Changing to a Vegan Diet

This is where we reveal the secrets of how to become a vegan in five easy steps!

Actually, there are no five easy steps. And there is no right way. Each person needs to discover individually what strategies work best.

Things do not change; we change. -- Henry David Thoreau

Like any change in life, moving from a diet which includes animal products to one which consists solely of plant-based foods requires a clear sense of why you are doing this. Being in touch with your motivating factors will help give you the drive to see the change through.

Fast or Gradual?

Some people choose a ‘cold tofurky’ approach whereby they make a choice to not consume any animal products from that point forward. If you have a strong determination and nutritional knowledge base, this approach can work well. It can prevent you from falling into the trap where your transition is so gradual that you never actually make it all the way and, instead, end up sliding back into your original eating habits. An immediate change provides a sense of accomplishment – right from Day One, you’ve achieved your goal of becoming vegan. It is critical, though, to be aware of the nutritional requirements; otherwise your body may experience the dietary change as a shock, and will eventually start to rebel -- in the form of lagging energy, impaired immune system function and even disease. These setbacks can affect one’s determination to continue with a plant-based diet. If you already have healthy eating habits, it is just a matter of finding equivalent plant-based sources for the nutrients your body needs.

If you are determined and make the change immediately, take note: Many people have a period of digestive upsets during the beginning few months. Plants are very efficiently digestible – whoosh! – as compared to animal products. So you know what to expect. It’s normal. But it can, for some, present a challenge if your work doesn’t allow for frequent bathroom trips. You are just beginning with a vegan diet, and your body is naturally cleansing itself.

Also, suddenly introducing large quantities of soy products into the diet may cause a physical intolerance. It’s impossible to stress enough how important it is to get a varied vegan diet. Vegan buffets (offered by some Asian restaurants) are a great help, and so is getting a great cookbook.

To be able to make this transition work, some people see themselves as committed vegans immediately, but work it out over a period of a few months. Here are the ways in which that has been done:

• Cut out animal products in groups, one week or one month at a time until the transition is complete, starting with whichever ones happen to be easiest to drop.

• Work with short-term goals and then expand them. For example: “I’m going to eat only plant-based foods for one month.” At the end of that month, one renews the commitment and makes a six-month commitment. By then, it should be possible to complete the change. This can work for people who feel overwhelmed by a lifetime change. It enables the experience of a plant-based lifestyle without the fear of failure that can accompany long-term commitment. The key is to maintain a continuous level of short-term commitment rather than looking at it as a once a month chance to ‘cheat’ on a diet.

• If you just aren’t ready to give up one particular animal product, give up all the other ones and work on the remaining one when you are ready. At first, some people just can’t fathom their coffee without cream, no matter how many dairy substitutes they try. If that’s the case, let it go for now and work on eating a healthful, vegan diet in all other aspects. At some point it will likely start to bother you that you’re always just one step away from a vegan diet. As you learn more about the dairy industry, you will naturally reach a point where you just won’t want the cream anymore. This is a far more useful approach than telling yourself, “I can’t live without my cream so I’m just not going to even try to be vegan.” [Tip: When in the grocery store, if you find yourself gravitating to the dairy section, imagine the calf who is taken away from the cow so that the cow’s milk can be taken and the cow can be re-inseminated. Now, say to yourself, preferable aloud: “Calf, I don’t care.” One of our activists did this exactly once; it was the end of looking at the dairy products for this activist!]

You may want to think about other changes you’ve successfully accomplished in your life and follow a similar approach. If you’ve had success in the past with overnight change then maybe you’ll want to try that route again. If you feel more comfortable with a gradual, methodical approach, then follow that. Either way, it is important to have a clear vision of the change you want to accomplish and maintain a positive attitude towards that process. Here are a few tips to help you along.

Tips for the Body

• Addictions. An important point to keep in mind is that it takes time to reinforce new habits and you may experience temporary setbacks. Because of the addictive nature of some animal products, particularly dairy products – which are obviously meant by nature in the first place to be highly comforting and attractive to animals, as a biological survival mechanism – it may take some time to overcome the natural opiate compounds that your body has learned to crave. There is also evidence suggesting that fatty foods and processed foods may also be addictive,^[1] , ^[2] so if you’re used to high-fat animal foods, you may notice your body craving those foods. The craving is not because you are naturally carnivorous or because you’re missing crucial nutrients only supplied in animal products, but rather because your body is seeking its fix. You may want to find some healthy vegan comfort foods that will feel nurturing to your body and make you happy. They won’t be a substitute for the opiates found in dairy, but they will ease the process of breaking the addiction. And speaking of addictions, read this if you love chocolate and want to ensure your choco-habits are not bringing harm to humans as well as other animals.

