How to Start a Vegan Diet

The key word in the title of this short article is “start.”

Think of it like this. The problem with most diets is that you don’t start them. Even when most people have the initiative to begin a diet, most don’t continue long enough to get the true benefits. Why would it be any different with a vegan diet?

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So, if you’re considering starting life with vegan meals, go ahead and start now, but keep in mind the diet will become easier to follow as you go from week to week. Some individuals report they’ve found week three to be a key “milestone” in their journey to living vegan. At that point, they state eating only vegan meals can become effortless, like any good habit developed over time.

A Lot to Learn: How to Start a Vegan Diet

It’s very important for the person who begins a vegan diet to have support, from friends and family members, as well as from a good diet program. You can learn a lot more about this when you visit The Vegan Miracle.

You may not immediately know all the tips and guidelines for living the vegan lifestyle, but you will learn them as you move forward. When you stick with it through the first three or four weeks, you’ll be past the most difficult part – getting started – and will have enough information and experience to stay vegan. But it must be something you really want to do.

One guideline, or bit of advice, you might find helpful is this: Think about pushing meat, eggs, and milk out of your diet. Don’t approach this as if you’re going to just wake up tomorrow and “cut” them out. Think about this as replacing old foods with new foods that taste just fine and are actually very satisfying. Approach your vegan diet as a journey of discovery. As you find new foods that fit your vegan plans, the animal-based items will gradually fade into the past.

There’s a good way to get started if you’re concerned you won’t be able to sustain a vegan diet for the long term. Many people who want to live the vegan lifestyle begin with a transition period that includes a vegetarian menu for each meal.

You can use this excellent transition technique to live as a vegan, without jumping into it all at once. You might also consider setting short-term goals as well as a long-term goal, simply because objectives you can clearly see will be easier to work toward.

Transition

You can be much more successful when you view this as a transition, rather than as a one-time jump that frightens you. You won’t love every new item or menu you try, but you will find foods you enjoy quite a lot and they’ll gradually replace non-vegan items.

You will also find this journey of discovery includes locating new stores and restaurants that will fit your new lifestyle. People who move gradually to the vegan diet also find they develop cooking skills they didn’t know they had, simple procedures that will produce great meals.

As you make this change, keep in mind the best vegan foods and ingredients are not necessarily going to be on the shelves of your regular supermarket or corner grocery store. But you will find some of the “foundation” foods you need, such as tomato sauce, rice, pasta, soymilk, and beans.

You may experience a bit of sticker shock because a supermarket may offer organic items at a higher price, because of the “organic” label. You may be able to find the produce you need at your usual shop, and many of the larger stores are now catering to vegetarian and vegan dieters, with an aisle or part of an aisle devoted to natural foods, even vegan cheese and meat.

The Store

If you have access to a food store that focuses on natural items, you’ll probably have a better experience there than at your usual supermarket. Some of these may turn out to be little more than a shop that pushes vitamins and herbs, so you may need to search a bit to find a shop that has the good selection you’re looking for.

The best of these natural-food stores will make you feel like you’ve found your grocery “home.” Most beginning vegans find they really enjoy buying in bulk, especially for items like granola, nuts, and dried beans.

If you feel you need someone to “hold your hand” in the beginning, you should follow a good program, such as the one found at The Vegan Miracle.