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Want to go vegan, but have no idea where to even start?
This guide can help!
We’ve broken downgoing vegan into 5 easy steps(with a 6th step that doesn’t really count because it’s so easy).
By the end, our goal is that you have a solid understanding of the why and the how behind going vegan.
Let’s begin!
Is Going Vegan Hard?
Deciding to adopt a vegan lifestyle can be a daunting and seemingly challenging task.One may think they need to give up all the foods that they love, cut ties with all their non-vegan friends/family, and drive a Prius.
This is simply not the case.
Veganism comes in many different forms, but is grounded in one definition(1):
Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, entertainment or any other purpose.
There are almostinfinite waysto eat a vegan diet, from eating Oreos and drinking Sprite all day, to a more health-conscious version based on whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
For anyone to truly go vegan long-term, they must have the proper reasoning and motivation to do so, and this brings us to our first step on how to go vegan:Learn and Understand the Why.
Read Also: Are Takis Vegan?
Step 1. Learn the Why Behind Adopting a Vegan Diet
People adopt a vegan lifestyle for 3 main reasons:
- Ethical
- Environmental
- Health
Although many people go vegan for number 3 (health reasons), having a reason beyond yourself makes sticking to the lifestyle and avoiding temptations much easier.
Ethical Reasons
As per the definition of veganism, avoiding cruelty and exploitation of animals is the most compelling reason to go vegan.
150 billion+ animals each year are slaughtered every year for the sake of our own consumption, a truly staggering number.(2)
From fish to chicken to pigs, all vertebrates share the same ability to feel pain.(3)
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Meat is the Corpses of Other Sentient Beings
Meat eaters will consume about 7,000 animals over the course of their lifetime.Your personal choice
doeshave an important effect on the world around you.If you cannot be the change you want to see in the world, how can you expect others to change?
Not only are the animals killed, but they are subjected to a life of misery and torture since the day they are born.
Many people find it easy to brush these facts to the side, but imagine if your beloved dog or cat was being sent off to slaughter – your feelings would no doubt change.
Extreme suffering is just that, and once you know the pain and torture that your meat has gone through, it becomes increasingly difficult to consume it with a clear conscious.
For an in-depth perspective off the full truth behind the animal agriculture industry, we highly recommend the documentary Earthings which can be viewed directly on YouTube.
Environmental Reasons
Animal Agriculture is one of the most resource consuming and greenhouse gas emitting industries.
The information we’re shown on environmental issues tends to be greatly skewed and tends to ignore the staggering truth behind animal agriculture. Many people simply don’t know “the inconvenient truth” behind the food products that are familiarly and comfortably consumed on a daily basis.
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The Facts About Animal Agriculture and Climate Change are Staggering
The fact is, the act of feeding, transporting and slaughtering animals is a huge burden on resources as well as a major contributor to environmental destruction.
Livestock and their byproducts are responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions, while transportation only accounts for 13% . (4),(5),(6),(7) Most water in the United States is used for animal agriculture, with growing feed crops for animals accounting for 56% of US water consumption. (8)
Many so-called “environmentalists” will make you feel guilty for driving your car or running the shower too long, but just taking a look at the figures below shows how off-base those claims are. The consumption of animal products is a far greater threat to the environment than almost any other activity that we humans partake in.
We encourage you to check out some of these facts and figures below as well as their sources to help educate yourself on the truth behind the destructive nature of the animal agriculture industry.
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Gallons of Water Required
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Outcome
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477 Gallons of Water
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1 Pound of Eggs
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900 Gallons of Water
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1 Pound of Cheese
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1000 Gallons of Water
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1 Gallon of Milk
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2500 Gallons of Water
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1 Pound of Beef
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660 Gallons of Water
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2 Months of Showering
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Amount of land needed to feed a vegan for a year is 1/6th of an acre, whereas a meat acre requires 18 acres of food.
For those who want to dive deeper into the environmental side of veganism, we highly recommend starting with a documentary called Cowspiracy.
Cowspiracy Trailer
The full documentary is available on Netflix or available directly from the filmmaker’s website.
Health Reasons
While one of the more controversial subjects of veganism, the topic of health and veganism can lead many people astray. Despite conflicting opinions from bloggers and online news websites, scientific consensus is clear.
