How to go Vegan
So if you’re reading this then you’re either considering veganism, or you already know you want to go vegan but you just don’t know how to take it to step by step, believe me, I’ve been there. Some people quit cold turkey, and if you want to take that route more power to you, it’s very hard but I respect it. However, today we will be taking it slow. Before we get started, think about what you want to get out of this, for me it was many reasons but my main reason was my health. Growing up I always had stomach issues and I could never seem to hold in my lunch, I always ended up in the bathroom sick. Gross, I know. Not only that, but I had the worst skin ever, and I was always in a bad mood, it got to a point where my friend called me out and told me that I was being too negative. One night I was going through a rabbit hole of healthy food videos and I ended up on the channel of a woman known as fullyrawcristina. Not only was she a vegan, but she was a raw food vegan which meant she didn’t eat heated food. I thought it was crazy and I looked into it. After doing a ton of research the idea of going fully raw was very appealing to me, but that was very extreme considering I’m not even vegetarian. So I just looked at regular veganism and its benefits. Turns out there are a lot of benefits of going vegan, such as helping with weight loss, it lowers blood sugar, improving kidney function, and according to healthline.com, it can help prevent certain cancers. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a sweet deal to me. So I decided to go for it, my end goal is to go fully raw someday but I’m not close enough yet. Anyways, I’m sure you just want to get to the good stuff so here we go, how to go vegan.
START LITTLE BY LITTLE
Going vegan is very hard, you’re not just cutting out meat you’re cutting out animal-made products too. That means no cheese, no eggs, no pizza, no butter, and no ice cream! It’s very hard and completely different from being a vegetarian. Starting is going to be so stressful suddenly it feels like you can’t eat anything anymore! Well, I disagree, if you’re just starting it’s okay to have ice cream and pizza every once in a while. This vegan thing is super scary if you just cut out everything all at once. Maybe eat vegan for one day then eat normally the next, then slowly start eating more vegan than you would normally. Before you know it you’re fully vegan and you didn’t even notice it.
CUT OUT MEAT ONE AT A TIME
Cutting out meat all at once can be overwhelming, so just cut out one thing at a time. First, start by cutting out pork, then beef, then chicken, then seafood. Well, you can do it in whatever order works best for you. Just remember slow and steady wins the race.
CUT OUT ANIMAL-MADE PRODUCTS
I would say this is one of the hardest parts about going vegan, there are so many animal-made products in certain foods and we don’t even notice it. You have to constantly be looking at the ingredients list and unless you have the animal-made ingredients memorized, you’ll have to write down a whole list of ingredients that are no-nos. One common tip I hear about all the time is if you can’t pronounce the word on the ingredients list, you probably shouldn’t be eating it.
FIND REPLACEMENTS FOR MEATS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS
It’s hard to live without all the foods we were so used to indulging in, but have no fear! You can have a knock-off version of your favorite things! There’s always almond milk and egg replacement, and don’t even get me started on impossible beef. It feels so real. Although some of these replacements are very processed which makes them very unhealthy, it’s still an option. And like all unhealthy food, eat in moderation.
GO TO VEGAN RESTAURANTS
Going to normal restaurants that have vegan options is great, but I’ve had instances where I will accidentally get nonvegan stuff in my order. I’m not confrontational and I would feel bad making the chef remake my food because of a mistake. I’ll just get a to-go box and give it to my non-vegan family members. To avoid these situations I decided to go to vegan-only restaurants, so if there is a mistake in my food at least my food is still vegan. Also, there are a lot of vegan restaurants out there that are just so good that even nonvegans go there to have some food!
MAKE FUN VEGAN RECIPES
When I tell people I’m vegan, they always ask me “so you just eat salads every day? How do you not get bored?” And that’s a valid question. From an outside perspective, the whole concept of going vegan seems like torture, no meat? No fried chicken? How do you survive without a little bit of comfort food? Well, first things first there is some vegan comfort food. Like Oreos and French fries, but that’s not my point. My point is, that vegan food doesn’t have to be boring with just salads and smoothies (unless you’re a fully raw vegan that’s a different situation), there are lots of cool foods and recipes you could try out that are vegan and delicious! It takes time and effort but it is most definitely worth it!
IT’S OKAY TO HAVE CHEAT DAYS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE
The beginning of this life-changing diet is hard, and sometimes you just can’t handle it. You feel so sad and you miss having some fried chicken, you tell yourself that you won’t do it again, you'll just have it this one time and you go for it. A few weeks later you have the same problem, and you do it again. Most people would shame you and say “you were doing so good and now you ruined it” but I disagree. You didn’t ruin your progress because you ate some fried chicken, it’s a slow and steady process and nobody is perfect. It’s okay to have cheat days and eat nonvegan things but make it a goal to stop eating those things eventually. But in the beginning, it’s no big deal.
MAKE SURE YOU’RE TAKING ALL OF YOUR SUPPLEMENTS
When you go vegan you’re gonna have to take some supplements to survive. That includes vitamin b12, iron, vitamin d, and a long chain of omega 3’s, calcium, zinc, and iodine. Without these supplements, you will probably feel drained and dead inside because you don’t have these which are essential. Because you’re starting and taking it slow, every time you buy groceries buy one of these vitamins while you’re at it. If you want to do more research check out healthline.com they have great tips!
HAVE FUN!
Of course, this is the most important step, without this step this whole thing just feels pointless. Of course, it’s okay to have bad days, but for the most part, have fun and enjoy!
GOING VEGAN IS A BIG LIFE DECISION AND I’M PROUD OF YOU FOR MAKING THE CHANGE, AND IF YOU’RE NOT PLANNING ON GOING VEGAN I’M GLAD YOU DECIDED TO READ AND CONSIDER THIS VEGAN THING! I’M GOING TO MAKE OTHER POSTS RELATED TO THIS SUBJECT SO STAY TUNED FOR THAT IF YOU ENJOY THIS CONTENT!
XOXO
SARITA <3
LINKS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT!
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/things-vegans-dont-eat#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegan-diet-benefits
https://www.healthline.com/health/the-ultimate-guide-to-vegan-baking
