Vegan Starter Guide: I want to Become Vegan, But I Don’t Know Where to Start

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Transition to a Plant-based Diet

There have been many cases over the years where people tell me they wish they could become vegan or add more plant-based meals into their diet, but they don't know where to start. I thought of a list of things that helped me when I made the lifestyle change and I thought it might help those who wanted to make the change as well. Below are some tips and tricks that helped me over the last four years of being vegan. I hope it helps you on your journey into obtaining a more mindful and eco-friendly lifestyle. Let me know in the comments below of any tips, tricks or questions you might have because together we can make a change.

Find a Reason

There are a lot of reasons to become vegan, but unless you find a life-lasting motivation to make the transition, you probably won’t stick with it. When I say life-lasting motives, I’m talking about motives that will change your mindset on what you choose to put in your body. Yes, there are a lot of people who are willing to try this “diet” to lose weight, but in my eyes that is not a substantial motive.

Three solid motives that I constantly hear (and are the reasons why I am vegan) are for the animals, the environment and for health reasons. These are all concrete reasons that motivate people to change their lifestyle and become vegan or plant-based. I am not a doctor or a scientist so I am not going to even try to explain the science behind why its is a better lifestyle for health or the planet. There are a plethora of documentaries, books, and articles that explain the science behind how a plant-based diet is beneficial to your health the planet. Take the time to explore these findings and educate yourself on the science behind this lifestyle before making the decision.

Start Off Easy

So, you've watch every documentary on Netflix and read every article you could find and now you are ready to make the change. But, changing your lifestyle can be difficult, and it usually doesn’t happen overnight. A good trick that my friends and I made when making the transition over to a plant-based diet is eliminating one thing at a time. There are three groups of food that need to be eliminated in order to transition over to a plant based diet; diary, meat and eggs.

A really good place for people to start off with is taking dairy out of their diets. With the plentiful plant-based dairy products out on the market right now, this step is very easy to do. Brands like Miyoko’s for butter, Kite Hill for Yogurt and cream cheese and the vast selection of plant-milks out there, you should have no trouble finding substitutes that match your preference.

After the dairy part is done, move onto eggs and anything that might have dairy and eggs in it. The hardest step for some is the meat. You can also take this step into three smaller steps. First eliminating red meat and pork, the chicken and then finally fish. Take your time with this step, but the less you eat meat, the less you will crave it. At this point, the smell and taste of meat is unappetizing and frankly off-putting to me.

Cook at Home

Okay now we eliminated everything you can't eat, what do you do now? There is the option of eating out, but eating out as a vegan can really provide some challenges. Not all restaurant workers know what veganism is and to be honest, not a lot of them care. The safest and most rewarding solution is to cook at home. Not only are you guaranteed a completely plant-based meal, but you are saving money.

Ordering vegan food from plant-based restaurants is typically more expensive than most people would like. But, eating vegan doesn’t have to be expansive. There are plenty of easy, cheap and healthy plant-based recipes online. Cooking at home is fun and rewarding, and everyone vegan or not should give it a try.

Eat Real Food

A common question I get a lot is, “so what DO you eat?”

The simple answer to this is real food. In my eyes at least three meals a day should have four major food groups; vegetables, protein, starch and healthy fats. If you build two meals a day with these four food groups, you will be in good shape. Here are some good examples of each that you can play around with and get creative:

Vegetables

Broccoli, Spinach, Eggplant, Brussel sprouts, Carrots, onion, celery, ect.

Protein

Beans, Tofu, Tempeh, nuts and seeds, lentils, vegan meat substitutes, ect.

Starch and Grains

Rice, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Quinoa, Pasta, Bread, Oats, Noodles, whole grains, ect.

Healthy Fats

Avocado, Olive Oil, Coconut and Coconut Oil, Nuts and Seeds, ect.

These are just a few suggestions out of the million out there that could be added to these lists. Now, just take one item from each list and get creative with it with some spices and you have your self a gourmet healthy plant-based meal.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

So maybe you are five days (or five hours) into your new plant-based lifestyle and you accidentally slip up. You order a bean and veggie burrito from your favorite Mexican restaurant and take a huge bite to find they accidentally put cheese inside. It’s okay, you should be able to enjoy the burrito without feeling guilty. The whole point of being vegan is to make a conscious effort to make a change in the world. Slipping up once in a while isn’t going to harm you or set the world on fire. So enjoy your burrito and move on.

You only live once so there is no need to beat yourself up about a mistake. If you need to cheat once in a while, it's okay. No one is perfect and you should feel forced to do anything or feel bad for slipping. The only thing that matters is if you try to do your best to make yourself feel the best about choices you make. The whole point of living a plant-based diet should be to live a mindful and more sustainable lifestyle.

Learn more about my journey with veganism on my blog post at: https://www.surfandsalt.org/post/a-take-on-veganism