Start Small
You don’t need to go vegan overnight; if you do, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed with new information and choices. Start slow by simply replacing some of your meals and common ingredients with vegan versions.
Some people find success in eating one vegan meal a day, others may begin by eating vegan 4 days a week, and some may go totally vegan overnight.
Much of it depends on your personal motivation and commitment. If you love to cook, there are a variety of vegan cookbooks on the market today specializing in dishes to please meat eaters.
If
you are used to eating foods such as chicken sandwiches and hot dogs,
there are many delicious meat free versions out there that will satisfy
your cravings. Check out your refrigerated and freezer sections of your
local grocery store; many carry a variety of vegan convenience foods
such as burgers, tofurkey roasts, sausages, hot dogs, deli-style slices,
cheeses, and more that are 100% plant based. There are even frozen
pizzas and burritos available that are vegan; be sure to scope out your
grocery store's freezer section and see what they have in stock.
You may be pleasantly surprised.
Begin by
taking inventory of your own staple foods in your kitchen. How many can
be replaced with equally delicious vegan alternatives? Milk is an easy
one to start with as there is a variety of nondairy milks available at
many grocery stores. Soy milk and almond milk are two popular choices,
but many other milks such as hemp, cashew, rice, coconut, and oat also
exist and each have subtle differences in taste and texture.
Experiment with a few varieties until you find
one that you love, and use it in cooking, baking, and cereal topping
just as you would cow’s milk. This tactic works well for other vegan
replacements foods such as sour cream, cream cheese, veggie burger
crumbles, chicken nuggets, or burger patties. Field Roast and Gardein
are two excellent brands for those who crave an authentic meaty texture.
When
making dishes at home--such as pasta, tacos, or stir fry--one easy
trick is to replace meat, such as ground beef, with sautéed mushrooms,
beans, or veggie burger crumbles. TVP is also a very inexpensive option
that can be found in many natural food stores. TVP is usually located on
shelves next to the whole grains and organic shelf stable foods. Simply
rehydrating TVP for 5 to 10 minutes will yield a meaty base that can be
seasoned as you desire.Pick up vegetable bouillon at the market instead of chicken or beef flavored. Try a few varieties of nondairy yogurt. Vegan ice cream has come a long way since the beginning days of veganism, and chances are your local grocer carries a plethora of options, including Tofutti, Tempt, Luna and Larry’s and more. Toss a few of these delicious confections into your shopping cart if you’re feeling deprived on a vegan diet.
Sometimes foods labeled “Non-Dairy” are vegan and sometimes they are not. Check labels for sneaky hidden ingredients.
Try New Foods
The best part of transitioning to a vegan diet is the opportunity to try out so many foods that you may have never tried as an omnivore. Tempeh and Tofu are two very common vegan foods that can be used and prepared in a variety of ways. Check out a few vegan cookbooks from your library and get cooking! Take a stroll through your local farmers market or even your favorite grocery store’s produce section and choose a variety of vegetables that are new to you. You’ll find plenty of fun vegetables, grains and preparation techniques that will get you excited about eating vegan.
When eating out, seek out restaurants that naturally have a lot of vegan menu items, such as Italian (pasta and marinara), Japanese (vegetable sushi), Indian (choose veggie dishes without ghee or cream), and Thai (tofu curries). If you’ve never tried a menu item before, give it a chance, you may just find a few new favorites.
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