EDUCATE YOURSELF
First and foremost, please educate yourself. Read books, watch documentaries and do your research. Veganism goes beyond the food, it is a beautiful lifestyle. Here are some resources I found helpful:
Books
- China Study by T. Colin Campbell PhD and Thomas M. Campbell MD
- How Not To Die by Dr. Greger PhD
- The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone
Documentaries
- Food choices – Netflix
- Forks over knives – Netflix
- What the health – Netflix
FOCUS ON YOUR WHY
Whether your why (your reason you want to become vegan) is to advocate for animal rights or for health reasons, reminding yourself why you want to embrace a plant based diet is a great way to stay on track. Is your goal to lower your blood pressure or lose weight? Is your goal to stop inhumane treatment of animals? Is your goal to help stop global warming? Whatever the goal, stay focused. Take your time and write down your goals if you have to.
You got this!
HAVE A MEAL PLAN
I can not stress enough how important this is. If you’re planning on making your own meal or going out to a restaurant, I find it easy to stay vegan if I have a plan. If you plan on making your meal, there are endless recipes for every craving. There are so many creative ways to veganize any meal. If your favorite non-vegan meal is a juicy burger, guess what! There are vegan burger patties you can buy or make. You just need to do your research. There are vegan substitutes for mostly anything. Planning on going out to eat? You could call the restaurant ahead of time to ensure they have vegan friendly options or just go to a vegan restaurant.
One thing to remember is, to not be so hard on yourself. If you find yourself eating something that isn’t vegan, no worries. Just take it slow if you need to and don’t give up. This lifestyle is not about restriction, it’s about eating an abundance of whole plant based foods. Have fun and don’t be afraid to try something new.
Resources for recipes
- How not to Die cookbook
- Nutritionstudies.org
- Forks Over Knives
- It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken cookbook
FIND VEGAN INSPIRATION
There are so many resources to keep you motivated along your journey. There are amazing blogs, youtube videos and support groups. Here are a few of my favorite:
YouTube
Blogs
I hope you found this helpful. Wishing you luck on your vegan journey. Be kind to yourself and the planet 🙂
Leave a Reply