There has never been a better time to go vegan. We\u2019re all slowly catching on in our own time that there are innumerable benefits for the planet, animals and ourselves. Luckily there are more options and resources than ever before that you can take advantage of in your efforts to make this positive lifestyle change. That\u2019s not to say the prospect of changing your eating habits and going vegan isn\u2019t still daunting though! Becoming vegan requires shifting the way you do and think about things in many areas of your life and it\u2019s easy to get bogged down. Knowing that\u00a0we\u2019ve put together some top tips on how to become a vegan without feeling phased.<\/p>\n

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1. It\u2019s Not A Race<\/h2>\n

Everyone has their own reasons for going vegan, once you\u2019ve decided to make the change you\u2019re likely to be super keen and motivated to make the changes all at once and that\u2019s great. BUT, you\u2019ve got to remember you\u2019ve spent many years feeding your body in a certain way, and you\u2019ll have grown accustomed to your old diet.<\/p>\n

It’s absolutely vital that when you\u2019re starting out on cutting out animal produce you take it slow initially for your own health. Going cold turkey (or cold tofu \u2013 harhar) works well for many, but just be aware that you might suffer from detox symptoms if you go all out too soon. Many people try it in stages, first cutting out red meat, then poultry, then dairy etc. to ease their bodies into it. There\u2019s absolutely no rush, whatever works best for you is the right way. It can be very overwhelming when you start to think about\u00a0how to become a vegan.<\/p>\n

2. Health First and Foremost<\/h2>\n

As soon as you make major changes to your eating regime and habits, your body is going to need to get the stuff it was previously getting from animal produce, like proteins, vitamins and nutrients from somewhere else. You\u2019ll be trading animal produce for foods such as pulses, vegetables, grains and meat substitutes. It\u2019s really important that you keep it balanced when you make the changes, do your research and your body will thank you. If you know for instance that you used to eat quite a bit of red meat, you might want to look into buying a multivitamin for vitamin B12 as it only comes from animal produce. Knowing where you can find what your body needs will make you feel a lot better as you make the changes.<\/p>\n

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3. Restock your Pantry<\/h2>\n

Suddenly having to cook a whole new repertoire of meals and food types can be incredibly daunting. Where the hell do you start? The best preparation you can do in anticipation of your transformation into the vegan equivalent of Gordon Ramsay is FILLING your pantry and spice cupboard. The secret to good vegan cooking lies in the subtle spicing and flavourings that come from having a little bit of every spice at your fingertips. A good dish can be transformed into a great one, and a crap dish can at least be made to taste vaguely of curry. Have your pulses, grains, pasta and noodles at the ready, have your tins of chopped tomatoes and cartons of pasata ready. When it comes to trying out a new recipe, you\u2019ll be able to quickly check that you\u2019ve got all the fiddly bits and just nip out for the fresh ingredients.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Bhv9B7aDLLs\/?tagged=spices<\/p>\n

4. Diverse Simplicity<\/h2>\n

Do not go OTT immediately. It\u2019s hard enough to cook a complicated meal without changing your eating habits and changing what you can eat. It\u2019s really important that you keep it simple to begin with so you don\u2019t put yourself off through your own potentially dodgy creations. Master the basics, keep it broad but simple. Learn what you love in the first instance, figure out what you can rework from your old diet. What simple substitutions can be made? You might find that actually lots of what worked for you before becoming vegan can be adapted! That will make the transition phase a lot easier, but no worries if not. If in doubt keep it simple. Vegan cheese exists FYI, it\u2019s a game changer, think of all the substituting you can do with that.<\/p>\n

5. Check out Vegan Restaurants<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019re feeling pretty happy in your own kitchen and potentially bored to death of your own creations, start keeping an eye out when you head to vegan restaurants. Inspiration will strike and they\u2019ll probably be happy to explain how they made whichever dish you love! To stay sane you\u2019re definitely going to need a good handful of great vegan restaurants\/takeaways, as everybody needs a treat some time. If you’re struggling with\u00a0how to become a vegan, consult others!<\/p>\n

6. Make it Social<\/h2>\n

Whether or not your friends have made the same choice to become a vegan as you have, there\u2019s nothing better than getting to together for a dinner party or even organising a \u2018Come Dine With Me\u2019 style event where you take it in turns cooking for the group. Without a doubt, it\u2019s a laugh to cook for your friends and have them rate it, at the very least you can be smug at the standard of your amazing vegan dishes. If your non-vegan pals are curious as to how you made your food, you can teach them your ways and pass on the wisdom. Learning\u00a0how to become a vegan doesn’t have to be so hard!<\/p>\n

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7. Don\u2019t Stress<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a damn big lifestyle change. You\u2019re going to have rough times where you feel terrible. Maybe you had a \u2018cheat\u2019 day and eat a whole slice of brie (you know who you are) and that\u2019s ok! Sometimes people take years making the transition from non-vegan to vegan. Either way, you’ve got to remember that it\u2019s all positive and you definitely shouldn\u2019t stress about it. Don\u2019t overthink it, there is no prescribed way in which you have to be in order to be vegan. Enjoy the changes and the learning that has to take place in order to live in the way you\u2019ve set out to.<\/p>\n

Let us know what you think of these tips on\u00a0how to become a vegan in the comments below!<\/h5>\n

Featured image source: weheartit.com<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There has never been a better time to go vegan. We\u2019re all slowly catching on in our own time that there are innumerable benefits for the planet, animals and ourselves. Luckily there are more options and resources than ever before that you can take advantage of in your efforts to make this positive lifestyle change.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24460,"featured_media":124637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[8236,9424,8174,39,8066,8552],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-124633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-food","tag-going-vegan","tag-health","tag-how-to","tag-tips","tag-vegan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n