{Catching up? See the Introduction, Part 1: Making the transition (this post), Part 2: Replacing Dairy Milk, Part 3: Homemade Oat Milk, Part 4: Homemade Almond Milk, Part 5: Ten Tips for eating out as a vegan}
After seeing your comments and emails pour in on Monday and Tuesday, I’m so thankful I took the plunge with my new Vegan How To series. What a great way to kick off 2013. We’re already starting conversations about important topics. While I can’t promise to have answers to all your questions, I can share my experiences with you and encourage you to do the same. There are many things we can learn from each other so let’s talk, share, and get inspired!
Today’s topic is about making the transition to a vegan diet. What I’ve written below is what has worked for me, so take this with a grain of salt – everyone’s experience will be different (and I’d love you to share yours below!). It’s also worth repeating that I’m not a nutrition/health professional and my opinions/experiences should not be substituted for medical advice. Always consult your doc before making any diet/lifestyle changes.
How I made the transition to a vegan diet (in a somewhat condensed nutshell, but not really because I’m chatty):
1. Slow and Steady
I’ve never been the type of person who rushes into anything. Eric and I dated for 8 years before we got hitched. I’m turning 30 this year and I don’t feel close to being ready for motherhood. It took me a year to finally start this how-to series. You get the point. It doesn’t help that Eric is the exact. same. way. We can barely decide what laundry detergent to buy let alone make major life decisions. On the bright side, the decisions I do make are often long-lasting and my transition to a vegan diet was no different. I was in recovery for an eating disorder and looking to make some positive changes to my diet. After all, I had lived off of processed, fat-free, artificially-sweetened diet foods for years and I knew it was taking a toll on my health. I suffered from IBS and other digestive issues, so per my doc’s suggestions I experimented with reducing my consumption of meat and dairy to see if it would make a difference. When I started to shift away from all that dairy I was eating, I felt better, my skin started to clear up, and many of my digestive issues decreased. I was never a huge meat eater to begin with, so that part wasn’t as difficult for me, although it was still a challenge. Overtime, I really had no reason to go back to my old diet, even though giving up certain foods like cheese proved to be very difficult (more on this in a future post). When I’m asked what worked for me, I always say baby steps. Yes, it’s a cliché, but small changes really add up over time!
This isn’t to say that going cold-turkey won’t work for you – many people go cold-turkey with diet/lifestyle changes and are successful with it. That just wasn’t my approach. I think it comes down to your personality and what you think will work best for you.
2. Stock your pantry
A well-stocked pantry is one of the keys to success, especially in the beginning. We need options and fuel! And by options and fuel, I don’t mean the dry lettuce and tomato salads that restaurants often try to entice me with. How about fresh produce, legumes, herbs/spices, quinoa, rolled oats, edamame, and almond milk to name a few. I wrote a post a while ago called “My Vegan Pantry“, listing the most common foods I have stocked in my cupboards from dried beans to vinegar and everything in between. I do need to update the post, but I still hope it’s helpful for you. Keep in mind that some of the items are my baking ingredients and not what I would consider “necessities” by any means.
When I first made the transition I stocked my fridge with mock meat and dairy products like Tofurkey slices, vegan sour cream, and TVP crumbles. Yes, if you go back in time on my blog, you might come across the odd Tofurkey sandwich! The truth is, I had no idea how to eat a fulfilling, vibrant, and healthy diet on my own without these substitution foods. I wasn’t wrong for eating them, I just didn’t have all of the knowledge I needed at the time. I didn’t feel great eating these products, or at least, I didn’t feel as great as I did without them. Eventually, I discovered how to thrive on a vegan diet without relying on them, but I do recognize they were helpful for me in the early stages.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that a big bowl of lentils and tomato sauce was much more satisfying than mock deli meat from a box. Once I made this connection, it got easier and easier.
3. Be your own teacher
If you think that I grew up learning to cook and bake, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Four years ago, I had no idea how to cook dry lentils or so much as roast a batch of root vegetables. I could barely dice an onion for the life of me! This meant I had to teach myself how to prepare almost all of the foods I now enjoy. I did a lot of reading, Googling, watching cooking shows, devouring cookbooks, and searching You Tube for how-to videos. Little did I know, this girl who used to survive on diet foods would soon find a passion in food and cooking like never before. So can you.
Along the same lines, it’s good to research the nutritional aspects of a vegan diet. There are many books out there now with this information to help guide you. I also recommend checking out Forks Over Knives for an inspirational documentary on the benefits of a plant-based diet.