The American Dietetic Association, which is the largest body of food and nutrition professionals, state that:
Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. (8)
A common argument against veganism is that our ancestors ate meat, which helped us evolve into humans, and therefore we are designed to do so. However, this is a misrepresentation and misunderstanding of what the research indicates.
Research done by the University of Sydney details how cooked starches played a huge role in our evolutionary development and provided our brain the high-demand of glucose it needs, suggesting the “Paleo Diet” many people follow today is not actually the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. (9)
In addition, one of the common characteristics of the longest living cultures in the world, known as the Blue Zones, is that they all eat a predominately plant based diet, centered around legumes, along with daily light exercise and socialization.
These cultures all ate upwards of a 95% plant based diet, mainly reserving meat for celebratory occasions. One section of the Blue Zones, the California 7th Day Adventists, ate no meat at all.
A 13 year study of this population concluded they have “perhaps the highest life expectancy of any formally described population.” (11)
This presentation “Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death” gives a brief journey into what the actual peer-reviewed scientific literature says about the effects of vegan diets.
Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death by Dr. Michael Gregor
Another great documentary to watch on this topic is Forks over Knives.
To conclude, we’ve briefly discussed:
- The longest living cultures in the world consume little to no animals
- Adopting a plant-based diet can reverse or prevent our most deadly diseases (detailed in video above)
- We can end the suffering and death of billions of sentient beings each year
- Animal agriculture is destroying the rain forest, wasting water resources, and polluting the environment more than anything else on the planet
With all of these factors in mind, adopting a vegan lifestyle is the single most impactful decision one can make to reduce environmental harm, animal suffering, and chronic disease.
After you’ve learned about the many reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle and decided you are ready to make the change, the next step is to begin your transition!
Step 2: Decide How To Transition
Depending on your situation and preference, transitioning into veganism can be done overnight or gradually. While eating vegan is very easy and hassle-free once you’ve got the hang of it, one needs to accept that transitioning to veganism after eating a standard western diet for decades may require a bit of extra effort starting out.
However, this shouldn’t be treated as a daunting task, but rather an exciting opportunity to explore new recipes and cuisines!
Overnight Transition
The overnight transition, while the most ambitious, may be the preference of some who feel strongly about adopting a vegan lifestyle and want to put it into effect right away.
When doing this, it is important to have a basic plan of what meals you plan to make, what you plan to shop for, and where you can eat.
This will be discussed in more depth shortly.
Finish the Remainder of Your Animal Based Foods
Another method is to slowly transition to veganism by working through all the remaining animal products left in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. This will give you some time to wean yourself off animal products and slowly incorporate more plant based dishes into your daily routine.
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Reaching the Finish Line is the Most Important Thing
While doing this, it is important to identify your favorite comfort foods and learn how to create a vegan version of these foods.
By the time you’ve consumed all the animal products left in your home, you will have a great understanding of how to shop and cook vegan!
Slowly Adjust Your Diet
Another way to become accustomed to plant based eating is to incorporate plant based meals slowly into your life day by day.This will allow you to gradually learn how to eat plant based meals and become accustomed to full days of vegan eating.
An example of this would be to start eating completely vegan on Mondays, and the rest of the week you are free to eat how you like.
You would then gradually incorporate more days with full vegan eating until you’re ready to fully commit!
A variation of this would be to transition meal by meal, e.g. only eat vegan for breakfast, then breakfast and lunch, then breakfast lunch and dinner.
Step 3: Learn How To Shop
While many think going vegan requires having to go to health food stores to shop and only eating at a few specialty restaurants.This is far from the truth.
One great advantage of transitioning to veganism these days is how easy it is to find vegan options at every grocery store and the majority of restaurants.
Check out ourprintable vegan grocery list to make it easy!
While transitioning, we recommend trying….
Meat Substitutes
While transitioning, we recommend trying out a few different brands of meat substitutes that taste and feel nearly identical to real meat.Most of these brands can be found at your local supermarket/Walmart.A few great ones to start out with are:
- Gardien
- Beyond Meat
- Bubba Burger Vegan Burger
You can use the store locators on the website above to see if those brands are carried in a supermarket near you which they most likely are.
Tofu, Tempeh, and Seitan are also great for using in place of meat for various recipes.You can cook them in the same sauces and spices you would meat to achieve an amazing, healthy new meal to your diet.If you’re going to cook tofu at home, using atofu pressis great for achieving the right texture.
Not sure where to get tempeh yourself? Check out our guide on where to buy tempeh right now!
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