There’s a lot of value in adopting a vegan lifestyle. There are numerous health benefits, it’s better for the environment, and, not to get too sentimental, but it means that animals don’t have to suffer for your lifestyle. At heart, a lot of people want to be vegan, but they often hold back from adopting the lifestyle because they think it’s hard. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth! But you’ll need a few useful tips to help you along the way. Below, we take a look at some useful advice that’ll have you living a cruelty-free lifestyle in no time.
Be Committed
Anything worth doing is never a complete walk in the park. If you’re adopting a vegan lifestyle, then this is something that’ll touch all aspects of your life. And it’s true: at times, you will be tested. You’ll find it much easier to make it through those tests if you know that you’re fully committed to the cause. Before making it part of your lifestyle, read up on all the many benefits of veganism. If you’re nodding your head at every point, and truly believe them, then you’ll build a solid foundation from which to navigate those tests.
Slow Transitions
It’s not smart to simply wake up one morning and cut all meat and dairy products out of your diet. What’ll happen is this: you’ll end up going hungry, come to believe it’s because meat is essential, and then in no time you’ll be back to being a meat-eater. It’s much better to make a slow transition to the lifestyle, or at least it is if you don’t really know where to start. Instead of cutting meat out, add vegan ingredients to your diet. Over time, you can slowly phase out the animal ingredients, and you’ll be left with a healthy, diverse diet. Perfect!
Read Up
You have to admire the first people who adopted a vegan lifestyle. They had more or less no idea what they were doing; they were trailblazing. Now, we have a lot of information about best practices and so on. So make sure that you’re making the most of this information. You can read blogs, buy books, watch videos — wherever you can find information, essentially. You’ll discover that there are a lot of vegan alternatives to everyday staples. Knowledge is power!
Find Your Restaurants
If you’re a food lover, then it’s understandable that you might find the transition to a vegan lifestyle slightly more difficult than someone who just eats food for sustenance. It’s especially disheartening when you visit a restaurant with friends. They’re all there, eating the speciality dishes, which all contain meat, while you’re left with the token “vegan dish,” which is usually just a salad. But here’s the thing: while you might have to wave goodbye to your old favorite restaurants, you’ll discover plenty of new favorites. If you live in a big city, there will likely be dozens of establishments that specialize in vegan food. Give them a go!
Get the Right Tools
A happy, unintended side effect of adopting a vegan lifestyle is that it makes you more creative in the kitchen. You can’t just cook some chicken and rice, and be done. Instead, you’ll find that you’re mixing up interesting dishes. In fact, if you want to become a better cook, it’s worthwhile turning vegan, just because it pushes you to make interesting dishes. You can make the process easier by getting the right tools for your kitchen. A blender will allow you to make homemade hummus. An air fryer will allow you to make buffalo cauliflower, and chickpea tacos. A tofu press will help you to make delicious, restaurant worthy Asian dishes. You’ll have few regrets turning vegan if you love the food that you make.
Join a Club
It’s always more fun to do things together! If you’re the first of your friends or family to turn vegan, then you might be feeling a little lonely. For various reasons, people love to criticize vegans and vegetarians — and let’s be honest, when you’re just trying to make a positive change, and you’re a little uncertain, then this can begin to feel a little annoying. So make sure you’re spending some time with like-minded people. There will likely be a vegan meetup event in your area, or you can just spend some in your local vegan cafe, and wait for things to happen.
Reaffirm Your Beliefs
It’s normal for people to begin a vegan lifestyle in earnest, only for things to fade away after a few months. They might have watched one of those shocking vegan documentaries — which are enough to turn anyone vegan — but after a while, the power of the movie has been forgotten. If you’re committed to sticking as a vegan for a long period, then make sure that you’re reaffirming your beliefs every now and again. A little reminder of why you’re doing this, be it for your health, the animals, or the planet will help to keep you on the right track.
But Go Easy On Yourself
It’s not easy making a big change in your life. It can take time, and there will always be mistakes made. You might have one too many beers, and have a slice of cheese. Oh no! Really, you shouldn’t beat yourself up when you slip up. It’s enough that you’re doing what you can do, and who ever does anything without making at least one mistake along the way? Nobody! If you’re doing most things right, then don’t feel too bad for that slice of cheese. It’s not worth it.
Enjoy the Ride
Finally, remember to enjoy the ride. Some people paint vegans as moody, doom and gloom naysayers, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. They’re fun loving people who just happen to be doing things differently. Eventually, you’ll begin to see the being a vegan isn’t something that you’re striving for; it’s just something that you are. Good luck with your journey!
