If someone tells you that going vegan is easy, in my opinion, they’re either lying or they have a crazy amount of self-control. It’s a pretty big change and for most people it’s more than likely going to be difficult. Here are a few tips to try and make it that little bit easier.
1. Have a Reason
Don’t go vegan just because you think it’s the new trend, because your favorite celebrity is a vegan, or because you want to lose weight. Like I said before, going vegan can be difficult and it’s going to be even harder to stick to your new lifestyle if you don’t have a good reason. Lots of people choose to be vegan for ethical or health reasons. Do your research and decide if, and why, you really want to go vegan.
2. Don’t Beat Yourself Up if You Make a Mistake
It doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’ and you’re probably not going to become a perfect vegan overnight, we all make mistakes. Whether it’s because you forgot to read the ingredients on a product or you really couldn’t resist a slice of cheese pizza, it’s okay. But try your best not to adopt the attitude of ‘I already had cheese today, so I can have this chocolate bar and I’ll start again tomorrow’. The longer you leave it to try again, the harder it becomes.
3. Try ‘Veganising’ Your Favorite Foods
There are SO many meat substitutes easily available today, you can make almost any of your favorite dishes vegan. Try making a spaghetti bolognese with soya mince or lentils instead of beef. There’s vegan replacements for all your favorite foods from ice cream to burgers. Although you may not love them at first, more often than not you’ll get used to them, and even end up preferring them to the meat/dairy version.
4. You Can Still Have ‘Junk’ Food.
You might not necessarily need to find a vegan alternative to your go-to snack. People often associate being vegan with a diet of hummus and leaves. As great as hummus is, we all need a treat sometimes. Lots of foods are surprisingly accidentally vegan. Oreos? Vegan. Unfrosted Pop-Tarts? Vegan. Sweet Chili Doritos? Vegan. Twizzlers? Vegan. Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup? Yeah, that’s vegan too, perfect to go on top of your dairy free Ben and Jerry’s. (Remember to check ingredients before buying, recipes can change over time)