1. Go Slow
It’s impossible to go completely vegan overnight, so my first piece of advice is to take it slow.
Don’t set a deadline for yourself.
It took me six months to a year before I could say I was 100% vegan; I took my time figuring out which substitutes I liked and what method worked best for me.
Take your time, and you’ll be less likely to quit.
2. Introduce Before You Take Away
It might be useful to start eating and trying vegan meals- both at home and when eating out- before you cut anything out to change the way you see veganism.
3. Try Different Substitutes
There are lots of substitutes available for vegans now, and it can take a while before you find one that you like. So, similar to the last point, allow yourself to try them.
4. Cut Meat First
The easiest way to become vegan (I think) is to go vegetarian first. You’ll find you don’t miss meat as you think you will- and the results from not eating it- feeling less sluggish, no bloated, etc- will encourage you to keep going.
5. One Dairy Product at a Time
Once you’re comfortably vegetarian, I suggest swapping one dairy product out at a time. Start with the one you eat less often and work your way up to cheese- I know it’s a tough one to let go of- but trust me, you won’t miss it.
6. Take Food With You
A hard thing about being vegan is knowing what to eat while you’re out or with friends/ family who aren’t vegan.
The easiest way to deal with this is to take food with you; when going to dinner, offer to bring your own food to cook and bring your own milk alternative so you can order a black tea or coffee.
Most places serve vegan options and milk alternative nowadays anyway, but it’s good to be prepared.
7. Vegan Restaurants
Get to know the vegan restaurants in your local area, that way you won’t be stuck for a place to eat.
8. Remember Why You’re Doing It
Whenever you feel yourself being tempted, remind yourself why you’re doing it.
And if you give in to the temptation, remember that it’s normal and you can re-try as many times as you need.
9. Recipes
What I loved most about going vegan was the way it made it fall back in love with cooking and baking, as I was relearning and reinventing recipes and discovering new foods. It really makes you stop and think about you’re eating instead of just grabbing the nearest, quickest thing.
If you have recipes you love, get creative and find a way to make them vegan. Screenshot and bookmark recipes you see online and enjoy making them.
My favourite vegan recipe blogs:
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/
https://www.thissavoryvegan.com/
10. Find Someone to Help
This one might not be available to everyone, but having someone who can show you recipes and share new food or places to eat can the change exciting and a little easier to navigate.
gingerdrift 