A Beginner’s Guide for Transitioning into Veganism

So, you want to become vegan but you don’t want to spend a ton of money or completely turn your life upside down? Here are a few tips to help you along the way:

Consider going lacto-ovo-pescaterian to start. What the heck does that mean? It means consider being a vegetarian first. Keep eggs, dairy and seafood in your diet, but cut out all other meat. Then when you feel ready, try dropping them one by one and replacing them with an alternate protein source.

Replace staple items with vegan substitutes as you consume them. It can be very expensive to replace all your staples (butter, sugar, milk, cheese, cooking oils, meat etc.) in one trip. Instead, replace them as you run out. Your wallet will thank you.

Integrate vegan items into your diet one by one. Finding a brand of soy milk or vegan cheese that you really like can be a trial and error process. So take your time, or else you are likely to spend a lot of money, get frustrated with the results, and give up all together.

The transition into veganism won’t be a permanent lifestyle change if you turn it into a negative experience. If you completely change your diet overnight and spend a lot of money on products you don’t like, you are more apt to throw your hands up and go back to wolfing down hamburgers and chicken strips.

Avoid the all or nothing mindset. To quote Jonathan Safran Foer of “Eating Animals”, imagine living a life where you either lied or told the truth 100% of the time. It would be ridiculous! No one applies such an extreme point of view to other moral spheres, so why do it with your diet? If you make just a few positive food choices a week, you have done something worthwhile. You do not have to be a hardcore vegan to make a difference and to reap the results!

Join a community! If you are reading this, you are already on the right path because you’ve joined the Vegan Project community. Getting in touch with other vegans is a great way to gain support (especially important if your friends/family aren’t vegan), learn insider tips and tricks, and to generally stay motivated. Remember, you are not alone! If you are facing a vegan challenge, chances are someone else has already gone through it and you can learn from their experiences!

.…..For a list of some common vegan replacements that are available in the greater Vancouver region, stay tuned for “A Dummies Guide to Vegan Replacements”.

Courtesy of Contributor Jenny Duffy

~The Vegan Project

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