Hello all! As you may or may not know, January is a popular month in the vegan community known as Veganuary! Veganuary is when those curious in the vegan lifestyle try going vegan for the whole month of January! While it’s already January 7th, it’s still never too late to try a plant-based lifestyle (they do say no time like the present amiright :)). I would like to give 5 tips to you guys on how to go and stay vegan right here and right now (or whenever you feel is right).
image from veganuary.com
One: Inform Yourself!
Hold up. Before you do anything else, go watch some documentaries! This is probably the most important step when going vegan. Being informed before you do anything is practicing mindfulness and educating yourself on a topic is always great! There are so many great vegan documentaries out there! I like recommending to new vegans and those curious on watching what I call “The Holy Trinity” of Vegan documentaries. These are “What the Health”, “Cowspiracy", and “Forks Over Knives”. These three documentaries are extremely informational, and touch base on all aspects of veganism from the environmental impact, to animal agriculture, and health. These documentaries are all available on Netflix and I will provide links to their websites down below.
http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/
http://www.cowspiracy.com/
https://www.forksoverknives.com/
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Two: Empty Your Fridge!
When going vegan, it’s important to get rid of your non-vegan food. It saves you from being tempted to eat those addictive hormones and animal products. You can empty your fridge by giving it out to family and friends, and giving to charity! After doing this go on a shopping trip and get essential if you don't have them such as rice, beans, pasta, and veggies of course! My favorite places for budget friendly shopping are Trader Joe’s and Costco where you can get your food in bulk.
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Three: Figure Out a Meal Plan!
When I first went vegan I’m not gonna lie, I struggled a bit. I think this was also due to the mindset i had that all I had to eat was salad and bread which is 100% not true! There are so many things you can make with plants all the way from delicious vegan Alfredo to simple vegan protein bowls! veganuary.com has so many meal plans to choose from for the month of January from Family-friendly options, gluten free options, and quick easy meals for those of us on the go.
Here’s an example of their quick and easy meal plan!
photo from veganuary.com
Their website also provides an informational “Vegan Starter Kit” which is really helpful!
You could also create your own meal plan by checking out vegan bloggers, you tubers and such! Some of my favorites include Minimalist Baker, SweetPotatoSoul, and Cheap Lazy Vegan on Youtube and Instagram.
Pintrest also has several meal plans as well! There’s so much variety you can choose from!
Four: Track Your Nutrients!
When first going vegan, it’s reccommended to track your nutrients! Usually, when one eats a 100% plant based, whole foods meal, they are getting the recommended nutrients for the day, however to make sure you are doing this tracking your nutrients in the beginning is important. My favorite nutrient tracker is cronometer.com where you can enter the foods you’ve eaten in a day and it immediately tells you what nutrients you’ve eaten! This is super simple and easy to use and really helpful for new vegans, and honestly anyone who wants to check their nutrients (including meat-eaters).
Five: Find Your Community!
With the internet, it is so easy to stay connected with other fellow vegans in your area and online! Websites such as meetup.com tell you where local vegan groups are! In my area there are monthly potlucks and dinners and it’s really fun! You could also create your own meetups for vegans in the area! Sites such as Facebook also have so many vegan groups and a huge vegan community! My favorites are “Veganism- the non-bat-shit-crazy-kind” and “What Broke Vegans Eat”! Going vegan is so much easier when you have a supportive and loving community behind you and cheering you on!
photo from tryveg.com
I hope these tips help and inspire you guys to try out a vegan lifestyle. Drop some questions down below if you have any and I’d love to answer them!
Peace, love, and eat yo greens,
~Malika :)