AKA 5 ways to make the vegan transition easier.
So, you have decided to go vegan for New Years and you have no idea what to do? Or you are a little intimidated by thousands of #smoothiebowl pics on Instagram?
Here are some ways to make the vegan transition simple and stress free:
1. Eat foods you normally eat, just leave out the animal products.
If you eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast every day, a sandwich for lunch, and a microwave dinner every evening, don't try all new recipes every meal every day. That's really exhausting and time consuming. Just switch out dairy milk with soy/ almond/ coconut milk, make a hummus and veggie sandwich instead of ham and cheese, and get an Amy's Kitchen tofu Pad Thai dinner instead of PF Chang's. If you always eat certain things, stick to things you like. If you want to try new recipes, that's great! But only do one or two new foods per week. Otherwise it can get overwhelming.
2. Don't go crazy with the vegan meats and cheeses!
They don't taste the same. Really, they don't. And you shouldn't expect them to. I'd wait a few weeks for your taste buds to change (they will) and try them later. If you really MUST eat all the vegan meats and cheeses RIGHT NOW then I recommend the following:
Sausage- Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage
Burgers- Beyond Meat Beyond Burger, Gardein ultimate beefless sliders
Cheese for melting- so delicious mozzarella shreds, follow your heart mozzarella shreds
Cheese for sandwiches- Chao slices (all flavors)
3. Eat when you are hungry. (And don't worry that much about the calories)
Veggies are not very calorie dense. If all you eat is a little salad for lunch, you are going to be hungry in a hour. Make sure you are eating a wide variety of foods throughout the day and this won't be much of a problem.
4. Carry snacks with you.
In your purse. In your car. In your backpack. In your workout bag. You never know when you will suddenly be asked to go to a restaurant and only able to order a side salad with no dressing and a fruit cup. These are some great snacks to keep around:
•Dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, strawberries, apricots, pineapple, mango)
•Nuts/seeds/legumes (cashews, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, edamame)
•Crackers (multi seed and rice crackers are the best)
•snack/meal replacement bars (clif bars and nugo dark bars are my favorites, but Lärabar and raaw bars are good too)
5. Don't freak out when you make a mistake!
I've been a vegan for several years and I still have slip ups. That veggie dish someone brought to the pot luck and told you was vegan? Totally full of Worcestershire sauce (contains fish). Or that pasta dish you order at the restaurant and explain five times cannot have any dairy in it because you are lactose intolerant and keeps you up half the night from stomach cramps. (can you tell I'm speaking from experience?) Mistakes happen. It's OK. Acknowledge that it happened, learn from it, and then move on. It's the only thing you can do that would end in you agonizing over it for weeks as you try to fall asleep at night.
I hope this has helped somewhat!
Good luck on your vegan journey!
So, you have decided to go vegan for New Years and you have no idea what to do? Or you are a little intimidated by thousands of #smoothiebowl pics on Instagram?
Here are some ways to make the vegan transition simple and stress free:
1. Eat foods you normally eat, just leave out the animal products.
If you eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast every day, a sandwich for lunch, and a microwave dinner every evening, don't try all new recipes every meal every day. That's really exhausting and time consuming. Just switch out dairy milk with soy/ almond/ coconut milk, make a hummus and veggie sandwich instead of ham and cheese, and get an Amy's Kitchen tofu Pad Thai dinner instead of PF Chang's. If you always eat certain things, stick to things you like. If you want to try new recipes, that's great! But only do one or two new foods per week. Otherwise it can get overwhelming.
2. Don't go crazy with the vegan meats and cheeses!
They don't taste the same. Really, they don't. And you shouldn't expect them to. I'd wait a few weeks for your taste buds to change (they will) and try them later. If you really MUST eat all the vegan meats and cheeses RIGHT NOW then I recommend the following:
Sausage- Field Roast Apple Sage Sausage
Burgers- Beyond Meat Beyond Burger, Gardein ultimate beefless sliders
Cheese for melting- so delicious mozzarella shreds, follow your heart mozzarella shreds
Cheese for sandwiches- Chao slices (all flavors)
3. Eat when you are hungry. (And don't worry that much about the calories)
Veggies are not very calorie dense. If all you eat is a little salad for lunch, you are going to be hungry in a hour. Make sure you are eating a wide variety of foods throughout the day and this won't be much of a problem.
4. Carry snacks with you.
In your purse. In your car. In your backpack. In your workout bag. You never know when you will suddenly be asked to go to a restaurant and only able to order a side salad with no dressing and a fruit cup. These are some great snacks to keep around:
•Dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, strawberries, apricots, pineapple, mango)
•Nuts/seeds/legumes (cashews, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, edamame)
•Crackers (multi seed and rice crackers are the best)
•snack/meal replacement bars (clif bars and nugo dark bars are my favorites, but Lärabar and raaw bars are good too)
5. Don't freak out when you make a mistake!
I've been a vegan for several years and I still have slip ups. That veggie dish someone brought to the pot luck and told you was vegan? Totally full of Worcestershire sauce (contains fish). Or that pasta dish you order at the restaurant and explain five times cannot have any dairy in it because you are lactose intolerant and keeps you up half the night from stomach cramps. (can you tell I'm speaking from experience?) Mistakes happen. It's OK. Acknowledge that it happened, learn from it, and then move on. It's the only thing you can do that would end in you agonizing over it for weeks as you try to fall asleep at night.
I hope this has helped somewhat!
Good luck on your vegan journey!
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