If you are considering becoming a vegan, you should do it slowly. You might have drastic ideas about giving up all animal-based foods the very next day- But if you want to adopt a fit and healthy vegan lifestyle in the long run, then slow and steady wins the race. So here’s what you should do:
I may be a vegan and advocate for it, but I’m not about guilt. Who has the time or energy to beat themselves with a pseudo-stick when they already have more going on in the day? The answer is nobody. It’s just not feasible. So today I’m going to be talking about how you can become a vegan; slowly and with as little effort as possible.
Sometimes when you want to do something big in life, you need to break down the task into smaller less intimidating pieces. If you are interested moving towards a zero-consumer lifestyle of veganism or vegetarianism, a step-by-step approach can be very helpful. In the following guide I’ve outlined a progression from just eliminating meat from your diet to becoming entirely vegan.
How To Become A Vegan Slowly
Becoming vegan overnight seems pretty inspiring, yet it might not work for everyone.
Additionally, switching your diet entirely without knowing how to do it right can make the whole transition much harder.
Becoming vegan slowly is a great way to approach veganism. The easiest way to start is to:
Cut down on your consumption of animal products by removing the ones you don’t like that much. Then, gradually work on swapping all animal-based ingredients and meals with plant-based alternatives.
In this article, I will share ideas, guidelines, and tips, when transitioning to veganism that hopefully can help you speed up the process and feel more comfortable with a 100% plant-based diet.
Let’s begin!
How To Become Vegan Slowly:
- Identify & focus on your motive.
First and foremost, have clear reasons why you want to become vegan.
Going vegan has many benefits for your health and our environment. However, it is essential to remember that veganism isn’t just a ‘diet’ or environmental movement.
Veganism is an ethical choice, which goal is to exclude as much as possible all forms of exploitation and cruelty to animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.
If you want to stop supporting animal cruelty while helping the environment, and improving your health, focus on these goals.
Many people who jump into veganism without a motive often slack off and start consuming animal products again. So, identifying the reason is a crucial step.
Related post: 8 Environmental Benefits Of Reducing Meat Consumption
how to go vegan
- Eat more meals you already enjoy that happen to be plant-based.
There are for sure various dishes that you enjoy and are already “naturally” vegan.
This includes peanut butter banana sandwich, oatmeal, hummus, various Indian dishes, veggie stir-fry, veggie stews, bean and rice burrito, lentil stew, bean chili, etc.
Incorporate more of these foods into your diet. For example, consider trying:
For breakfast: A sandwich with peanut butter & banana or oatmeal with fruits & seeds.
For lunch: One of these Indian vegan recipes.
For dinner: One of these lazy & simple vegan recipes.
vegan breakfast ideas
- Slowly start cutting animal products you don’t like much anyway.
You can gradually cut down one food group at a time. For example, I first became vegetarian since meat was the easiest thing for me to give up.
Then, I started removing milk and yogurt, cheese, and finally eggs & honey (the hardest for me).
Pick the animal products you eat and enjoy the least, and cut them off. Then, gradually go to animal products that are a bit harder to let go of.
- Gradually work on swapping animal-based ingredients with plant-based alternatives.
While removing animal products from your diet, it is essential to start incorporating more plant-based alternatives. This includes whole grains, beans, legumes, tofu, nuts, and seeds.
Switching to plant-based alternatives will make it much easier to cut down on animal products even further simultaneously.
For example:
Plant-based milk instead of dairy
Soy or plant-based yogurt instead of dairy yogurt
Aquafaba (the water from a can of chickpeas) as egg white (suitable for meringues, mouses, and baked goods)
Flaxseed meal as eggs (ideal for cakes and baked goods)
Tofu scramble (with back salt & nutritional yeast) instead of scrambled eggs
Fermented cashew cream cheese instead of cheese
Nutritional yeast for a cheesy kick
Bean burgers, mushroom-based burgers, or mock meats instead of real meat
Seitan, tofu, tempeh, beans & legumes for protein instead of meat
Click here for more plant-based alternatives to animal ingredients.
When trying any of the plant-based options, remember that these are just alternatives; do not expect that a vegan bean burger will have 100% the same taste like a real burger, or cashew cheese will be exactly like real cheese.
If you go with these expectations, you may end up disappointed. These alternatives can taste somewhat SIMILAR to the real thing, but their taste will still be different. So always remember that, and don’t have any unrealistic expectations.
vegan chicken bites
- Don’t be afraid to experiment with new products.
Finding various new & exciting products can make your transition so much easier. For example, before going vegan, I had no idea what’s seitan, tempeh, nutritional yeast, or cashew cheese.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to give an ingredient/product a second chance. 😀 I know SO many people who hate tofu at the beginning (including me!!!).
But the truth is that tofu can be extremely delicious if you prepare it right.
Just look online at how to make a specific vegan ingredient taste good, such as tofu, and follow one of the many recipes out there.
On the contrary, some vegan alternatives, like vegan cheese, CAN taste like a shoe.
But let’s be honest, that doesn’t apply only to vegan foods. You probably bought something that you thought would be good at least once, but it had a terrible taste.
Even though rarely, this can also happen when buying vegan alternative foods. Just don’t give up until you find the tasty vegan substitutes, because believe me, they exist!
