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The vegan diet is becoming more popular and many people have different reasons for wanting to eat a plant-based diet such as animal rights, health or the environment. Myself started a vegan diet for health reasons, that was 8 years ago and I’ve never looked back, so today I will show you a good way to start a vegan diet.
I would recommend that you slowly transition to vegan diet during a longer period of time to give yourself the best chance to learn more about veganism and not quit because you are overwhelmed.
Not only will you learn more about veganism and nutrition, but you can choose to eat non-vegan foods that you might crave and it would not feel as bad as if you started a mission to eat a 100% vegan diet right away.
The reason I say this is because not everyone is suitable or capable to eat a 100% vegan diet, but we can all play our part to stop animal-cruelty and save the environment by adding more plant-based meals into our diet.
Okay, let’s get into more details how you can start your vegan journey.
How To Start A Vegan Diet That Suits Your Current Lifestyle
Like I mentioned earlier, I really recommend that you transition to a vegan diet over time, but if you want to switch to a vegan diet over night then I would recommend that you try our 28 Day Vegan Diet Plan. It’s packed with delicious recipes and weekly shopping lists to help you jump start your new vegan journey.
But, for most people I really believe that the slower transition is the best option.
1. Make A Plan And Set Some Rules
Okay, let me explain this first step in more in depth.
Whether you want to try a vegan diet by yourself or with someone, make a plan on how you can transition into a vegan diet that suits your current lifestyle. What I mean by this is that we are all in different stages in our lives and by making a plan, you will give yourself the best chance to succeed with your vegan diet.
Below I will give you an example of some of the rules that me and my wife came up with before we started our vegan diet.
- Monday-Friday we will only eat vegan-friendly meals at home.
- If someone invites us for dinner or we want to eat out, it’s okay to eat meat.
- If we get cravings for meat, we will eat meat.
- Learn more about nutrition and the vegan diet.
These four things was essentially what we started with and it’s got us through some hard times during our transition and today we are very happy eating a vegan diet.
2. Vitamin B12 Supplement
Although you are slowly transitioning to a vegan diet, it’s very important to not forget about vitamin B12. This is absorbed by animals, when they eat plants and when we eat meat, our bodies will absorb the B12 from the meat.
I would recommend that you start taking vitamin B12 supplement right away when you start your new vegan diet and there are many great brands to choose from such as Garden of Life B12 and Doctor’s Best Fully Active B12.
3. Cook Food You Know And Like
This is probably the best advice I can give anyone that wants to start a vegan diet. Cook meals that you are familiar with and switch out the non-vegan ingredient to vegan-friendly options. This is what saved our transition to a vegan diet.
Many people rush into eating only beans, lenses and whole foods. Don’t get me wrong it’s very healthy and there are delicious meals you can cook, but this way might not suit everyone.
Here are some non-vegan ingredients that you can switch out in your recipes:
| Non-Vegan Ingredients | Vegan Options |
| Fish, Meat and Chicken. | Processed Foods made from soy, oats or mushrooms. |
| Cheese (Dairy) | Vegan cheese made from coconut oil or other vegetable oils. |
| Cooking Cream (Dairy) | Cooking cream made from oats, soy or use creamy coconut milk. |
| Butter (Dairy) | Mostly called vegan spread and is made from vegetable oil. |
| Eggs | Himalayan black salt, Chickpeas and Aquafaba. Read more here. |
| Cooking Oil/Spray (Dairy) | There are many brands that offer cooking oils and sprays without dairy such as PAM, Chosen Foods and Happy Belly. |
Take your time, learn new recipes and slowly add whole food recipes into your vegan diet. It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you rush things and one important reminder is that this is a transition, in which you decide the time frame.
4. Keep Yourself Motivated And Learn More About The Vegan Diet
Always strife to learn more about eating a plant-based diet because as time goes on it’s important to eat a balanced diet to get vital mineral and nutrients to stay healthy. Something that many vegans tends to forget and some foods rich in iron are lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, cashew nuts, chia seeds, ground linseed, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and kale.
Another good tip is to watch documentaries or follow vegan cooking influences to learn more and keep yourself motivated to why you are eating a vegan diet in the first place.
Remember if you are having a hard time trying to plan your food and find recipes, be sure to check out our 28 Day Vegan Diet Plan. It contains weekly shopping lists and recipes to help you eat a vegan diet for a whole month.
Conclusion
Switching to a vegan diet is one of the best things I’ve done in life and I would never revert back to eating meat. I still workout and play volleyball with more energy than ever. However just as I mentioned in the article, start slow, learn and transition into a vegan diet.
I’m not a dietician or nutritionist. If you need help with health related issues always consult a professional. If you have questions about the diet plan please don’t hesitate to contact me here.
Thanks for reading, take care!
