{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
While I may never be a complete vegetarian I endeavor to be what I’ve dubbed a”weekday vegetarian”. I don’t deny myself a meat product if it’s presented to me but the meals I eat at home are almost vegan. It’s been slow and steady for me because I’m the cook for our two person family and he’s a Carnivore. Our record is him eating healthy vegetarian dinner for two weeks without noticing.
Great post, Angela. While I think the health benefits are certainly a huge reason to consider a vegan diet, I was equally motivated by the impact I can have on our environment and the food (meat/dairy) industry by choosing to be vegan. A couple books that I found extremely informative and fueled my passion for a vegan lifestyle are Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer (such an excellent writer, oh my gosh), and Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. The latter is a quicker read, so I’d recommend beginning with that.
And thank you from working vegan mom who loves to cook, but sometimes needs some inspiration (and time!). Chia seriously changed our lives around here (and VOO!). I am looking forward to following this series of posts!
Hello, I enjoyed looking at your blog. Wonderful that you are helping people transition to a vegan diet. If you check out my website you will see that I have written a book “Vegan Bite By Bite” about “how to” transition. I am a 47 year vegetarian and a 32 year vegan. I have been a vegan consultant and chef for 38 years.
The animals need all the help we can give to them!
Wishing you a healthy New Year!
YES – help the animals!! Exactly my reason for the vegan change :)
I really love animals so being vegan for me is just to try and help animals. Full stop.
I was omni for most of my life, didn’t think about anything and I was kinda clueless. Then I was vegetarian for some years and then finally (after finding out about factory farming and the horrific conditions) I transitioned to being vegan over a series of months
I wish I’d done it sooner!
I can’t believe how ignorant and in-the-dark I was about consuming animal products for most of my life–I really regret it so much.
I try to make up for lost time now, cooking up a vegan storm, making stuff that’s vegan for friends and family
I’m also on a low-carb diet though, so sometimes it’s a bit challenging. Finding foods that are both vegan and low-carb is crazy hard some days!
But so far, I’m doing all right I think
P.S. I love this blog and the recipes here:D
Hi! I am new to your site :) Love it! I have been on a VEGAN journey for about 5 months. I am super pleased with it and do not see myself going back! However, I look forward to your post on cheese. That is is my one weakness! I have never had a huge love for yogurt or meats…but I love cheese! At first I was slow at switching my milk over but now I love soy..all sorts, chocolate, vanilla, plain :) They work great in my latte addiction! So I hope you post your dealings with the cheese world and I love your suggestions on packing. Perhaps a post on that sometime!
Hello! I just have to say I LOVE your website. I always use your recipes they are awesome! I am a vegetarian and I would have to say that my story is almost exactly identical to yours. I struggled with an eating disorder and thought that eating healthy was if the package said fat-free, sugar-free, etc… and like I said package! A lot of my food would be processed! I had major stomach problems and was told to do the same to try to avoid meat and dairy. It wasn’t a problem for me either since I was never a big meat eater in the first place. I would say that my transition to be a vegetarian was a gradual shift. Due to my eating disorder I developed Lupus a autoimmune disease. I’ve had Lupus for 12 years now. I just recently launched my website called www.lovelifeandlupus.com. I want to advocate for myself and others. I hope to inspire people to live a healthy lifestyle! Thank you for all you do and thanks for listening to me!
What a great post! I’d love to hear more about how you transitioned “socially” – going out with friends, telling family and in-laws about your decision, and how you made it work when most places are not vegan-friendly. Thanks!! :)
This has been the most difficult part for me! So far I’ve asked hosts if I can bring a dish or two and they’ve been grateful because they weren’t sure how to accommodate other veg guests. Sometimes I don’t tell them what I’ve made is vegan and they haven’t been able to tell (shhh!). I have vegan food handy in my bag and car. You can call ahead to restaurants and see if they have a vegan dish or if they will make something for you – I haven’t done this yet but will soon. Going out vegan is easy if you go Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese, etc. Watch out for fish stock in soups and fish sauce in dipping sauces.
