How To Go Vegan: My Top Tips

Veganism is taking the world by storm. Be it animal rights, food sensitivities, or cleaner ingredients, people all over the world have been moving to a more plant-based diet. In September 2019, I became one of those people.

I had been debating switching over to vegan-vegetarian since the summer of 2017, and after doing more research into the impact that animal-based meals have on the environment, I decided to take the plunge! I started out as only wanting to try it for one month, and five months later, here I am writing this blog post. No, I don’t miss meat at all, and yes, I do still get my protein from lentils, beans, seeds, nuts - you name it.

Switching up your diet is a huge lifestyle change, and if done without a plan, can be really difficult to stick to. So, here are Semi’s top tips for transitioning to a plant-based diet!

1. Know your why: When switching up the way you live your life, it’s really important to know why you’re doing what you are. In my case, it was to live a more sustainable lifestyle in the long-run. Having a reason behind your change does wonders for your ability to remain motivated and keep it going!

2. Prep for success: One of the reasons we fall back on our goals is because we’re not giving ourselves all the resources we need to succeed. Buy a vegan recipe book, plan out every single meal of your week (including snacks!), pick up your groceries to prep those meals, and then set aside time in your day to actually make them. I bought Plant-Based on a Budget by Toni Okamoto, and it really helped me make the transition! Bring friends in on your meal prep if that’ll help too.

3. Brace for initial impact: People day that eating plant-based breaks your bank. While I disagree on the long-term expense, I will concede that the first round or two of groceries will pinch. It’s expensive to replace your condiments - honey with agave, eggs with apple sauce, butter with olive oil - but once you have those in your pantry, the expenses will go right back down, I promise!

4. Love your veggies: Plant-based can get pricey when you’re looking for vegan replacements for the meat in your meals. If you avoid building your meals around vegan meat and start trying to make the most of vegetables and fruits, your meals will not only become more nutritious, but also affordable! Your recipe book will help with this too.

5. Find your tribe: For any big change in your life, it’s extremely important to surround yourself with people who support you and push you to succeed. The same works here! More often than not, there are going to be a lot of people who’ll question you and sometimes ridicule you for making the change. It happens to me all the time! Reach out to your vegan friends, make new vegan friends, watch videos by vegan bloggers - you’re definitely not alone! A documentary that I really enjoyed was The Game Changers on Netflix.

Keep in mind that making adjustments to your diet doesn’t happen overnight. Starting off with even one plant-based meal a day is awesome. In fact, I eat vegetarian when I eat out because the vegan food options are quite limited in Halifax. I always say that some percent vegan is better than not at all!

If you’re thinking about going plant-based, I really hope this is helpful to you. If you have any questions about the transition, eating out as a vegan-vegetarian, or even recipes, reach out to me on Instagram. Let’s be food friends!