• Health concerns . It is important to free your mind from concerns that a vegan diet will be nutritionally deficient. If you choose a healthy balance of food, you will have optimal health as a vegan. In fact, as many studies show, a vegan diet can reduce the likelihood of cancer, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, coronary heart disease and a host of other dis-eases. It is critical that you do some reading to understand how to assure proper nutritional intake. For example, if you are used to getting your essential fatty acids (EFAs) from the fish you used to eat, you will need to research what vegan foods will provide you with those nutrients. Nuts, seeds, and flax seed oil are all examples of common EFA sources for vegans. Flax waffles are a popular choice.

As you start to change, and even for years afterwards, you will be presented with people’s biases and concerns.

“You won’t get enough B12 eating plants.”
“You’ll become anaemic.”
“But how will you get enough protein?”

If you are aware of your nutritional facts, then when friends and family express their concerns, you can educate both them and yourself.

• Satisfying your belly . Some people shift into a vegan diet by substituting animal products with meat and dairy analogues (e.g., Tofurky, mock meats, soy cheese, etc.). Many of these plant-based foods bear close resemblance to animal products in texture, appearance and taste, and can satisfy cravings. Make sure you read the labels though because some are composed of additives that may be no better for your health than the animal products they mimic. A further concern is that some products are created with lactose-intolerant people in mind, rather than vegans, and still contain animal products such as casein. Whey, gelatine, and buttermilk also show up in a lot of ingredients lists when you look carefully. While you are becoming more familiar with the array of vegan foods out there, carrying a non-vegan ingredients list with you when you shop can help ensure you’re not unknowingly consuming animal-based foods such as animal-based gelatine or cochineal (believe it or not, crushed beetles used in a common red food dye).

• Don’t be a junk food vegan . It is astounding how much mainstream junk food is actually vegan. Many varieties of chips and cookies contain no animal products. What they do contain is lots of chemicals and additives. Just because something is vegan doesn’t automatically mean that it’s good for you. Beware the pitfall of filling up on tasty vegan tortilla chips and vegan doughnuts and missing out on the full range of nutrients your body needs. Because many store-bought meat analogues are full of chemicals, you may want to try home-made substitutes which use ingredients like grains, nuts, seeds, or nutritional yeast to create just the right taste and texture. Many vegans find they are happy just eating natural foods which don’t try to mimic anything – they are just being their own delicious selves.

Tips for the Mind

• Decide with conscious awareness . When you focus on something, you create thought energy. If your thoughts are saying, “Well, I’d really like to be a vegan and I really want to save cows but what if I have cravings for my Mac and Cheese or what if I get sick?” While those are great questions to ask yourself with an open-mind and an answer-seeking attitude, if you focus on those thoughts without a clear intent to overcome them, they will become a reality.

• Motivation . Know why you are making this change and why it is important. A video such as The Witness can reinforce the connection between food and the animals who are turned into products. Being around friends or community who share your motivation can be an immensely positive force.

Tips for the Soul

• Be good to yourself. Find treats to nurture yourself with that don’t involve animal products. If you’re craving a cheese pizza, make yourself some tasty vegan food and allow yourself the chance to have a nap in a sunny hammock or read a book you’ve been longing to read but never make the time for. You may wish to start that new art class you’ve been tempted by. Many people find that when they change their diet, their whole lifestyle changes for the better.

• Treat yourself to high quality. Take the time to experiment with tasty, new dishes that will add variety to your diet and make the change to vegan food a most enjoyable one. Use good quality ingredients such as fresh, organic vegetables.

A Word for the Fashion-Conscious

It is easy to find animal friendly clothing - and often some very funky items. Canvas sneakers are hip, hemp rags are rad, and purses made of recycled rubber are all the rage. Check out our page on vegan fashion [still to come] to find out how you can be stylishly vegan.

Footnotes