I tried scanning through the comments but didn’t see the resource that inspired me to transition from being vegetarian to vegan and supported me throughout the process: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau! http://www.compassionatecook.com/
She offers an honest and compassionate perspective that helped me open my eyes to the various impacts of consuming things that result from the exploitation of animals. Her podcast (Vegetarian Food for Thought: http://www.compassionatecook.com/publications/vegetarian-food-for-thought-podcast) was what gave me the information, insight and tools to live a more compassionate life.
I have to say that this is the other main resource I’ve used in my transition (and pre-transition). The butternut squash mac’n’cheeze is a recipe I’ve made for others many times and I’m always sharing that recipe – it’s a fave in our household (with the omnivores too)!
I’ve also found this documentary useful and inspiring: Forks Over Knives: http://www.forksoverknives.com/ (and the related Engine 2 Diet: http://engine2diet.com/)
Thank you for your lovely website, beautiful photos and delicious recipes, Angela!
I’ve visited this site infrequently for years – this is my first post however!
I think the easiest way, or at least it works for me, to transition in to a new diet is to take it one meal at a time.
Changing to a vegan breakfast is relatively easy. I tend to opt for porridge (oatmeal!) made with almond/hazlenut milk with a seed mix (sesame, flax, sunflower, pumpkin) and berries. This is by far the nicest breakfast I can think of :)
I haven’t completely transitioned to a vegan/vegetarian diet. Although 80% of my food consumption is.
Thanks for the great tips Adam! One meal at a time is a great way to look at it.
Thanks so much for writing this article. I would not say I am transitioning to vegan or vegetarian in particular. I am trying to find more plant based recipes to incoporate into my diet. I do notice now that I eat more vegetables and consume less diary I feel much better and lighter. At this point I’m trying to keep my animal protein at once per day. This blog as well as others constantly help my find more tastey things to eat in this journey. I’m actually enjoying the vegetables and new things even more than some of my old favorites. I agree with you. So many of the recipes makeovers I find are outstanding. These changes have occurred for me slowly but surely. They are really sticking for me too. I may look up one day and find that I am a vegan before I know it.
Thank you Lori, I appreciate it so much! Congrats on all your changes :) They really add up, eh?
Hi Angela
Thankyou so very much for sharing this. I have been in the process of going vegan for a while now, cutting out meat and dairy gradually, and I used the PETA website to commit to a 30 day vegan challenge. I am finding the process challenging and inspiring. I was vegetarian for 14 years but a very unhealthy vegetarian, mostly existing on milkshakes and chocolate bars. Now I’m trying to educate myself about healthy food and your blog is just amazing. Like you said expecting perfection and being hard on yourself when you slip up is not the way to go… without thinking I ate a biscuit today with dairy in it and was mentally berating myself – must be kind to myself!!
Thanks again, Louise
Wonderful to find your blog today – I was googling for vegan breakfast ideas. I went pesca-vegan about three weeks ago – the fish element is there as a way to compromise w/ my hubby for now – I have gone cold tofurkey but noticed an surge in fake meats/cheeses this past few weeks too (salt city!). I am excited about the homemade recipes you have decided to share, and just excited about your blog in general, hooray!!!
Love your blog! My college-aged daughter has been a vegan for over a year and a vegetarian for the past 10 years, so I had some experience grocery shopping for her and trying to dine out in regular restaurants. I watched Forks Over Knives and then Vegucation, which finally did it for me. I’m doing a 30 day vegan challenge, about 2 weeks in. I haven’t told most people about it because I didn’t think I would make it past the first day. To my surprise, it has been really easy! Things I didn’t expect: my pre-menopausal acne has cleared up, my chronic bowel issues are gone, I have tons more energy, I sleep much better, I’ve dropped 10# (much needed), food tastes so much better, and on and on. I’m pretty sure I’ll continue eating vegan, although I miss yogurt. I appreciate everyone’s comments, it’s good to know others are having the same challenges like people not understanding our choices. Here’s my latest invention vegan salad dressing: 1/3 c white wine vinegar, 2/3 c olive oil, about 1/4 c Earth Balance vegan mayonnaise, 5-6 or more cloves garlic, salt and pepper, 1 T dijon mustard. All whirred in the blender. Yum. I don’t miss meat. Big indulgence was a mock chicken patty sandwich with lettuce and vegan mayonnaise with tofu ice cream with crushed oreos. Thanks!