4. Focus on what you add, not take away
As I mentioned in my first post, I eventually learned that a vegan diet is really about what I add and not what I take away. The more I focused on all the new foods I was trying, I really didn’t feel like I was missing out at all. My diet used to be so limited and boring, lacking in colourful produce, and inspiration. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of foods I can eat on a plant-based diet. If you are feeling stuck in a rut, challenge yourself to try one new food a week and pick a recipe to make with it. There are so many recipes and tutorials available online that make cooking new foods a breeze. Or better yet, start a food blog to document your new journey! Having accountability online is a great motivator and you get to meet other like-minded friends.
5. Don’t expect perfection
I have slipped up on my vegan diet just like many of you have. Guess what? We are human! My advice is to focus on all the amazing choices you’ve made to date instead of that time when you slipped up. No matter what kind of diet you eat, every time you chose plants over animals you are making a difference. For me, this journey has been easier and easier as the years go by. The cravings I once had are much, much less. Instead of craving the old foods, I now crave the new foods that I eat. It’s amazing how the taste buds can adapt when you give them a chance.
6. Get support
Find friends who want to take this journey with you. I didn’t know any vegans until I met many friends online through reading other blogs and going to meet ups. It’s important to have a support system. Join clubs, recipe groups, meet ups, and attend conferences. I’m going to my first vegan conference (Vida Vegan Con) in May and I’m so excited to meet new friends in this community.
7. Pack food
When I leave the house for long periods of time, I always pack snacks or meals with me. Whether it’s an afternoon out or a few days at the in laws, I plan ahead and bring food. You can always find a couple energy bars in the bottom of my purse on any given day! Most days I don’t need them, but I feel great knowing I have a healthy snack on me in case the hunger monster strikes.
Well, I could go on and on, but since this is already quite wordy I will pass it over to you!
What’s your approach when making a change – slow and steady or cold-turkey?
How did you make the transition to a vegan or vegetarian diet? What strategies worked for you?
Have you read any books or watched any movies that helped you with the transition?
Are you making changes to your diet right now? What are you doing to make the transition easier?
For Part 2, see Replacing Dairy Milk
My boyfriend and I have decided to transition over to eat more fruits and veggies, and legumes in the new year. For him it’s a bigger change as he has decided to cut out processed food such as cold cuts and dairy.
It is helpful that there is 2 of us doing it together.
Thanks for this post.
I went cold turkey when I became vegetarian five and a half years ago. I was nineteen, and it was like an epiphany..I don’t have to eat what other people make me anymore! and so i didn’t. i never chose to eat meat and noticed how heavy and lethargic it made me feel. i felt instantly lighter upon giving it up and never looked back! the vegan journey has been somewhat rockier. when i gave up meat i also gave up milk and eggs. other animal products were few and far between, but i did eat them, mostly out of convenience and peer pressure. when i was twenty i became independent from my family and finally felt in control of what i ate, completely. i was perfectly vegan for the first three months on my own, lost weight, and my period! co workers and a boyfriend eventually drew me back into eating dairy more regularly, at least in the form of bakery goods and mexican food. [i was a cake decorator and had a latino boyfriend]. i saw an immediate change when i started eating dairy regularly. my skin broke out and my metabolism slowed down. In October 2011 I regained control. I started refusing the bad food my boyfriend always wanted to eat and would cook for myself. Eventually he wanted to eat what i was eating! he started to notice positive changes in how he felt, and preferred to eat more like me most of the time. the most important things i gained from making this change was that, first of all, i became an awesome cook! i have never been someone who settles for bland food, and now everything i eat is delicious and plant based. but also, i became empowered by realizing that i can be the trendsetter. i don’t need to eat anything just to please someone else. i havent been perfect. my greatest downfall is probably sweets that are offered to me. staying away from processed sweets, and sugar works best for me. I am generally satisfied if i just stay away completely and use fruits or smoothies in lieu of desserts. all the great documentaries and books out there are awesome! i’ve read skinny bitch, eating animals, and the kind diet, all of which reinforced why i don’t want to eat animal products. docs i liked: food, inc., fat, sick and nearly dead, food matters, and forks over knives. i also recommend the blood type diet book, although i am of the sort who believes that if you have a blood type which is apparently accustomed to certain animals/animals products, that doesn’t mean one should eat them, but only that she should be aware of what nutrients she needs.
