How to…….
Ready – Set – GO! There are a lot of ways to transition to being a vegan. You can go straight out cold turkey, or you can slowly transition over time. Both ways can be effective and both ways have their pitfalls. This is my own unscientific theory, but I think your personality plays a role in what method will work best for you. “A” type people might have move success in going cold turkey. They know what they want and are driven to accomplish their goal. Other personality types more than likely will find more success in a more slow and progressive transition. Either way is great – find what works for you and go with it! The worst thing you can do is nothing.
But how will I live without……..?
I find that most people are somewhat scared or intimidated by the thought of a vegan diet. How will I live without a nice, juicy steak or burger – especially when I smell that great grilling smell? Is it really possible to eat a good meal without cheese? What about sweets? All are reasonable concerns as you start to change your diet. My comment to you – Think about all the things you are gaining vs. the things you are giving up. And the best way to do that is to find some great vegan recipes and try them. Nobody will succeed if they hate the food they are eating or are left craving something that was left out. To be honest, you can eat way better tasting food and meals as a vegan! Why? Because you will soon find out that the basic meat, veggie and potato dinner, no matter how you make it, pales in comparison to a well structured vegan meal. The spices, the sauces, the marinades, the fresh veggies, grains, beans and so much more will open the door to an EXPLOSION of new flavors! Trust me – it will happen!
Easy does it!
So, you have made the decision to at least try to incorporate a vegan meal into your menu. Good for you! You don’t need to become a vegan overnight. It may take time and that is perfectly acceptable. We aren’t here to judge (well, maybe some people on the internet are, but we don’t listen to them)! The more you find out that you can eat great food, the better you start to feel, both health wise and ethically, the more you learn about the impact of commercialized farming on our environment and the more you learn the TRUTH about the treatment of our animal friends, the more momentum you will have in your transition. Remember, you have a lot working against you in this transition. It is hard to break the eating habits that you have developed over your entire life. Your taste buds have been trained to react to certain foods and tastes. The good news they can be retrained and REAWAKENED to even better food and flavors. The meat and dairy industries are masterful in creating messaging that totally diverts you away from the ugly realities of the industry. They convince you that meat and dairy are American, Wholesome, Healthy, Fun and help create images of Family, Happy and you get the picture. It takes focus, discipline, trial and error and time for most people to transition to a vegan life, but I can tell you from experience it is more than worth the effort!
Do your research. Learn about how to be a healthy vegan. Visit websites dedicated to begin a vegan. There are great recipe sites in addition to averagevegandad.com. Here are some that I used when I began –
Go ahead and explore all the different vegan blogs, recipes sites, information sites. Knowledge is POWER! And the more you know and understand, the more powerful your commitment will be.
Be Prepared
Vegan cooking is a little different in some ways than traditional cooking. The ingredients are not always those that you will typically find in your kitchen at all times, so it is a good idea to start building your pantry with some staple items. I created a Vegan Kitchen Must Have list – it is more of an entry level list and as your increase your knowledge and your palate, you will find that you will need to add some additional items. But this is a great place to start. Click here for the list – Vegan Kitchen Must Haves.
Many of the recipes you will find on my site and other sites will use many of these same ingredients. It is a lot easier to meal prep when you just need to focus you purchases on fresh veggies and not all the other things – They’re already in your pantry!
The moral of the story is to be the best you, you can be. Do REAL research, talk to people, visit a bunch of vegan blogs and recipe sites, try some things and stay focused. You can do this! And the result of all the focus and effort? You will feel GREAT, you will have more ENERGY, your HEALTH will improve, the ENVIRONMENT will be a little better and the animal will be HAPPY. And then you will want to tell your friends, and they will tell their friends and eventually we are making a HUGE difference in this world! NOW GO DO IT!
