So you’re thinking about becoming a vegan? A lot of people think that to eat a vegan diet you need to spend a lot of extra money and time cooking, but that is not the case. Becoming a vegan can be quick, affordable and most importantly tasty! Here are my top 10 tips on becoming a vegan:
Dairy substitute
You will have to find a dairy substitute, especially for milk. There are all kinds of substitutes and you’ll have to try to see what you like – some of these include rice milk, soy milk and one of the most popular sweetened almond milk. Give them a try and see which your favorite is!
Don’t restrict your calories
Don’t restrict yourself while you adjust to this new way of eating. For the first month or so you should not have a restriction on what you are allowed to eat each day. If you want to try a new vegan product go right ahead. Just work off any extra calories with exercise if you’re worried about gaining weight. By not restricting yourself you will be able to stick to eating vegan in the longer term.
Tasty vegan recipes
Collect some recipes! I’ll be posting more recipes to this blog soon so be sure to follow. You should gather a list of recipes that you will like and that are easy to make. Try to pick ones that you’ve already tried or ones that are the kind of food you know that you will like! Also, try to grab the ingredients next time you go shopping so that you have them in stock.
Cook extra vegan meals
Make large batches of your meals so that you have some leftovers. This will allow you to always have vegan food on hand while you transition into this diet.
Stock up on vegan foods
Stock your pantry and fridge will loads of vegan goods! Basic items such as refried beans, instant rice (brown rice preferably), frozen fruit and vegetables, pasta, wraps and salsa. Having these foods in your pantry will allow you to make quick, easy meals like stir fried veggies on brown rice.
Vegan substitutes
Substitute the real with fake. If you can’t bear to give up your meat or cheese it’s no problem – there’s a lot of fake good alternatives. Products such as Gardein, Field Roast, Gardenburger, Yves and Daiya come to mind.
Find like-minded vegans
Surround yourself with other vegan eaters. Whether an online group or other vegans you know – try to be in contact with other vegans who you can ask for advice. Vegans are a friendly bunch and most all of us would be happy to give you tips and our favorite recipes, just ask!
Keep trying new vegan meals
Keeping trying new foods, even foods you may have hated previously. You never know if you’ll like something until you try it, sometimes even foods you used to hate will become your favorites when you cook them in a different way.
Cravings could be a warning
Take note of your cravings so that you can supplement any vitamins you may be low in. Mostly though, cravings are just mental when changing diet, so stick it out and they will disappear in no time.
Keep vegan snacks on hand
Keep vegan food with you everywhere. Whether at work or in the car, make sure you have snacks easily available on hand so that you are never hungry.
Have fun!
Finally, have fun! By having fun with new recipes and new types of food you will easily succeed and feel much healthier.
Thanks for reading and if you have a question just ask!
