How to Start a Vegan Lifestyle: A Quick Guide 

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Do you want to transition to a vegan lifestyle and don’t know how to start? Take a look at a guide that will give you tips and hints you can use to transition smoothly. 

Why Be Vegan? 

More people than ever are transitioning to a vegan lifestyle for ethical, environmental, or health reasons. Several research studies have proved the health benefits of a vegan diet. Here is a short list of what starting a vegan diet can do for your health. 

  • It helps control blood sugar, preventing type 2 diabetes.
  • It improves heart health.
  • It helps to lose weight.
  • Increases the nutritional variety of your diet.
  • Lowers the risk of stroke and vascular disease.

How Popular is Being Vegan? 

The number of vegans increased in recent years, mainly inspired to avoid participating in animal cruelty. It goes beyond a diet, turning into a lifestyle in which people avoid ingesting or using products made from animals. 

According to a vegan statistics article, veganism and vegetarianism are on the rise. 

  • Research by the Good Food Institute shows the sales of plant-based foods grew 74% from 2016 to 2021. 
  • The Statista Global Consumer Survey in the U.S. in 2022 found that 5 percent of respondents were vegan, compared with three percent in 2016. Veganism is more prevalent in India, with almost 10% of the population identifying as vegans. 

Source: 2021 U.S Retail Market Insights on Plant-Based Foods

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Types of Vegan Diets

Veganism is not one-size-fits-all. There are different approaches to a vegan lifestyle. You can choose which method fits your philosophy and personality better. 

  • Raw food vegan: To follow this diet, you only need raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. You can also eat plant-based foods heated at a low temperature.  
  • 80/10/10: This raw-food vegan diet follows a principle of limiting plants rich in fat, such as avocados, and relies on leafy greens, raw vegetables, and fruits. 
  • Starch vegan: Similar to the 80/10/10 diet, but includes cooked starches like potatoes and rice. 
  • Whole food vegan diet: Based on a variety of whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. 
  • Raw till 4: This diet implies eating raw foods until 4 PM while having a cooked, plant-based meal for dinner. 

So, how do you start? 

Which Foods Should You Avoid? 

All animal products, including eggs and dairy, are excluded from a vegan diet. Animal products can be present in other foods as additives or supplements. 

Tips for detecting animal products in supermarkets

Read ingredient lists. The easiest way to know if a product is vegan is to look for a logo or icon that says “Certified Vegan”. Another way is to read the “Allergen Information” for dairy, eggs, or seafood. 

When reading the ingredients list, avoid rennet or gelatin products, as they are often from animal sources. 

Which Foods Can You Eat? 

  • All fruits and vegetables
  • Plant-based meat alternatives
  • Whole grains
  • Beans
  • Legumes

There is no shortage of available food for vegans, leading to a nutritionally richer diet. 

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Tips To Ease the Transition

Step 1. Learn as much as you can about veganism.

Educate yourself about the reasons behind veganism, the practices, and the ethical problems of animal products. You should find your reasons for being vegan—research vegan restaurants and which grocery stores carry vegan products in your area. 

Step 2. Start by enriching your omnivorous diet with plant-based foods

Going all out from the start can be overwhelming, and you can find it frustrating and challenging to sustain the diet. Start by adding plant-based foods to your diet before restricting animal products. If you are already used to eating a rich variety of vegetables, grains, and fruits, you won’t feel so restricted. 

Switch to vegetable milk, such as almond or rice: Oats, or soy. Try different ones until you find out which one you like most. 

Step 3. Go a step at a time.

Learn how to prepare, use, and store vegan products. Incorporate more beans, legumes, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and plant-based meat alternatives into your diet. Experiment with vegan recipes until you find quick and easy vegan meals you enjoy and can prepare without difficulty. 

As for how to transition, here are some options for how to transition. 

You can start as a vegetarian and switch to veganism: This approach involves going vegetarian and cutting off dairy and eggs at a second stage. To do this, avoid eating all types of meat, including fish. 

Take this as an opportunity to increase your intake of plant-based protein sources, grains, legumes, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit. 

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Slow transition to veganism:

  1. Identify which animal products are more difficult to stop eating — called “barrier products” — and which ones you don’t care as much about.
  2. Start with the animal products you won’t miss, substituting one type with a plant-based alternative.
  3. Once you are comfortable without the easy products, move on to remove barrier products one at a time. 

If you feel hard to commit to veganism because of one or two foods, that’s fine. Save them for special occasions or holidays. By putting those foods in a once-in-a-while category, it will be easier to stop craving them. Also, plant-based meat alternatives can satisfy those cravings while adding more nutrients. 

When going out, for instance, if you cannot find a vegan restaurant, ask the waiter or waitress if there are vegan options. Ensure the meal doesn’t contain cheese, sour cream, butter, or mayonnaise. Roasted vegetables, lentil dishes, falafel, and vegetable samosas, are safe choices. 

Remember that veganism is not only about food.

A vegan lifestyle involves avoiding using all types of animal products. Once you are comfortable with your diet, start substituting your shoes and clothes for vegan fabrics. That means next time you need a jacket, opt for vegan leather or pleather instead of genuine leather. It will be cheaper, too. 

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Do You Need Supplements?

It is possible to meet nutritional requirements with a vegan diet. But some starting vegans may need help to balance their diet to have enough nutrients the body requires to be healthy. Some common supplements include 

  • Vitamin B12 – look for cyanocobalamin form as it is easily absorbed
  • Vitamin D – everybody should supplement with vitamin D. Vegans should opt for D2 or vegan-certified D3. 
  • EPA and DHA are naturally vegan, as they are sourced from algae.
  • Iron – use a supplement only in case of deficiency.
  • Iodine – take ½ a teaspoon of iodized salt daily or a supplement. 
  • Calcium – optimal absorption is in doses of 500 mg
  • Zinc – opt for zinc gluconate or zinc nitrate forms

Final Words

Committing to a vegan lifestyle is not easy initially, but it is doable and easy to follow when you are used to it. The benefits for your health and the environment significantly outweigh the initial challenges. As with any critical change in your life, the benefits will only appear if you are consistent and eat various nutrient-rich plant foods. 


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