You probably have heard the term vegan before and maybe you’ve been even thinking about becoming one, but vegan lifestyle seems way too hard and pointless. Well, it’s not either. Let me guide you through the beginning of your vegan journey.
5 Basic Steps to Adopting a Vegan Lifestyle
1. Don’t buy leather, fur and wool products
Yes, I know that most people start with not eating animals, but that can be difficult sometimes. However, stop buying products that cause unnecessary death is an easy way how to start. Next time you go shopping buy “fake” leather instead of animal skin and you’ll be already saving lives. How cool is that?
2. Cut off meat
The second step, and for majority of people also one of the most difficult steps, is to cut off meat. Vegans are facing people who say “I can’t imagine my life without meat,” or “I couldn’t ve vegetarian/vegan” on a daily basis, and there’s a reason for it. Most of us don’t have a vegan background and it takes a while to get along with the though of no-meat at all. And that’s okay, it’s a habit, something that you’ve been living with for a long time and yes changing your eating habits is never easy, but it’s not impossible. Cut off the “extra” meat first, like ham in your sandwich, or chicken breast in your salad. Then, when you’re ready to take it to another level, start with meatless days. You’ll se that in a while you’ll be eating meat once a week, then once every two weeks, then once a month… and then hopefully never again.
3. Educate yourself in nutrition
Read articles about how to get enough protein as a vegan, what vitamins you should be watching carefuly, what are the daily dosesof those vitamins and how you can supplement those you might not have enough. For starters, as a vegan you will always have to supplement vitamin B12, but it’s also good to consider supplementation of iron, calcium etc., or even those you might not have enough, just to be sure. If you’re scared of not having enough of protein you can try vegan protein powder (made from peas usually) for start. And if you’re not sure how to built balanced meal plan as a vegan you can always ask people who are trained in this area, like certified dietitians. You can find a lot of vegans dietitians on the internet who will give you advices for free – I, myself, am one of them, however if you’ll want a full meal plan you’d most likely have to pay.
4. Add more vegan dishes to your meal plan
Every now and then add fully vegan dish to your mealplan. Smoothie or oatmeal for breakfast, excluding the egg when making crepes (cause there’s no need of any), vegan spread or hummus on your sandwich, etc. You will soon realize you’re already half-way there.
5. Cut off dairy products and eggs
Now when you’re an educated vegetarian and you already tried some vegan recipes it’s time to become a fully vegan. Cut off dairy products, luckily you can find a lot of plant-based alternatives nowadays to almost anything (milk, yogurts, cheeses, creams etc.) and also cut off eggs. There has been a lot of info written about how to replace an egg in your recipes. Just Google it, and you’ll find everything you need to know
Now, congratulations! You became a vegan. How exciting is that, right? Well don’t be too thrilled, now you have to read even more articles about beauty products, animal testing, dog breeding, orcas etc… and most importantly you now have to face all the omnivores who will irritate you with their “I couldn’t do that” even though you’ll know they definitely could. On the bright side you’re now part of vegan community which means you always have a shoulder to cry on, place to ask for advice and share your happiness. Good luck!