Pre-tip tip: visiting sanctuaries like Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is great motivation on your vegan journey!
It’s that time of year again! The beginning of the year, when we welcome curious new vegans into the fold. Are you trying to make The Big Change but unsure of how to get started? I’m here to help! Here are 12 of my personal tips for new vegans.
This is an update to a post I did in 2011; I’m revising it now based on criticism I’ve heard (thank you!) about how diff people have a diff understanding of what’s “easy.” I feel like some of my tips previously took for granted what’s “easy,” when in truth families and food cultures vary greatly! Essentially, people have diff pressures! So I’ve tried to be more mindful of that. Plus my previous post was like SPEND ALL THAT MONEY! So tryna be more mindful of different people’s economics as well.
Before we get this party started, I’ll just say I’m vegan because I want to do as little harm to animals as possible. The environment and health are great reasons to go vegan but I am vegan because of the animals and that’s what my opinions and ideas will reflect. If you want to learn more about which vegan foods are best for the environment or what’s the healthiest way to be vegan, there are lots of great resources. This probably isn’t one of them.
1. Take it one vegan day at a time!
When you first become vegan, it can be overwhelming to think of all the foods you’ll “never have again.” When the truth is, you can give up veganism tomorrow and have that hotdog or whatever. Like we won’t talk to you anymore but really you can. Plus, you don’t know what the future holds. Since I wrote this original post, you can now buy vegan eggs, vegan havarti, even vegan pork rinds ffs. You really never know what’s coming down the line. So forget about the rest of your life, just focus on today. How are you going to stay vegan today?
2. Find what works for you!
I mean, of course I want to you avoid any non-vegan food or activities but really, if the thing standing between you and veganness is Thanksgiving turkey, EFF IT! Be vegan all the time EXCEPT Thanksgiving turkey! Like of course I care about turkeys but eating vegan 364 days a year is better than never, yahimean? My family is pretty chill about what people want to eat but in other families and cultures, I know food is really important. If you feel like you can’t be vegan because you’ll break your grandmother’s heart at every family occasion, then you figure out what works for you. Maybe you’re only vegan when you cook for yourself. I mean we may pretend otherwise but there are actually no rules.
3. Take a meal inventory!
We often joke about non-vegans saying they could NEVER eat vegan food. We’re like…brah, you never had an apple? In truth, many foods you already eat are vegan or could be easily made vegan. And I read once that people basically have 11 staple meals they rotate between. For me, it’s about three. I like avocado maki, PB and J english muffins, and burritos. So, to start yourself off, think of your staple meals and write down which ones are vegan or could easily be made vegan. You like spaghetti? Add some veggies or meatless meatballs and that’s 1/11 meals right there! Make a list of these things and keep writing them down as you think of them. Once you see all the stuff you CAN eat, instead of just what you can’t, you will feel capable of success!
4. Play the game!
You have to have a good attitude if you want to be a happy vegan like me. If you look at like a game, it’s fun to be vegan! It’s all about big problem-solving! When you’re an omnivore, you can eat anything–what kind of game is that? That’s like playing with blocks when we all know Tetris is more fun! When you’re vegan, you’ve got to figure stuff out and find the best way to win. Are you at a super un-vegan restaurant? Hack their menu to find vegan food! On a road trip? Hunt down the best vegan restaurant in the city! Love mac and cheese? Hold your own vegan mac and cheese recipe contest! When you’re vegan, a simple trip to get ice cream is a fun adventure.
5. Stock up!
Your best defense from “slip-ups” is to be prepared! That means taking your list from tip 2 and getting those ingredients. You need food for meals and food for snacks. People act bonkers when they are hungry. If you have vegan food around that you like, you won’t be so tempted to fall off the wagon when you are hangry. I know many people can’t go to the store and just throw down for a month’s worth of groceries, but planning ahead at all is actually a great way to save money. And if you need tips on shopping vegan on a budget, there are many great resources online (this article looks thorough and helpful). Generally, meat and cheese substitutes are usually pricey. If you’re on a budget, save them for a treat or skip them entirely. You don’t have to eat those to be vegan or healthy.
6. Read ingredients!
While you’re shopping, make sure you read labels for non-vegan ingredients. Easy cheat: most products now have a bolded part at the bottom of the ingredients that lists any allergens–that includes dairy! If I see dairy in this bolded line, I throw the food back on the shelf; if I don’t see dairy in the allergens, I’ll scan the rest of the ingredients to double-check it’s vegan. You will get the hang of this! It’s not so hard! It’s also pretty exciting when you find something that is accidentally vegan.
7. Don’t forget about fruit!
Fruit RULES. When we think of vegan food, sometimes we think about a bunch of veggies and grains–but don’t forget about fruit! I always have bananas, apples, grapes, and clementines around. Fruit brings back the simple joys of childhood! Fruit makes people happy! Plus, most fruit is good to go. No cooking, no fuss. Easy.
8. Get in the kitchen!
If you have the time to cook, any vegan dream can come true! The best way to learn to cook is just to try recipes. I happen to be a fantastical cook and it’s just because I used to hustle threw cookbook after cookbook as a kid. If you already know your way around the kitchen, you have a head start–now you can use new recipes to learn your way around the vegan kitchen! Vegweb has a ton of recipes and really, there are free recipes all over the internet! Even Vegansaurus has recipes! Besides that, there are SO MANY amazing cookbooks. And as soon as you become vegan, all your relatives will probably start giving you vegan cookbooks for every holiday. You’ll be set!
9. Don’t be so center-centered!
Modern food in America often seems so focused on some giant, meaty center of the meal you’re supposed to have. Screw that! Sure, vegan lasagna is great when you can get it, but you don’t need some big main dish to have a meal. Eat some steamed broccoli with some couscous and bean pilaf. Hell, throw in some french fries for good measure! This is 2017, not 1950: you can do whatever you want! You don’t have to be square.
10. Remember why you’re vegan!
This is just in case of emergency! Anytime I feel down about being vegan, nothing snaps me out of it more than watching those super-awful undercover factory farm videos. Seriously. Really miss dairy cheese? Watch a baby calf at a dairy farm being held down and punched in the face and see if dairy cheese still seems important.
11. Find some pals!
The internet is great for connecting with other vegans! I was reading Vegansaurus long before I was writing for it and it helped me out a lot when I first got to SF. Most cities have vegan groups to join or blogs where you can meet friends. If there are no vegans near you, you can still find an online community. Try just joining a Facebook group or commenting on vegan pages. There’s power in numbers, and they always have your back. Unless you’re in a fight about what’s the best vegan cheese and then shit can get really real, real fast. Don’t cut the omnis out of your life (besides who are the next vegans if not those same omnis?) but it’s always nice to be able to turn to other vegans when you need a hug. Except me, I’m not into touching strangers!
12. Spread the good word to the non-vegans…
…in the form of baked goods! It can be tempting when you first become vegan to tell all the non-vegans about the cruelties you’ve learned about. I’m not going to stop you but tbh that can leave you a bit isolated. My personal favorite form of vegan persuasion is yummy treats! If you can buy some donuts at the vegan bakery near you for your non-vegan friend’s party, not only will you have a treat but you’ll expose your friends to the yumminess of veganhood. If you can’t afford to splurge, baking at home is cheaper and just as yummy!
Seriously, being vegan is the raddest best. It feels so good to know that you’re not contributing to the torture of poor adorable animals. Now give yourself a hug! Hell, feel yourself up! Because you did it! And you will continue to do it! One vegan day at a time.
