The first steps into veganism can be the most daunting and challenging! A vegan diet can have many different advantages and has been said to help many conditions and illnesses. This is why more and more people today are making the transition. So have you had thoughts about changing to a vegan lifestyle and feel ready to take the first step? Then keep reading to make your transition easier in Vegetarian to Vegan: 5 Simple Steps!
1. Learn about the differences between a Vegetarian and Vegan Lifestyle
We all know what a vegetarian diet consists of but for most people the thought of a vegan diet can be confusing! Vegetarians exclude meat from their diets. Vegans however also extend this by excluding anything that is animal-derived; this includes: dairy, eggs, honey, and even makeup and beauty products that contain animal ingredients or are tested on animals.
2. Replace Your Favourite Dairy Products with a Vegan Alternative
Start by just swapping ONE of your usual dairy products with the plant-based alternative. There are many different alternatives today, which means it might take a while to find your favourite. If you don’t like one, try a different one. Take some time to find your favourite vegan milk for example before moving onto your next swap of vegan cheese.
3. Make Sure You’re Getting the Right Nutrition
Some people forget to replace the nutrition that they’re cutting out. So make sure you’re getting enough protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin D, Omega-3 and B12. Most of these can be found in fruits and vegetables. However, Omega-3 and B12 are best taken as an additional supplement. This is because Omega-3 is harder to absorb from plants and B12 is not found in a plant lifestyle.
4. Stock up on the Vegan Basics
The easiest step to making the switch is to start buying the basics. So these are foods such as vegan milk, tofu, vegetables, nuts, fruit, lentils, beans, quinoa, chickpeas, soups, pasta, noodles, potatoes etc. From these staple foods you can start to create a range of basic meals.
5. Don’t be too Tough on Yourself (Everyone Makes Mistakes)!
The last important step is to not put too much pressure on yourself. Don’t worry if you get tempted by a non-vegan food item or make a mistake thinking something is vegan when it actually isn’t – we all make mistakes!