Angela,
Really looking forward to this series and sharing this with others. As I have commented before, I LOVE YOUR SITE. I literally make your recipies every night. Every single thing I’ve made from your site is so yummy. We have, at all times, endurance crackers, adventure trail cookies and lightened up protein salad ready to eat. Literally at all times!! My husband and I were very nervous when you mentioned a new blog coming with the new year. We were so afraid your incredible selection of recipies would be taken down. Whew…what a relief to see what you have in mind!! So proud of you, Angela. Love the direction you’re taking!
I love this series and this is such a great post! I have been vegan for almost a year now but I was vegetarian long before that. The last thing I gave up was my love for chobani greek yogurt, but I eventually found decent substitutes, like Almond Yogurt. I definitely think it helps to take those baby steps into this transition. Ever since I became vegan I have been loving what I put into my body and all the energy. Some good cookbooks I have found with easy vegan recipes are the Happy Herbivore cookbooks. I also recommend “Main Street Vegan” by Victoria Moran, which is a great read for transitioning into a vegan diet and also has some easy recipes.
What’s your approach when making a change – slow and steady or cold-turkey?
I have been vegan for about 15 years now (vegetarian for about 24 years), I hadn’t much thought about the transition of it until this series.
How did you make the transition to a vegan or vegetarian diet? What strategies worked for you?
Vegetarian transition was “easy.” I never liked meat and one day I told my parents I was done. While living at home in family meals I just picked the meat out. We were a large family so there was no way I was getting a special side meal.
Vegan just sort of happened. Short of cheese I just didn’t find it very hard. I had to pay attention to bread labels, but other than that it was a lifestyle choice I wanted to make. I can’t say my diet was great or balanced, but I was younger and could get away with it.
Have you read any books or watched any movies that helped you with the transition?
Surprisingly no. And to be honest I avoid any of the movies or books that are going to be hard to watch or read. I didn’t need to be horrified into my choice. I am well aware that our food industry in general can use some work.
Are you making changes to your diet right now? What are you doing to make the transition easier?
The biggest change that has come with age is to be more whole foods based and more balanced. When I was younger I could get away with a lot more. Now if I don’t even enough or enough variety I will generally feel kind of crappy.
The hardest part of my transition when I did it was family and friends.
I love that you are doing this Angela! Look at how many people you are helping! Wow. I love your advice-spot on. ;)
Great post! I think a lot of these ideas apply to any dietary changes someone is approaching. I’m currently trying to heal my gut and have removed dairy (already had it mostly out), gluten, processed soy, corn, and a few other items. While I didn’t take baby steps, it can obviously ease the transition. I really like your advice on stocking the pantry (haha I JUST got home from the grocery store doing this) and focusing on what you add. Doing this also helps you be your own teacher and gain confidence in a new skill and lifestyle. Your list makes the changes attainable. :)
Completely accidental and pretty much cold turkey. I was an omnivore in a food rut and looking at vegan blogs for new recipes to enjoy the vegetables I eat. I made several great recipes and when I realized I had gone three days without any animal products I just kept going. It’s been about 3.5 months and my family is getting used to it although my mother jokingly hopes it is a phase.
So excited by this series Angela. Thanks for sharing (even more) of your wisdom with us. I’ve been vegetarian for years but vegan for only a few months–I know there’s still plenty to learn!
Thank you SO much for this post! You are such an inspiration. Even though I’m not sure if I’ll be riding the vegan train yet, I’ve been struggling with a junk food addiction/under eating for a long time and am working on changing my eating lifestyle and my view of food in general, and these tips are great!! It’s silly, but it’s so nice to read that I’m going to slip up and that it’s ok, and not to focus on that but on the GOOD changes I’m slowly making. One step at a time, for sure! Thanks again and happy New Year!
for medical reasons I changed my diet completely about a year ago. I gave up all red meat and all dairy, but I still kept a bit of chicken and fish. Since then I have given up all chicken too. I eat a low fat plant based diet with some fish.
The fish seems to be an integral part of the diet I need for my medical condition. I think about giving it up, but until I am sure I can find the right amount of replacement I will keep the fish for now.
I love this new way of eating. I make all kinds of great foods and I have found many on your site too. I have shared a lot on Facebook, and in our small town, we have a once a month vegan meal. i can usually eat just about everything there.
What surprised me the most was, as I learned about this way of eating, I picked up information about cruelty to animals, that I kinda, sorta always knew, but didn’t really face. I have become much more of an activist around that issue, especially farm animals.
Who knew my life would change this way. I really think I have a good chance of holding back my symptoms and of dodging some of the big bullets. Forks Over Knives was also very encouraging.