Hey Mary, Thanks for sharing your experiences! Congrats on all the changes you’ve made to date. So glad you are feeling good!
Thank you for all your tips. You are so inspiring. I have been changing my diet for only 6 months. My boss and very good friend just passed away from cancer. She has changed my ways forever. I like to keep to a 5 percent animal product like in the “China study” book. I’m lucky to live by the beach and buy fresh fish straight off the boats….. It’s great. My other guilty pleasure is cheese. Thank you for this site and all your wonderful recepies. I use your site constantly.
I am vegan now for only 5 days, I went cold Tofurky :)
What made me take the plunge?? I watched a documentary called Vegucated ((http://www.getvegucated.com/) and this changed me forever. I knew how saturated the web is with blogs about how to be a success at just about anything in the world, so I got to Google-ing and fell in love with your blog. So you are a great piece of my success (day 5 and counting!) Thanks for all the variety of dishes, I don’t feel deprived or like I’m cutting meat out, I feel more like I’m adding in a world of food. Thank you!!
(Late to the party as always!)
I started my trip to becoming vegan after being diagnosed in summer 2011 with GERD, IBS, and a small host of other digestive issues. For me, it’s been about reducing the amount of medication I have to take every day… and it has gone down (from about 9 to 3)!
My concern with being vegan is to ensure enough protein intake. Because I’m used to eating fishes all my life. I’m not sure I can take that away from my diet. I guess that it is something I need to work on..
By the way, this is an interesting article and teaches me a great deal..
Angela! Firstly, I have to say that I obsessively check your blog daily. I have cooked nearly 100 of your recipes, and you are an awesome, funny, and captivating writer:) That said, the more my husband and I are outloud living vegan (him 75% me about 90%) People are feeling the need to argue with me about my decisions “where do you get yoru protein, they say no dairy and meat is bad for you, it’s gross and too expensive”. Yada yada. Some of these comments are coming from people I care about and respect. How did you handle that when you started? And tips would be greatly appreciated, because I dont plan on stoppin!
Reading everyone’s comments on how they enjoy going vegan has been very inspiring! I have many food sensitivities ( soy, dairy, eggs, gluten, sesame, seeds, certain nuts, and some grains such as chia, and quinoa, and for a while oats) and since I don’t like meat very much I’ve decided to try veganism. My only worry is about my athletics. I’m a runner who had a severe crash at the end of my last cross country season due to lack of iron and protein. My family blames this on the fact that I wasn’t eating enough meat. But I don’t like meat very much and feel gross after eating it. My family, for a while, was basically vegan (without calling it that– we just forgot to add meat to our meals!). I’m looking for ways to get adequate protein and iron without eating nuts and seeds (and meat) but am having a difficult time finding high-protein meals (and snacks, but breakfast has been the most difficult) without a form of soy (such as tofu) or nuts. I don’t know if anyone has similar allergies but suggestions would be great!
Thank you for a stimulating, honest and enjoyable blog! Our family has a range of appetites; we have strict vegans, “vegetari-ams” (no meat for breakfast! – hey, it’s a start!), full vegetarians, and onmivores. We all know the value of eating better, and our nutritional journeys pull us forward in constant (if painfully slow) improvement. This is where you come in to inspire- YAY!
I would like to set forth a challenge to you with the intent of keeping it real for the sincerely interested wannabes who just can’t find a way to start the process. You’ve posted great things: how to stock your pantry, fantastic recipes, gorgeously inspiring pictures… how about one week’s recipes complete with a Walmart grocery list? It doesn’t get more real than that. Those with limited access to grocery selections who are locked into hectic schedules need to get a “cheatsheet” to see the possibilities… Just a jumpstart list of one week’s menu with recipes, paired with a grocery list that can be taken to the grocery aisles of Walmart or Target… and …. oooh think of the empowerment!
My friendly gauntlet has been flung. :)