be a great achievement. Then you can gradually progress to eating more vegan meals when comfortable.
Remember to be kind and not be forceful with yourselves else you may give up this journey pretty soon. Good things take time. Stay patient and positive. Everything will fall into place, may not be today but will happen eventually.
Take small steps at a time. Learn to go vegan for a month and if you are comfortable, then extend it for a longer duration.
2) Don’t think about foods you need to avoid – When people go vegan, they often think about foods they need to stop eating like dairy and cheese. This thought can be demotivating and this has happened to me.
Rather you should focus on finding alternatives and stock your pantry with vegan substitutes so that you don’t miss your favorite foods.
Today you can easily find dairy alternatives like almond milk, soya milk, coconut milk, and many others. Similarly, you can also use vegan cheese instead of regular cheese. Rather than worrying about the foods you will miss, you should invest your time in learning how to make your food vegan using these substitutes and start enjoying the new taste of food.
3)Embrace new foods and learn to adapt to their new taste – There are plenty of options available in the market for vegans like nut butter, tofu, dairy alternatives for milk, vegan cheese, vegan yogurts, and many others.
Use this opportunity to try them out and learn to dish out new cuisines from them. Do remember to focus on eating only whole foods that are rich in nutrients and minimize or avoid processed vegan foods as they are rich in fats and are unhealthy.
4) Avoid eating junk food – We often get tempted to eat junk food as it is easily available all the time.
But while transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, it’s very important to eat a balanced diet and avoid junk food so that your body gets all the necessary nutrients. It is okay to indulge in treats and junk food made at home as we take care to prepare it in a healthy manner.
If you are looking out for whole food plant-based recipes, you will find many on my blog.
5) Plan and Be organized – It’s easy for some people, to make a lifestyle change while for others it may seem to be a difficult task. It will not be difficult if you plan and organize things in advance.
Hence it’s important that you plan your meals and shop for the necessary ingredients in advance as it enables you to stick to your plan else you may fall off the wagon easily.
6) Learn to make new recipes – While going vegan it’s very important to learn the basic recipes first like how to substitute your dairy products with vegan substitutes.
For eg replacing curd with peanut curd, cashew curd, milk with coconut milk, almond milk, and many more. I have posted some recipes on this blog. Once you are comfortable with these, you can try complex recipes.
7) Supplement yourself for Vit D3 and Vit B12 – Vitamin D3 and B12 are very essential for our body.
Most people suffer from low Vitamin D3 and Vitamin B12. Sun is the source of Vitamin D3 and Vitamin B12 is found mostly in animal products. Since we stay indoors most of the time, we don’t get adequate exposure to sunlight thus resulting in D3 deficiency. And since vegans don’t eat animal products they are low in Vitamin B12 too. Do remember to supplement yourself with Vitamin D3 and B12 regularly if you are deficient.
8)Travel – Many people find it difficult to stick to veganism when they travel. You don’t have to be as there are many vegan restaurants offering a wide variety of food to choose from.
9) Look for support – Some people find it very hard and challenging to stay motivated while turning vegan. There are many organizations and groups available to support people who want to turn vegan. They will guide you with all your queries and will assist you with all your difficulties.
There are lots of books, magazines available which can help you with vegan recipes, nutrition information, vegan products, and many other things. Try to participate in local meetups and events so that you find more like-minded people who will inspire you to continue your journey.
10) Be Strong and don’t get disheartened if things don’t happen as expected – The thought of going vegan itself is truly amazing!! Sometimes, you may feel overwhelmed and you might go off track for a while. If this happens, then you may do some of the below-mentioned things to inspire you to continue your journey.
a) Talk to your support group or your friend about how they are progressing on their journey. You may get a few tips that might help you.
b) Think about the reasons why you started this journey.
c)Cook something new as it might help in destressing yourself.
Do check out other blogs which will be useful in your journey.
Finally, going vegan is a big change you have opted for. It’s fine if you can’t do things correctly at the start. It’s good to start and enjoy the process and soon you will realize that you are vegan for some days now.
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