In short – just because you tried one vegan cheese or veggie burger you didn’t like, it doesn’t mean all vegan cheese and veggie burgers are terrible.
vegan burger
Soy-based burger
- Veganise your favorite dishes!
It’s way easier to stop eating animal products if you can eat the same (or similar) meals and foods you have always eaten.
That’s why it is BEST to find vegan recipes for your favorite dishes. Check these veganized beef dishes for some inspiration, or look online on how to make them:
Vegan Bolognese
Vegan Carbonara
Vegan Steak
Vegan Eggs (product), or Tofu “Egg” Scramble (recipe)
Fudgy brownies
Do a quick search for your favorite meal that contains animal products but a vegan version of it, and try it out!
- Learn more about animal agriculture.
Killing an animal that doesn’t want (and need) to die for food and our sensory pleasure (taste) is unnecessary and inhumane.
Furthermore, abusing cows, pigs, chickens, or other animal is no different than abusing dogs and cats.
The truth is that humans can thrive on a 100% plant-based diet, and we don’t need the flesh of dead animals to sustain ourselves.
Learning more about the way animals are treated, abused, and slaughtered, can be harsh. But seeing it will give you an entirely new perspective and a serious boost of motivation to reduce your animal consumption even further.
You can learn more on Youtube, or check out one of these documentaries:
Dominion (Free on Youtube)
Earthlings (Free on Youtube)
Cowspiracy (Free on Youtube)
What you eat matters (Free on Youtube)
Vegucated (Free on Youtube)
Food Choices (Free on Youtube)
Every Argument Against Veganism | Ed Winters | TEDxBathUniversity
- Learn about the nutrition and supplements you need.
A balanced and healthy plant-based diet can ensure adequate intake of all the needed nutrients.
But at the beginning of your vegan journey, it is best to supplement with B12, multivitamin, and perhaps vegan omega 3 capsules.
This is just as a precaution, as least until you get used to eating 100% plant-based, and you know how to get all the nutrients you need quickly.
I can recommend Vegums Multivitamin (containing B12) and Vegums Omega 3 to make sure you get your omegas.
Learning more about nutrition doesn’t have to be tedious and time-consuming.
You can read a couple of articles on vegan nutrition like this one, or this one, write down some notes, and that’s it. Then you will know which foods contain the nutrients you need.
- Read the labels.
There are “hidden” ingredients that you will start to learn over time. Pay attention to ingredient lists, and avoid products that contain animal-derived ingredients, like:
gelatin, lanolin (comes from sheep wool, dough conditioner), rennet, albumen, bone char, butterfat, casein, lactose, shellac, vitamin D3 (fish oil), eggs, honey, milk, whey powder, etc.
What about the label “It MAY CONTAIN eggs, milk, etc.”?
It is still a vegan product. This is just a legal disclaimer because the food was made in a facility using equipment used to produce animal products. It’s there just in case you have a severe allergy, and there might be a slight possibility of cross-contamination.
healthy vegan food
- Follow vegan blogs & Youtube channels.
Following vegan blogs, Facebook groups, and Youtube channels will help you normalize veganism, understand it better, and constantly find new information, recipes, tips, etc.
Seeing how people live and what they do as vegans will help you feel more comfortable and perceive it as a normal lifestyle and not something unusual.
This is exceptionally important if no one around you is vegan and you can’t seem to find the needed support.
Some of my personal favorite ones include:
Earthling Ed (educational)
Pick Up Limes (recipes)
Avantgarde Vegan (recipes)
Simnett Nutrition (recipes, education)
Mic the Vegan (educational)
If you have any questions, doubts, or want to chat about veganism, you can always write me, and I will try to help with anything I can. 🙂
Tips on how to become vegan slowly:
Try to go vegan for a day, a week, or a month.
One vegan meal a day is a great beginner step to start becoming vegan slowly.
Next, you can begin eating only vegan foods on the weekends. If you like challenges, you can start eating only vegan meals on the weekdays and allow yourself some animal products on the weekends.
Another challenge is to go fully vegan for a week or 30 days and see how it goes. It is a challenge that many people participate in at the beginning of each year (Veganuary). However, you can do it any time of the year.
Spice it up & don’t focus on the foods you CAN’T eat.
A couple of years ago, it was harder to find vegan options for many things, but now, it is easier than ever. There are vegan alternatives to almost anything you can think of!
Additionally, when transitioning to a vegan diet, use various spices, seeds, nuts, etc., to bring your food to the next level.
And don’t focus on the foods you CAN’T eat. Instead, make a list and focus on the NEW things you want to integrate into your diet.
You may eat something that’s not vegan by mistake.
Don’t panic! It can happen, especially if you are new to veganism.
It happened to me, too. I got “vegan” cheese from a Health store in Berlin. I showed it to a friend (after eating half of it), telling her how much it tastes like real cheese.
Then, she saw that the symbol, which I thought was saying “vegan,” was saying “vegetarian.” It was so tiny that I didn’t pay attention to it. I felt kind of bad when I realized I ate real cheese.
But after I thought a bit more about it, I stopped judging myself, because it happened unintentionally.
If it happens to you, don’t break your head about it; consider it as a lesson, and be more careful the next time.
You MAY fall off the wagon occasionally while you’re still new to veganism, but don’t beat yourself up. It does get so much easier with time.
