So You Want to Be Vegan? But Don’t Know Where to Start

It can be challenging to start anything new, especially if you decide to go down the path of being vegan.

So, I decided to put together a starters guide on how to begin your journey into being vegan.

As with all new things, you should always start with a strategy of sorts. And this can be done in a variety of different ways, depending on what works best for you. It can be a chart, or pointers, or you can even make a daily checklist to help keep you on track throughout the week.

Whatever way works best for you, the key thing here is to always have some sort of strategy to help get you going on your vegan journey.

Veganuary: January is the month of being vegan, and what better way to start your new year than with a vegan journey. There are so many festivals, cafes and restaurants and other great venue all jump on board this month to celebrate a plant based lifestyle. This is a great time to start experimenting and trialling different foods without meat.

Swap Single Foods: Try cutting down one meat product a day for something without meat, or a meat alternative. You may be surprised at how much meat you actually don’t eat. Or rather, how much you enjoy swapping meat for other foods, like more mushrooms, chickpeas or tofu based products.

Meat-Free Mondays: If the idea of swapping meat daily for other foods is a little overwhelming to start. Try picking one day of the week (like Mondays) where you go completely meat-free for just that one day. It’s a good way to start introducing yourself to the concept of no meat for the day, which may lead into two days a week, then perhaps three and so on.

Meal Swaps: If you are confident you can be more adventures straight off the bat. Try switching one a meal a day to a vegan meal instead. For example, if you love you ham and salad sandwiches for lunch at work every day. Try making a roast vegetable roll for lunch instead. Pre-roasting veggies the night before and then wrapping them up in a roll for lunch the next day is a delicious way to start meat-free.

Find Support: Join vegan communities on social media for support on your new vegan journey. You don’t even have to an active member, you can remain silent and just listen in on topics of discussion and learn about new ways of preparing vegan food or new vegan products. There are loads of inspirational vegan cooks on Instagram who put out recipes every week on their gram. A great way to introduce you to interesting and yummy vegan foods.

If you eat out a lot with friends and family, eating vegan may seem like it’s super challenging. But here’s a fun-fact for you. Most restaurants are already making vegan or rather vegetarian foods. Especially at Italian and Mexican restaurants.

If you are worried and you have plans coming up to meet friends or family out to eat somewhere. Do your research and look up online what’s available. Check the menu and whether they have foods you can eat or not. And if you see something, but need to clarify, give the restaurant a call and ask.

If all else fails, you can always eat before you go out and then snack on something when you go out. This is something I have done often. Even though I am not entirely vegan and do eat seafood and eggs from time to time. I do always snack on something beforehand if I know I am about to head to a venue where my options will be limited.

Remember, no path is untaken without first a few falls. Meaning, you may trip up now and then, so take your time and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.