Transitioning to a fully plant based diet can be intimidating. I know it was for me. Before I eliminated all animals and animal products out of my diet, I was a vegetarian for many years but hesitant to make the plunge into being vegan.
I was frightened by all the myths I heard about what vegans ate, how vegans were, what vegans looked like etc. I was never quite able to make the full transition until I had my daughter. Within only a few months after, I knew I would never go back to eating animals. My body adapted, as did my mind, and the experience is nothing like the negative stories I’ve heard. There is a whole world of delicious, healthy, nourishing, living food beyond the dead bodies of animals we are accustomed to abusing and eating.
As with any diet, turning it into a lifestyle requires a little bit of time, education, and effort before we naturally integrate the changes we have made into our everyday lives. With that said, I wanted to share a few tips to help get you through your moments of weakness on your path to becoming vegan!
Tip 1
Stay away from soy, unless, it is fermented. No soy chicken, soy milk, soy cheese. Nothing. When I became a vegetarian, I had a lot of cravings for the texture and bite that meat has, that often can’t be found in a vegan diet. I went a little crazy with soy products, such a meatless chicken, beef, burgers etc. Most of what you find in the vegan/ vegetarian section of the supermarket unfortunately contains soy. 95 % of soy is genetically modified. It’s super cheap to use hence why it is in almost every product with a shelf life.
I was eating a lot of it but I soon realized I needed to get it out of my diet if I wanted to be a healthy vegetarian/vegan. Soy negatively impacts the function of the thyroid and has been linked to playing a major role in thyroid diseases among those who consume it. It is not a health food, as many think. Avoiding it will require some label reading on your part. Organic fermented soy on the other hand is a health food. It can be very healing to the body especially the digestive system, providing it within an abundance of healthy bacteria. Miso and tempeh are delicious and are a great alternative if you are looking for something savory, as well as something with more of a bite to add to your meal. In short, any soy that is not fermented, avoid it.
Tip 2
Learn how to cook! Many people set themselves up for failure in following a vegan diet, or any diet for that matter, when they resort to trying to find fast vegan food. You are not going to find many quick, healthy vegan meals that you can just pop into the oven, and if you do they probably aren’t all that healthy. Learning how to cook was an essential part of my success in transitioning from vegetarian to vegan.
If you want something quick to eat, stick to raw fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts to snack on. If you are like me and enjoy a cooked meal in the evening then google some recipes, get in the kitchen, and start experimenting! I have a handful of go-to healthy vegan recipes when I’m super hungry that take less than 20 minutes to make. I suggest that you do, too. Ohsheglows.com is an amazing blog for vegan and gluten free recipes. I attribute much of my success in learning how to cook to her blog. Which leads me to my next tip!
Tip 3
Learn how to ‘veganize’ your favorite meals and desserts. Cravings are going to happen; you have to prepare yourself for them. When we feel like we are depriving ourselves we will inevitably resort to reasoning our way into eating animals again. There is a very real psychological connection that we have to our food. I may not miss eating animals but I do miss the smell and taste of some of my favorite meals that my mom made me as a child. So, I scouted out the best vegan alternatives I could find. I veganized my favorite dessert—chocolate chip cookies, as well as a few other of my favorite dishes. So when I’m craving some comfort food I don’t have to feel like I’m missing out.
Tip 4
Don’t worry about protein! Everywhere I go the first question I get asked about my diet is where do I get my protein? Most people who are asking really don’t know much about nutrition, apart from the myths that they have heard, such as you need to eat meat for protein or drink milk for calcium. Both are not true. To address the calcium concern, here is something you may or may not know. Cows are not fed grass anymore, they are given calcium supplements. Therefore, you are getting a fortified amount of calcium in your milk, which is being absorbed by your body in extremely insignificant amounts. You may as well take a calcium supplement instead. As for protein, in comparison to the unhealthy amounts of saturated fat, salt, gmos, along with blood, puss, and the risk of it being diseased —the protein you are getting is negligible.
I don’t take protein shakes or supplements anymore. Instead, I choose to eat a well balanced diet. That’s it. No counting grams of protein, no bringing along shaker cups to the gym, no formulas to determine how much protein I need. It simply isn’t necessary. Protein in plants is much more bioavailable to the body, as well. It is absorbed at greater levels than any protein you may get from an animal. So don’t worry about it. Just eat real food and you will get more than enough.
Tip 5
You are going to need a good milk alternative to keep on hand. Again, avoid soy. Go for a nut milk such almond or brazil nut. Hemp milk is one of the most nutritious and also one of the easiest to make. I highly recommend making your own dairy free milk. It’s super easy and by doing so you avoid all the synthetic preservatives and fortified vitamins and minerals that are found in the store bought kind.
I do admit, I have been a bit lazy myself and have just not had the time to make my fresh nut milk these past few months. I have been buying it at the store. If you do choose to buy it, look for brands such a Silk which do not contain carrageenan. Carageenan is used as an emulsifier in many vegan ‘dairy’ alternatives such as milk, yogurt, and ice cream. It has been linked to cancer and is not safe to consume. Nothing really compares to fresh made nut milk in a smoothie or over a bowl of oatmeal, anyway. So, skip the store and make it fresh!
Tip 6
My final tip and probably my most important tip—Find your ‘WHY?’. Why are have you chosen this lifestyle? Do you simply want to be healthier, are you currently suffering from an illness, or maybe it is because you love animals? Whatever it is, write it down, hang it on your wall, reflect on it in your journal. Remind yourself of it everyday, every chance you get. I suggest you get your inspiration from fellow vegans, whether it be from a blog, a podcast, or a book. Let their path illuminate yours. Hang with them, work out with them, eat with them, share and build with them.
Let’s face it, its hard to stay fit if you work at a pizza shop. Create an environment that sustains and supports your goal and helps you to stick with it. Seek out like minded individuals to provide you with some support on your journey.
Also, it’s very important that you take the time to do your research. When I became a vegetarian, I was not a very healthy one or an educated one. After many years of doing my own research on nutrition, I finally feel like I have a strong sense of what I should and shouldn’t be eating, while creating a balance that works well for my body. And since we are all a little different, it’s important to find what is going to work well for you and your body’s needs.
Best of luck!
Are you vegan/ vegetarian following a plant based diet, please share your experience and maybe some things that have helped you!
Honoring the Light 