Hi Angela! I am looking for your post around a year ago where you decorated your lunch/dinner table very festively and it was all red and very nice.. I’d like it for some ideas but I can’t seem to find it anymore! Do you think you know what i’m talking about and perhaps link it to me? Thank you :)
I love this topic and all the discussion. I went vegan over night after reading “the kind diet”. That was two years ago and I it was the best choice I have ever made. We eat only vegan at home but I find it really hard when we are out at other people’s houses. They often go to the effort to make me something vegetarian but will add eggs or cheese. I hate to make people feel bad for trying but it isn’t what I want to eat. HELP! how do others deal with this?
I wouldn’t call myself vegan, but rather I’m trying to focus on a plant-based diet. This might seem like semantics. For me I think it’s a difference of intention.
Anyway, my biggest struggle has been giving up cheese. I thought I would miss drinking milk, but no. Cheese is the only dairy I really crave. I’m looking forward to reading more about how you managed these cravings during the transition. Thanks for a great post!
I’m also turning 30 this year and decided last year to adopt a mostly vegan diet after reading Omnivore’s Dilemma, The China Study, and The Lucky Ones. Most of the recipes I use are from your blog and I now have a crowd at work that is eager to try my “exotic” vegan lunches. Anyone can do it… and I live in cowtown y’all!
I know you’ve mentioned this on the blog a few times, but I still can’t believe you didn’t know how to cook 4years ago! Your recipes are always delicious and flavorful. I’ve yet to make one that isn’t a flop ( unlike many others out there) and I find it amazing that you are self taught. I consider myself to be a decent cook but I almost always cook from a recipe. You’ve actually inspired me to start experimenting and cook with an overall idea versus a prescriptive recipe.
My process with vegetarianism has always been gradual. I stopped eating meat when I was 12, but in my early 20s I had all sorts of variations of eating. When I had my daughter, I got serious. I just couldn’t see feeding her something that I knew was so bad for her. So, we launched into full vegetarianism 2.5 years ago. My husband had some cholesterol problems, which led us to reduce dairy (which changed his cholesterol overnight). For the New Year, I am looking to reduce to no dairy at home, and eating vegan when we can out and about. Eventually, I can see us becoming a vegan family. So, I guess we do things gradually with purpose. And like you said, we don’t beat ourselves up if we slip, we just look forward to the next meal. I found being gradual and forgiving means less slip ups.
One way that I keep myself motivated is that I interject books/movies/etc every couple of months to help remind me and motivate me. On my blog, I have a list of books, movies, and sources to help readers http://vegetariansalmon.wordpress.com/educate-yourself/
I love reading others’ journeys to the vegan lifestyle. I went cold turkey at the beginning of the summer, much to my extended family’s horror right before I went out to visit them haha! For me, though, the transition wasn’t too far from my regular diet. My parents went vegetarian when I was 9, so I enjoyed 20 years of home cooked vegetarian meals. Watching my parents cook was always a fun past time, so when I moved out on my own I rarely turned to fast food or restaurants. My current roommate hasn’t minded being a vegetarian guinea pig to some of my random meal ideas, though she’s more wary of the vegan meals. I do love exploring things to do with kale, though. It has become my absolute favorite leafy veggie and I I issued myself a challenge to a week of kale in every meal, although I’m still working on how to best prepare it with my steel-cut oats for breakfast… it’s a crazy idea, but it’s actually not bad! Just needs some work lol!
I think someone above said it best. Becoming vegan isn’t a diet, it’s just how you choose to eat and live :)
Now. I will admit, sometimes I do like faux-analogs, but I i like MAKING them a lot more. (ie: chickpea cutlets, seitan, etc). and I DO put TVP crumbles/SoyCurls etc in that category, but I do head towards more legumes and stuff as well. It’s about balance :)
Cheese, actually, wasn’t that tough for me to give up. Not with Daiya out there. (YUMMY!). and books on how to make your own. :)
But I think just information like this (Angela’s blog was what prompted me to be vegan), is just key. Find it, and you will become vegan. :D
Oh! Clara – this is what I do
(and it’s funny, because my two best friends are 1: Allergic to Soy and 2: Allergic to Walnuts and Cashews (which are like two vegan staple nuts).
When I’m invited, I kindly remind them that I am vegan, which means, no animals/no animal byproducts (including honey for me). I tell them the truth, that it’s two fold. I AM sensitive to animal byproducts (1/2 reason why I went vegan, not vegetarian), so it will make me sick.
I read that there are some vegans who WILL eat it, to be polite, but then just take them aside, and remind them of the No Animal/No Animal Byproduct.
Another option is to bring a dish (enough to share!) so you know you have an option. :)